Meerut NGO's work gets featured in PM's Mann Ki Baat

MEERUT: The work of Meerut-based NGO Pahal - Ek Prayas received a big shot in the arm after the NGO's work of cleanliness and beautification of the city got featured in the Prime Minister's Mann Ki Baat on Sunday, where the PM spoke about beautification of public places. While Modi did not specifically mention the NGO, he talked about the beautification drive taken up by the citizens of the country after cleaning public spaces as visuals of its Pahal activists painting city streets were played alongside.

"Cleanliness is now being linked to beauty. For many years, we kept expressing our anguish towards filth, but it continued to remain as it is. Now, people of the country have started talking about cleanliness rather than discussing filth. The work of cleaning is constantly going on in some or the other way. But now, the citizens have taken a step further; they have now linked beauty with cleanliness and it is all the more effective. This is specifically visible on railway stations. With local art in focus, wall graffiti, beautiful paintings, making attractive and artistic sign boards, having things that spread awareness, a lot is being done," said Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Mann Ki Baat address, while visuals of Pahal - Ek Prayas volunteers painting the walls in the city were played in a half-screen space on Doordarshan.Pahal - Ek Prayas is a city-based NGO, which started on January 26, 2014 and engages in cleaning a spot in the city every Sunday. After cleaning the spot, (called 'spot-fixing' by Pahal members) the volunteers paint the walls with social messages like 'Save Girl Child', 'Save Environment' and many others.


TOI had earlier reported about the wall painting competitions conducted by the NGO at Kailash Prakash Stadium on November 23, 2014 and outside Krishna Plaza on February 22, 2015 - the two major wall paintings initiative, which helped involvement of art students with the Pahal. With paint brushes in their hands and a motive to sensitize the city residents about cleanliness, the fine-arts department students of Chaudhary Charan Singh University (CCSU) and other colleges had got together to paint the over 400-feet long wall surrounding Krishna Plaza and the boundary wall of Kailash Prakash Stadium in Meerut.So far, the NGO has fixed as many as 95 spots. The NGO, now, has a 15-member drawing and art team, which gives an artistic touch to the cleaned spot.


Talking about the 1 minute mention of the NGO in the form of visuals in PM's Mann Ki Baat, Dr. Vishwajeet Bembi, founder, Pahal - Ek Prayas, said, "My happiness knows no bounds today. Though are name was not taken by Modi sir, I am glad that he has an idea about the work that the 300 volunteers of Pahal have been doing in Meerut for over two years now."RELATED

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