Proper Handwashing Procedures

Cleanliness is next to Godliness

Cleanliness is next to Godliness

Shuchi and Shubhrata were given utmost importance in our Indian culture, since ever. Right from small things like brushing teeth etc. fixed rules and regulations have been placed, such that utmost cleanliness prevails in the society. The following story portrays the obsession of Indian culture for cleanliness.

Long ago there used to live an obedient shishya of the great Paila maharshi. His name was Udanka. Udanka, due to his obedience, learnt quickly his lessons. After completing his Vidyaabhyaasam, before leaving the Guru-aashramam, Udanka requested his Guru to take Guru-dakshina. Paila maharshi replied “you being a shishya of me is itself enough. It is difficult to get good shishyas like you. Please go on”. Upon many times being requested by Udanka, finally Paila maharshi said “do the work that your Guru-patni tells you and then leave”.

He approached Guru-patni, did Yathaa-vidhi namaskaaram, with Vinayam, asked her to give him some work. She asked him to get the kundalas of the country’s Mahaaraani for a Vratam. Udanka immediately set out for it. On the way he sees a radiant brightly glowing God coming on a huge Vrushabham. He does the required namaskars to him and the God gives him goomayam. He eats the goomayam, takes leave from the God and continues his journey to meet Poushya, the king of the country. Poushya was a very great king, ruled his subjects as his own kids and made dharma walk on its four legs.

Poushya welcomed Udanka and offered him a warm welcome when he arrived at his courtyard. Udanka tells the reason for his arrival and immediately the kings granted him permission to collect the kundalas. He asked udanka to go to the queen’s palace and collect them from her personally. Udanka went into the palace and searched for the queen everywhere. Failing to find her returns to poushya informing that he could not find the queen. Poushya hesitantly says “O great Brahmana! How can I say that you are not clean? My queen is a Pativrata and hence only people who are clean can see her”. Udanka recalls why he was not in a clean state and realizes that in the hurry to finish gurupatni’s task, he forgot to wash his hands, feet and mouth and do aachamanam, after eating the gomayam. He immediately washes and does aachamanam and goes back to see the queen and sees her in her palace.

Story will be continued later in some other contexts. So will Udanka be able to complete his gurupatni’s task? who was the God? Keep reading for answers ….  

Morals in the Story:

1. It is very basic and important to always be clean.
2. The mahima of pativratas is immense. It seems even the trimurtis do not have power to go against the will of a pativrata.

Message:

Neglecting the Indian aacharams and culture seems to be the main cause for today’s “modern” Indian’s un-cleanliness and other related ill-effects. So let us strive to uphold our culture reforms ourselves and think twice to act in this mad run for “technological advancement”.

Also now-a-days we miss our olden education system. Peviously Guru used to give Vidyaa, housing, food everything, expecting nothing in return. Shishya also used to learn with great Vinayam and try his best to give Guru-dakshina. This Unnata-aadarsham of Bhaarateey-Vidyaabhyaasam is well shown in the story through the conversation of Udanka and Paila maharshi. Contrast it with present day education — it has reached a level where educational institutes, in their hunger for money, do advertisements!!



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Importance of Cleanliness

Importance of Cleanliness

Anything which is taught at an early age remains firmly implanted in the mind. It is essential to cultivate good habits at a young age, and cleanliness is one of the most important. Being clean and tidy is important.
Cleanliness should start with personal hygiene. It is crucial for people to learn about hygiene, and the various diseases linked to lack of it. From a very young age, formation of certain habits like washing hands before meals, regular brushing of teeth, and bathing are a must. These are entirely personal habits. And, since we live in a society it is essential to follow certain rules like keeping our surroundings clean, avoiding littering in public places, refraining from spitting on the road, and many more.
Any habits, good or bad, taught or even picked up at a young age, get embedded into one's personality. Unfortunately, today, many adults themselves do not set very good examples of cleanliness. In fact, habits like smoking, chewing tobacco and betel leaves, and spitting on roads and sidewalks, are a sick heritage handed down from our parents and elderly relatives. Many public places used for defecating are left messy and stinking, leading to any number of diseases.
Litter on roads, polluted water bodies and poor sanitation make excellent breeding grounds for creepy crawly pests. Medical research has discovered that rats, mice, cockroaches, flies, and mosquitoes serve as hosts for transmitting disease. Lack of hygiene is an open invitation to infectious disease.
Cleanliness, if we may say so, can make the difference between life and death. A healthy environment is necessary if we want to stay healthy. If the environment is dirty it badly affects the health of the people living around. Wherever we live, it is important for us to keep it clean. Let's start with our individual homes. If our homes are clean we will obviously enjoy a healthy life.
And in society it is the responsibility of each and every human being to maintain certain hygienic standards. A clean environment, besides being a pleasure to live in, is a healthy environment.
Our planet Earth is known as the 'GREEN PLANET.' It is the most beautiful planet in the whole Universe. The Greenery of this planet is like the Green Belt of the Earth. The development of this green belt is in our hands. We should keep our Earth clean and green.

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Sanitation in India - Statistics

·  The UN suggests that each person needs 20-50 litres of safe freshwater a day to ensure their basic needs for drinking, cooking and cleaning. Source: World Water Assessment Programme (WWAP)

·  More than one in six people worldwide - 894 million - don't have access to this amount of safe freshwater. Source: World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) Joint Monitoring Programme on Water Supply and Sanitation (JMP)

·  Globally, diarrhoea is the leading cause of illness and death, and 88 per cent of diarrhoeal deaths are due to a lack of access to sanitation facilities, together with inadequate availability of water for hygiene and unsafe drinking water. Source: JMP

·  Today 2.5 billion people, including almost one billion children, live without even basic sanitation. Every 20 seconds, a child dies as a result of poor sanitation. That's 1.5 million preventable deaths each year.
Source: Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC)

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·  In Sub-Saharan Africa, treating diarrhoea consumes 12 percent of the health budget. On a typical day, more than half the hospital beds in are occupied by patients suffering from faecal-related disease. Source: WSSCC

·  Washing hands with soap can reduce the risk of diarrhoeal diseases by up to 47 per cent. Source: WHO

·  The first ever global handwashing day was celebrated on 15 October during the International Year of Sanitation.

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My India . . . .

Dirty roads, Foul smell, clogged drains, Close to hell. Open sewers where the mosquitoes dwell, so much to see, so much to tell. Yes we need to make India less dirty. Oh but wait. Haven’t we heard this already? Hygiene should be promoted blah blah blah.
What we really need; is action. Not drawing room discussions and prime time debates. We need to come together to change the face of the nation.
We are the Youth. We have the power. We are the Youth power.

Slum dog millionaire shows the filthy slums. Eat pray love, shows the poverty. Is this what India is? A dump ground of unwanted substances waiting for someone to advertise it internationally? It’s our home. Its “swadesh” . It’s where the Seventh wonder of the world exists. Its where Saas bhi kabhi bahu thi runs for 13 years and makes everyone cry in every episode. It’s where you and I live; where you and I breathe. Let’s join together and eradicate this misfortune, this curse to this beautiful nation. Do what you can and others will follow. Lead the way! Help us make our city a better place.

See what you see but never a sight you forget. Do what you can, bleed some sweat. India is for us to protect.

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