Devotees going to Sabarimala this time need to take an oath that they would not defile the placeIt is another season of pilgrimage at Sabarimala. A trip to Sabarimala is more a travel to self discovery than a pilgrimage. Swami Ayyappan exemplifies the philosophy of unity in diversity and the fact that nature as well as all living and non-living things in it are made from the same basic principle; the divine conscience, the one without another. Through the trip, a devotee should understand the self and identify it with everything around.
Devotees going to Sabarimala this time need to take an oath that they would not defile the place. They should also find time to remove wastes if they find it there. The forests are the forests of the lord as far as devotees are concerned and therefore they need to keep it clean and pure as it is expected to be. Even if 500 grams of waste is littered by a person, total wastes could reach humongous proportions considering that the forests are visited by about 1.5 crore people.
Since the wastes cannot be processed here easily due to topographical conditions, wastes that have been used for landfills are slowly corroding the ecosystem ensuring that not even grass would grow over the areas where garbage has been buried. Further, the garbage would prevent water from percolating into the soil thus affecting the water levels in rivers and ponds with time.
How can an Ayyappa, who becomes the embodiment of the lord, defile a place and ask another Ayyappa to clean up for him? All debris therefore should be taken back and littering should be strictly prevented. Cleanliness is real devotion.
The debris that has been littered already is a concern and through sustained efforts we can clear up the mess. We need to ensure that we would not use soap and oil while bathing in the Pampa and be careful enough not to leave our waste clothes there. We also should devote an hour to clean up the place. A joint effort called ‘Punyam Poonkavanam’ is meant to keep the place neat and tidy and already lakhs of devotees have become part of the movement.
When we step onto the mountains this time, we need to remember that 125 tonnes of waste are accumulating here each season. Let us preserve the mountains for posterity.
(The author is the chief coordinator of Punyam Poonkavanam and the nodal officer appointed by the High Court for cleanliness-focussed activities at Sabarimala. He is an Intelligence DIG)
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