New Delhi: Move over Akshay Kumar and Bhumi Pednekar’s anokhi love story – Toilet: Ek Prem Katha, a similar story has just begun in Purnia, one of Bihar’s major districts. Meet the new couple – Ravi Ranjan and Gudiya Kumari who stepped into their new life on a Swachh note. On July 3, the couple tied the knots by taking 8 pheras instead of the traditional 7, to promote cleanliness and support the mega drive of Clean India by 2019.
From the invitation cards which were printed with Swachh Bharat Abhiyan logo to the slogans which carried the swachh message like – Ek kadam swachhta ki aur (a step towards cleanliness) and Sauchalaya bin dulhan ka shringar adhoora hai (any bride is incomplete without a toilet), this swachh marriage had it all. The bride and groom also asked their families not to make their marriage a very lavish affair and instead just concentrate on spreading the message of swachhta.
Ravi Ranjan, 29, works as a senior manager at a hotel in New Delhi and Gudiya Kumari is a software engineer in a Gurugram-based company; the duo wanted their marriage to be remembered by everyone and linked to swachh bharat mission and hence they thought nothing is more inspiring than having a swachh shaadi.
From Bihar to Delhi, the couple aims to make people aware about the importance of cleanliness and why defecating in the open can hamper the growth of the nation. Once settled, the couple will come out with their new swachh ways to motivate the masses.
This is not the first time when wedding ceremonies have been linked with Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, wedding ceremonies in Kerala follow a special green-protocol, which means the wedding will have to take place with minimal waste generation and usage of disposable plastics. This initiative has been taken by the state government to make the auspicious occasions more nature-friendly.
Also Read: Weddings In Kerala Go Green, Non-Biodegradable Items To Be Prohibited
In Chamoli district of Uttarakhand, one of the swachh warriors decided to spread the message of building toilets through his wedding invite. He urged the invitees to construct toilets and keep their village surroundings clean and hygienic.
More than 3 crore toilets have been made in the country, still approximately 450 million people practice open defecation. India still has a long way to go, and the progress made so far needs to be sustained and strengthened further. Thanks to swachh warriors like Ravi Ranjan and Gudiya Kumari, the hope of a Clean India lives on.
