A STUDY ON THE IMPACT OF CLEAN- UP CAMPAIGN ABC (AMALA BHARATHAM CAMPAIGN)

The accumulation of trash and waste in public areas is a growing problem afflicting communities throughout India. As this nation is attaining economic growth at astonishing speed, the blight of unsightly growing piles of refuse also increases in populated areas. To address this problem, the Mata Amritanandamayi Math has implemented the Amala Bharatam Campaign, abbreviated to ABC. Amala is the Sanskrit word for “clean” or “pure” and Bharatam is the Sanskrit name for India. Thus, Amala Bharatam literally translates to “Clean India”. The goal of ABC is to physically clean up trash while instilling awareness amongst communities throughout India about the importance of trash removal, setting up recycling programs, and teaching basic hygiene practices. The purpose of this study is to analyze the impact of the ABC at a community located in the Alappad Panchayat in Kollam district of Kerala. The scope of the ABC within this district is assessed based upon following a three-fold approach. Firstly the reach of the ABC within this particular society is examined, namely, how strong of an impact the community experiences through the implementation of ABC. Secondly, improvements in hygiene and cleanliness among participants is evaluated and compared to the level prior to the induction of the ABC within this community. Thirdly, the degree of participation in the ABC amongst the members of the community is gauged. The study was conducted upon a thin section of the society belonging to a specific ethnographic framework with the focus upon twenty participants. Data was collected via interviews and through the administration of an observation checklist. The results of this study can be extrapolated to project the overall effect of implementation of ABC throughout the entire nation of India.