Baripada: Be it sunny or a rainy day, going out with a broom and a basket to clean his locality has been the norm for this businessman for last 20 years.
Meet Rabindranath Sahu, a 60-year-old man from Saraskana area in Mayurbhanj district. He is a businessman by profession, but his passion is to clean the environment.
Rabindranath still remembers how cleanliness and environment grew on him. “Puri Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingha Deb had visited Saraskshetra located at Saraskana in 2002. In order to get the whole area cleaned before his visit, I contacted some local youths and when asked for their help in cleaning the area, they readily agreed,” he reminisced.
“That incident made me decide to work for the environment,” he added.
Since that day onwards, he has been giving two hours every day to give the society a healthier and cleaner environment. Every morning, he goes out with a broom and basket. Local people say they have never seen him skipping his job even for a day. Most importantly, he does his job happily, never complaining of any sorts.
Some local social activists are also helping him in his noble work.
“There are many people who say many a thing to do for the society. But when it comes to walk the talk, very few turn up. But in case of Sahu, it’s a different story. His act has forced us to think about the environment we live in,” observed some local residents adding, “He has set an example for younger generations.”
Remembering the initial days, Sahu said he without giving an ear to expletives and comments has been listening to his inner-self. “I have been advising people to give at least two hours a day for the cause of society,” he added.
Sahu is taking care of the areas including block office, all the ponds, tube wells, markets, Jagannath temple front, medical front, all the educational institutions, government offices and some areas of nearby villages. He was felicitated as a true social activist during the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2019. This apart, he has also been felicitated by various social organisations including Jagannath Sanskruti Manch and Odisha Samajsebi Mahasangha.
Unless and until youth mass rise up to the situation, a healthy society minus environment pollution can’t even be dreamt of, Sahu opines.
PNN