A day after Diwali, Indian city roads are filled with cracker shells and smoke. While everyone else looks the other way for the dirt, a foreigner has been working behind the scenes to turn that around.
Lazar Jankovic is inspiring Indians to take care to keep their environment clean. Lazar, along with Timeless Amritsar and Pawsitive Sanctuary volunteers, was seen cleaning up outside the Durgiana Temple in Amritsar.
Lazar came to India eight years back on a modeling assignment. But today he has found his true calling – to clean up cities and inspire others to keep the environment clean.
"Since I began visiting various cities to join hands for the cleaning campaigns, I have become very fond of this country and its people but was pained to see streets resemble dustbins," Lazar said.
He was joined by Amita Seth, founder of Pawsitive Sanctuary, and Adele, a Canadian visitor. "Anything to be part of the change," she too added.
Lazar does not run any NGO or accept contributions. All he does is request people to do it on their own. "I don't want people to take pictures only. I want them to grab a broom and sweep their own streets," he declared.
He also said that occasionally individuals do not want to clean because of social stigma. "Many inform me that if they clean garbage, people will judge them by caste. But if someone like me who is foreign does it, it's okay. That's unfortunate," he further stated.
Despite going through unpleasant experiences, such as being yelled at by an auto driver in Bengaluru or losing his smell when cleaning a stinky drain, Lazar does not stop working.
His social media page @4cleanindia posts videos of his clean-up missions and has attracted a lot of followers. "I saw his videos and asked him to come to Amritsar. He is doing wonderful work and making people participate," said Gaurav, a Timeless Amritsar volunteer.
By simply reaching for a broom, Lazar is showing India that true change starts when all of us take charge of our own streets.
