The celebrations may end with the burning of Ravana, but the responsibility towards the environment does not end with Dussehra. Taking this thought forward, Nitin De Saathi, under the leadership of AAP Jalandhar Central Halka In-charge Nitin Kohli, is organising a unique community initiative, ‘Trash-a-thon: The Morning After Dussehra’, bringing young people and citizens together to clean up after the festivities and contribute towards a greener Jalandhar.
The initiative will be held on Wednesday, October 21, from 7 AM onwards at Adarsh Nagar Park, near the chaupati in Jalandhar. The idea is simple but significant: the initiative aims to complement the efforts of sanitation workers by encouraging citizens, especially the youth, to actively participate in keeping public spaces clean.
Dussehra celebrations often leave behind litter, disposable items and other waste at public places. The following morning, the responsibility of cleaning these spaces generally falls on sanitation staff. Through ‘Trash-a-thon’, Nitin De Saathi, under Kohli’s leadership, aims to encourage a sense of shared civic responsibility by bringing together young volunteers willing to contribute their time and effort to the cause.
The initiative will also include a plantation drive, adding a green dimension to the post-Dussehra effort. With the festival period often raising concerns over air pollution and waste generation, the drive seeks to encourage citizens to take practical steps towards environmental care rather than limiting the conversation to awareness alone.
Speaking about the initiative, Nitin Kohli said, “Festivals bring people together in celebration, and we must also come together to take responsibility for the spaces we share. Our sanitation workers do an important job every day, and this initiative is about citizens joining hands with them and contributing in their own way. Through ‘Trash-a-thon’, we want the youth to lead by example, clean up our surroundings and plant the seeds of a greener future.”
The initiative carries the message that keeping a city clean cannot be the responsibility of a single department or a particular group of workers. It requires active participation from the people who use and share its public spaces. By encouraging young volunteers to take the lead, Nitin De Saathi aims to turn a routine post-festival cleanup into a meaningful community movement under Kohli’s leadership.
Citizens and young people interested in participating are invited to join the initiative at Adarsh Nagar Park on the morning of October 21. The campaign, being held under the message ‘A Cleaner Jalandhar Central Starts With Us’, encourages residents to move beyond celebrating their city and take an active role in improving it.
With ‘Trash-a-thon’, the morning after Dussehra becomes an opportunity to put the festival’s message of the triumph of good into action through cleaner surroundings, greener spaces and a stronger sense of collective responsibility.
The initiative is envisioned as the beginning of a larger movement, with a long-term goal of expanding across Punjab and eventually inspiring similar efforts in other parts of India. Nitin De Saathi, under Kohli’s leadership, aims to inspire communities beyond Jalandhar to take ownership of their public spaces, make post-festival cleanups a collective civic practice and encourage more citizens, especially young people, to lead local efforts towards a cleaner and greener India.
