Launched as a small step in May 2022 with just thirteen volunteers to clean up the local Pradhana Nandeeswara Swamy temple in Nandyal, ‘Mana Ooru Mana Gudi Mana Badhyatha’ (our village-our temple-our responsibility) has today earned nearly 1000 volunteers, and is getting invitation to reach out to many more ancient shrines.
The volunteers have so far cleaned 108 temples, including the Nava Narasimha temples at Ahobilam and the Yaganti temple and local shrines in Kasapuram, Kalvabugga. The team also visited Mantralayam to clean up the premises of Sri Raghavendra Swamy Mutt on an auspicious ‘Ekadasi’ day last year. The ‘Kara Seva’ (voluntary action) received plaudits from the pontiff himself.
The volunteers regularly clear used clothes, slippers and even tonsured human hair from the temple tank. “It pains to see empty beer bottles dumped by miscreants in the holy tanks. Even as we were cleaning one such tank, a person was urinating in it, absolutely unmindful of our presence,” said M.V. Sivakumar Reddy, the founder of the movement. In view of the extensive work done in Nandyal, Dhone and Bethamcherla, the Dhone municipality recently appreciated Mr. Reddy and asked for the group’s contribution across more areas in the town.
Their services have also crossed the State borders, with the team members recently offering voluntary service at Sri Arunachaleswara temple in Tiruvannamalai (Tamil Nadu) and Sri Visalakshi temple at Kashi (Uttar Pradesh). A modified version of ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’, the initiative is no more confined to temples and ponds, but is keen on including local water bodies too, with the approval from the concerned governing bodies.
