At a time when one gets engrossed in devising ways to climb up the professional ladder, Lokesh Parakh bids adieu to his five-year-old plush job in Mumbai and has decided to advocate values and promote simple techniques to conserve resources.
Sticking self-explanatory charts on walls that indicate how one can save buckets of water in washrooms, kitchen and utility spaces and reuse it, the 27-year-old chartered accountant emphasises the significance of making a conscious attempt in bringing a social change. “From the time we wake up in the morning to the moment we hit the bed in the night, a plenty of measures can be considered to save water, power and environment. There is no need to shell out anything from one’s pocket for this to take shape. Just a little bit of effort would do,” Mr. Parakh has told The Hindu while hosting ‘values’ exhibition in the city.
A member of Jainatva Suraksha Sangh (JSS), Mr. Parakh began the culture and values campaign by hosting workshops and exhibitions six months ago. He presented over a dozen programmes in Chennai, Nagpur, Chhattisgarh, Raipur, Delhi, Vizianagaram and Visakhapatam so far. Next, the campaigner intends to head to Odisha. “We started off with just a team of 11 members in Pali, Rajasthan. Now, JSS consists of 1,100 teams in 14 zones spread across the country, including Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Though other members extend support while being employed in various sectors, I quit my job to dedicate more time for advocating health tips and values as I find it essential in the present trend of diminishing moral values,” says Mr. Parakh, who is glad to forego his savings to meet his travel expenses.
Jodhpur-based campaigner is excited that his mission to promote health and sensible use of resources is eventually finding the right audience. “Many people who attend the session find the techniques quite easy to adopt,” he says.
Pictorial charts
With pictorial charts and stickers like ‘use less water and utensils while cooking’, ‘switch off lights when not in use’, the campaign also offers tips on treating oneself to a digital detox, reviving traditional formats of dining and setting aside a small portion of the savings to help the underprivileged sections.
