“It was a wonderful experience to take part in the cleaning mission of the Math at India’s well known pilgrim centre. The Ayyappa devotees should take extra care to maintain the serene atmosphere of this forest environs, ensuring better cleanliness,” Xabier Jauregui, biologist from Spain was all smiles while coming out of river Pampa after completing the cleaning drive.
Similarly, Marthu Gonzalez, a dentist from Spain and Celine Bussinger, hydraulic engineer from France, too considered it a God-sent opportunity to take part in the cleaning drive at Pampa launched by the Mata Amritanandamayi Math (MAM) on Sunday.
As many as 65 foreign nationals, all disciples of the spiritual leader, Mata Amrithanandamayi, took part in the two-day intensive cleaning drive at Sabarimala that came to a close on Sunday.
As many as 3,400 sanitation volunteers of the Amala Bharatham project of the Math from different parts of the State and from Tamil Nadu and Karnataka took part in the cleaning drive held at Sabarimala and Pampa on Saturday and Sunday.
The cleaning programme at Pampa was inaugurated by the Travancore Devaswom Board president, M.P.Govindan Nair, on Sunday morning. Mr. Nair said TDB always held the services rendered by the Math in high esteem, especially the yeoman service of the Amala Bharatham volunteers in cleaning the pilgrim centre before and after the annual festivals.
He said the board would be happy to extend every possible support to the Math volunteers who have undertaken the cleaning work as a committed task force.
K. S. Savitri, Deputy Collector (Disaster Management); K. Ravikumar, TDB Chief Engineer; Brahmachari Sudeeep, Amrita Viswavidyapeedhom director; Brahmachari Bijukumar, and Brahmachari Sreevalsan, programme coordinators, also attended the function.
As many as 800 women volunteers, including woman members of the Math as well as various Ashrams and girl students attached to the educational institutions of the Math, took part in the cleaning operation held at Pampa on Sunday.
The volunteers removed as many as 5,000 bags of solid waste from river Pampa, and surroundings areas, besides 10,000 bags of recyclable waste from the Sannidhanam. The recyclable waste collected in separate bags have been shifted to the Valiya Nadapanthal for transporting it to Pampa, later.
All the three incinerators at the Sannidhanam and the one at Cheriyanavattom are running in full swing, incinerating the waste collected by the MAM volunteers.
Temple pond
The temple pond of Bhasmakkulam at the Sannidhanam has regained its serene ambience with the volunteers completing the cleaning drive on Sunday afternoon.
This is fifth time the Math has been carrying out the cleaning drive at Sabarimala in the past three years. A medical team from Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, Kochi, too is camping at its seasonal healthcare centre at Pampa.
