The “Kulapati Munshi Award” was given to Clean Coonoor, a citizens’ forum formed in 2014 that has been organising clean-ups in and around Coonoor town.
A press release from the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, which conferred the award, stated that Clean Coonoor began organising clean up campaigns after one of its members “noticed the quantity of litter left behind by irresponsible tourists and roped in a few acquaintances to help clear up the mess.”
“Encouraged by the success, the group soon grew in number and started regular clean-up activities in and around Coonoor,” it said.
The award was named after the founder of the 81-year-old educational trust, K.M. Munshi, who was a freedom fighter, activist, politician, writer and educationist. The citation was received on behalf of the team by Samantha Iyanna, an active member of Clean Coonoor.
M.R. Srinivasan, former chairman of the Indian Atomic Energy Commission, delivered the presidential address at the felicitation ceremony organised by the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Nilgiris Kendra, at the Coonoor Club on Friday.
First time
Srimathi Sridhar, member of the committee that conferred the award, stated in her welcome address that it was the first time that the annual award was being bestowed upon an organisation and not on an individual.
Speaking to The Hindu , P.J. Vasanthan, a member of Clean Coonoor, said that the role of any NGO is to reach out into areas where the existing government machinery needs assistance, and further stressed on the importance of voluntary work which leads to sense of ownership and responsibility among the participants.
