480 folk performances staged across Gujarat under Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban to spread message of cleanliness

VMPL

Gandhinagar (Gujarat) [India], September 12: As part of its Hu Alag Chhu (I am different) campaign, the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM)-Urban Gujarat organised at least 480 folk performances across the state, including 304 street plays, 105 Bhavai acts and 71 puppet shows, staged across the Ahmedabad, Bhavnagar and Gandhinagar Zones over the past 25 days. Each performance used traditional storytelling formats of Bhavai, Puppetry and Street Plays to spread awareness about cleanliness, household waste segregation and the elimination of single-use plastics.

Of the total, some 156 performances were held in the Bhavnagar Zone, some 186 shows took place in the Gandhinagar Zone, and the remaining 141 performances were held in the Ahmedabad zone, across all municipalities of the respective zones.

Carrying forward the mission of a clean India envisioned by the Honble Prime Minister, Shri Narendrabhai Modi, under the able leadership of the Honble Chief Minister of Gujarat, Shri Bhupendrabhai Patel, the campaign was guided by Honble Shri M. Nagrajan (IAS), Managing Director, SBM (Urban), Gujarat. The Hu Alag Chhu campaign is aimed at bringing about a long-term behavioural change by taking the message of cleanliness directly into communities. Collectively, the campaign reached lakhs of citizens across schools, neighbourhoods, public spaces and community gatherings, wherever the performances were held.

The performers highlighted how one everyday habits affect soil, water, air quality and human health. They also encouraged citizens to adopt simple eco-friendly practices such as using cloth bags to plastic counterparts, turn home composting and participate in community cleanliness drives through their performances, each of which drew around 150-250 people.

Through strong character portrayals, traditional storytelling formats and stories laced with humour, the initiative engaged audiences and enabled them to understand the importance of household-level segregation of wet and dry waste, and to discourage the use of single-use plastics.

In line with the Government of Gujarat Nirmal Gujarat 2.0 initiative, each performance was organised in an eco-friendly manner such as props and sets that did not generate any plastic waste. Being mindful of the sustainability goals, the government also collected feedback through QR-based digital platforms. Many citizens provided their valuable inputs.

The outreach has also been amplified through social media influencer marketing to extend its impact beyond physical gatherings.

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