Meet The Woman Who Pledged to Rid Bhopal of Filth Even Before PM Modi

Bhopal: More than six months before Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Swachch Bharat Abhiyan on Oct 2, 2014, this businesswoman from Bhopal had laid the foundation of clean Bhopal campaign and continues to strive for the goal with similar zeal till date.

Inspired by Bangalore’s volunteer group ‘Ugly Indians’ which laid the foundation of spot fixing campaign through social media networking, Kalpana Kekre had started the I-Clean Bhopal chapter in January 2014 along with her son Ameya and five others.

Three years after the initiative, there is no dearth of neat and clean public places in Bhopal which are painted with I-Clean trademark patterns and designs.

The members who stay in connect to each other with online and offline means, gather at designated spot which needs to be fixed and discharge their volunteer duties every Sundays from 7am to 11am. “Since the PM Narendra Modi launched the Swachch Bharat campaign, the awareness for cleanliness has surged among authorities and public,” Kekre said.

She and her determined Swachchta warriors have been felicitated by union ministry of Urban Development at India Gate in 2015 and by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan in Bhopal on Oct 2, 2016.

Bhopal Municipal Corporation also extends every possible co-operation to I-Clean endeavours.

Besides, Kekre who completed studies in Rajasthan’s Bhilwara and Udaipur before getting married into a Bhopal family, is a successful entrepreneur.

I used to supply food products to parties and get together since 1995 but on my family’s insistence, I started my catering business in year 2000.

As usual she had to face taunts like if she had financial issues or what she was doing in catering business instead of taking care of her family at home.

However a determined Kalpana never allowed these obstructions to hinder her way and 16 years after she runs a small catering firm Ameya Provisions. Her son –a software professional-and husband who is a liaisoner with BHEL Bhopal and runs flavours’ business, never thought for a second when Kalpana consulted them before starting I-Clean campaign in 2014.