Serving a feast of cleanliness, care

The term Langar evokes images of steaming food and selfless service among many in Punjab. But for the volunteers of the Swachata da Langar Seva Society, the “feast” (Langar) they serve is of a different kind — a cleaner environment and a greener tomorrow.

Formed in 2022, the NGO is the brainchild of a group of social activists — Anit Nayyar, Mandeep Sharma, Satinder Sharma, and Puneet Sharma — who were individually working on cleanliness initiatives after the Mata Chintpurni Shravan Mela along the Hoshiarpur-Chintpurni road. Seeing the mounds of garbage left by pilgrims and langars during the Mela, they decided to unite their efforts under one banner.

“The idea was simple,” recalls founder president Anit Nayyar. “Just like food langars feed the body, we wanted a cleanliness langar to feed the environment — to serve society by keeping our spaces clean and inspiring others to do the same.”

The society’s unique name, Swachata da Langar, reflects this vision. Its founding team includes Nayyar as president, Mandeep Sharma as chairman, Satinder Sharma as vice-president and Puneet Sharma as secretary. About 15 active members regularly participate in cleanliness drives, collecting waste themselves and mobilising community participation.

The results have been remarkable. In 2022, the group cleared six tractor-trolleys of garbage from the Chintpurni road after the Mela. The figure rose to 10 trolleys in 2023, 12 in 2024, and about 20 in 2025 — a testament to both the scale of the problem and the society’s growing capacity.

The NGO has also joined hands with the Municipal Corporation Hoshiarpur to clean Bhangi Choe, one of the city’s most polluted drains and has engaged various schools and colleges, bringing students into the fold of environmental action.

“Cleanliness is not a one-day event; it’s a culture we must build,” says chairman Mandeep Sharma. “When people see us picking up garbage left behind by religious processions or community events, it sends a message that service to humanity includes service to the environment.”

The society’s presence has become a common sight at religious processions in Hoshiarpur. Volunteers walk behind the moving shobha yatras, swiftly collecting waste from roadside langars set up to welcome the devotees. Their work often draws appreciation from locals who see them as guardians of public hygiene.

This year, the society worked in collaboration with the district administration under the project ‘Chardta Suraj’ during the Chintpurni Mela to prevent the use of single-use plastic and to ensure regular removal of garbage from the langar sites throughout the mela’s eight days. In the words of one volunteer, “We are serving a langar where the dish is dignity, and the taste is a cleaner tomorrow.”