Highlights of the 12-Hour Banega Swachh India Cleanathon

The #Cleanathon witnessed people and organisations pledge their time to the cause of #SwachhIndia. Celebs like Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, Parineeti Chopra, Dia Mirza, Sanjeev Kapoor, and Prasoon Joshi also came together to voice their opinions on the importance of cleanliness. From Amitabh Bachchan's 'ultimate' selfie to Ustad Amjad Ali Khan's enthralling performance to get people to embrace hygienic habits, here are some of the highlights of the 12-Hour Banega Swachh India Cleanathon, which aims to get people to pledge their time to join the clean-up drives across India, through the year.

For a pleasant change, Amitabh Bachchan was made to sit on the hot seat. He was asked a few questions about cleanliness on KKBC, Kaun Karega Bharat Clean. The host of the show, a puppet of Amitabh Bachchan, also requested for a selfie with the Bollywood superstar.

Kaun Banega Swachh-pati: It was Bachchan vs Bachchan right there on the Cleanathon stage.
Jaya Bachchan also lent her support to the Banega Swachh India campaign. While speaking at the 12-hour Cleanathon, she said that we not only need to teach the children about Swachhta, but also their parents, we cannot leave them out.
Musician Mika Singh put up an entertaining performance at the Banega Swachh India #Cleanathon. He sang a number of his hits like 'Billo', 'Party toh banti hai', and 'O Meri Jaan' among others, and got the crowd going with his energetic dance numbers. Even Big B applauded Mika's performance.

"We can't change anything with policy", said Jaggi Vasudev, Founder, Isha Foundation, adding that campaigns only ring a bell with people if it touches them emotionally. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Swachh Bharat Abhiyan is one of those campaigns that strikes a chord with people; it touches their pride. This is how mass movement are born", Vasudev added.
Manisha Patankar, Secretary, Urban Development, pledged 50 lakh hours to #SwachhIndia on behalf of Maharashtra's government employees. With her commitment, the Swachh Bharat Cleanathon has successfully raised over 1 crore hours for the cause.
One of India's Swachh Ambassadors and a celebrated musician Kailash Kher performed to support the cause of Swachhta at the NDTV - Dettol Banega Swachh India Cleanathon.

Ustad Amjad Ali Khan and his sons Amaan and Ayaan lent their support to the Swachh India campaign. The Sarod Maestro said that what we are doing today should have started 50 years ago. Amaan Khan added that where there is a cleanliness, God will reside there. Their enthralling performance at the Cleanathon was an attempt to get people to embrace hygienic habits.
Waste management is integral to clean up India. As responsible citizens, we need to become more mindful about how much waste we are generating and where it is going: Bollywood actor Dia Mirza.
Schools lead the way in pledging time to clean up India: the Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences committed 20 lakh hours in 10 months of this year from their 25,000 students to participate and clean up the city of Bhubaneswar.

Young India also showed the way and came out in full force to support the Banega Swachh India campaign. Sriram School of Gurgaon pledged 5,000 hours a year to make India clean. Pledge your time to join the clean India movement.
Manjula Vaghela and her group of 500 women from Swasthiya Mahila Seva Kendra pledged 12 lakh hours in a year for #SwachhIndia. This takes the total count of hours pledged during the 12-hour telethon past the 60 lakh mark.
Over 25,000 students from the Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences made this beautiful Banega Swachh India formation.