Dhanbad: When Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Swachh Bharat campaign on October 2, 2014, he had said that a clean India would be the best tribute the country could pay to Mahatma Gandhi on his 150 birth anniversary in 2019.

Inspired by Modi's initiative, a retired BCCL employee took the campaign a step forward by printing the swachh logo with the message ' Swachh, Ek Kadam Swachhata Ki Aur' on the wedding cards of his son hoping that guests who attend the reception would take it seriously and promote cleanliness.

Not only that, Navin Chandra Srivastava (63) has also decided to decorate the marriage hall and his house at Pandarpala locality here with posters and banners of the clean mission.

Srivastava's son Nikhil, who is a manager with HCL in Noida, will tie the nuptial knot with Bangalore-based Priyanka Kumari at Hotel Shyamali in Nawadih here on July 6.

Srivastava, who retired from BCCL's Moonidih office in 2013 said, "Ever since my retirement, I have been carrying out cleanliness drives in my locality. When the government launched the Swachh Bharat Mission a year later, I welcomed the initiative with great enthusiasm."

"When my son's marriage was fixed around a month ago, I decided to spread the Swachh message by printing it on the invitation cards. My wife Lila, Nikhil and daughter Priyanka (also working with HCL) backed me and even floated the idea of decorating the venue and my home with swachh banners and posters," Srivastava said.

Srivastava said he had printed around 150 cards, 10 posters and banners which would be put up at the marriage hall and at his residence to promote cleanliness. "I expect around 600 to 700 guests to attend the marriage of my son. If only 10 per cent adopt the swachh way of life, the purpose would be served," he added.

He said the purpose of printing the message on the cards and decorating the venue with swachh banners was aimed at promoting cleanliness in one's surroundings.

Lila, while echoing her husband's sentiments said, "Cleanliness can't be achieved through lip service. So we decided to print swachh messages on the invitation cards with the hope that some guests would take the message seriously and act on it. We will also keep bamboo baskets at the venue to collect waste and leftovers which will be appropriately disposed of."