Babeijoda, a tribal village in Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district, has maintained a community-led cleanliness initiative for over 15 years, with around 70 families working together to keep their surroundings clean. Started by local schoolteacher Madhusudan Marandi, the initiative includes sweeping streets three times a day, segregating household waste, composting organic material and avoiding single-use plastic.
Supported by a local youth club, residents have also contributed money towards dustbins, solar lights and CCTV cameras. The village’s efforts show how collective responsibility, consistent habits and local participation can support cleaner and more sustainable communities without relying entirely on expensive infrastructure or external funding.
A Teacher’s Initiative Becomes A Village Movement
In Babeijoda, a tribal village in Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district, cleanliness has become a shared responsibility rather than an occasional activity. For more than 15 years, around 70 families have worked together to maintain clean streets and common spaces. The initiative began with local schoolteacher Madhusudan Marandi, whose efforts encouraged residents to make cleanliness part of their everyday lives.
Over time, the practice grew into a community-wide commitment, with households and local youth playing an active role in maintaining the village. Streets are reportedly swept three times a day, while the youth club helps coordinate activities and ensure that common areas remain clean.
The initiative demonstrates how sustained local leadership can inspire collective action when residents recognise that their surroundings are a shared responsibility. Rather than treating cleanliness as a task limited to sanitation workers or government authorities, the village has built it into its daily routine.
Waste Management Begins At Home
Babeijoda’s approach goes beyond sweeping roads and removing visible litter. Residents segregate household waste, while organic material is composted at source. Bamboo bins placed in common areas provide designated spaces for rubbish, helping reduce littering. Single-use plastic is prohibited as part of the village’s efforts to limit waste and encourage more responsible consumption. Residents are also expected to follow rules against littering, smoking, spitting and chewing tobacco in the village.
Nominal fines are imposed for violations, reinforcing the idea that community cleanliness requires both cooperation and accountability. The residents have pooled their own money to support local facilities, including dustbins, solar lights and CCTV cameras.
These efforts suggest that maintaining clean public spaces involves more than occasional drives: it requires clear rules, practical arrangements for waste disposal and participation from households. While the village’s model may not be directly applicable everywhere, its emphasis on source-level waste management and shared responsibility offers useful lessons for other communities seeking affordable ways to improve local sanitation.
Tradition And Community Responsibility
Babeijoda is home primarily to members of the Santhal and Ho tribal communities, whose cultural practices remain part of village life. Women decorate their homes with Bhit Potaw, a traditional form of mud mural art made using natural materials such as clay, tree bark and stones. Alongside the village’s cleanliness practices, this art reflects a connection between community identity, local knowledge and the surrounding environment. The initiative has continued through residents’ participation and locally pooled resources, rather than depending entirely on large government grants, expensive municipal machinery or outside funding.
Its longevity is particularly significant because cleanliness programmes often struggle when participation declines or activities are limited to occasional campaigns. Babeijoda’s experience instead points towards the value of building regular habits and establishing a sense of ownership among residents. At the same time, community-led efforts should complement, not replace, the responsibility of public authorities to provide sanitation services, waste collection and essential infrastructure. Long-term improvements are strongest when local participation and public support work together.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
At The Logical Indian, we believe Babeijoda’s experience is a reminder that meaningful social change often begins with ordinary people taking responsibility for the spaces they share. Its residents demonstrate how cooperation, consistency and respect for public spaces can help create a cleaner environment across generations. The initiative also underlines the importance of community leadership, local cultural knowledge and practical waste-management habits.
However, such efforts should not become an excuse for authorities to withdraw support; every community deserves reliable sanitation services and the infrastructure needed to maintain public health. The most effective approach combines citizen participation with accountable governance, making cleanliness a shared commitment rather than an individual burden. Babeijoda offers an example worth discussing, adapting and learning from, while recognising that each community has its own needs and challenges.
What lessons can our neighbourhoods learn from Babeijoda to make cleanliness a lasting community habit rather than a one-day campaign?
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