Did you know India's cleanest village, Mawlynnong, was almost wiped out by cholera in the 1880s? Survival demanded a new way of living - one that would bring global fame and become an inspiration for all of India.
In the aftermath of the cholera epidemic, the village enforced strict rules for cleanliness to prevent contagion. With consistent practice and intergenerational teaching, this evolved into a deeply ingrained community ethos.
Every Saturday, Mawlynnong pauses for a mandatory community-wide cleaning drive. Shops close. Everyone cleans, following an old Khasi-Jaintia tradition of collective work and shared meals.
This collective responsibility extends to schools, where students dedicate an hour each Friday to cleaning their surroundings using synsar motors (bamboo broomsticks).
Cone-shaped bamboo baskets (khoh) also stand at every turn. Children empty them daily. Organic waste becomes fertiliser. Burnable waste is separated. Nothing is “dumped".
Mawlynnong is designed to stay beautiful. River stones frame its paths. Ancestral floriculture fills every home with orchids and wild blossoms. Benches, huts, and resting shelters rise from bamboo and betel nut wood.
Homes use soak pits so waste never poisons the soil. Rainwater collects in natural basins in front yards. Streams are protected like elders. If a visitor drops rubbish, someone quietly picks it up. Here, cleanliness is not enforced — it is inherited.
And the real engine behind it all? The Dorbar Shnong — the village council — that ensures that this effort is rewarded, people are recognized, and no one struggles alone.
Sustainable community tourism is used to fund school uniforms, books, healthcare, and housing. If parents fall ill, the village feeds their children. If a family cannot finish a home, the council completes it.
The result? A village that's teaching the world that, with community effort, simple habits, and eco-friendly practices, world-class cleanliness is contagious! What if every street in India adopted this model?