Meri Dilli Meri Yamuna (My Delhi My Yamuna)

It was a hot Sunday afternoon and I was comfortably sitting in my air-conditioned room and watching TV. “Summers make me an ideal couch potato!!”  Suddenly, I saw an advertisement on cleaning Yamuna River. It was quite a heart touching advertisement where many celebrities were asking Delhi citizens to join environmental project, “Meri Dilli Meri Yamuna” (My Delhi My Yamuna). I thought “OMG!!! How can they do such crazy job under harsh sun. Don’t they fret about their skin tan? ” but the thought of meeting celebrities, taking autograph and boring Sunday pushed me to visit this campaign.

 

Next morning, I prepared myself to go to Old Fort at Delhi in a hope to meet some celebrities and if luck favors, I may get some snaps. Even sheer idea was making me so thrill.  I wore a jeans and full sleeve kurta and covered my face like a dacoit to save myself from tanning in Delhi’s summer.

The whole atmosphere at the venue was so energetic and people around me were so enthusiastic about ‘Meri Dilli Meri Yamuna’ (My Delhi My Yamuna) campaign. WOW!!  These enthusiasm, energy and compassion are so contagious; even I started feeling positive about the campaign.

Suddenly, I saw a very beautiful girl in mid of the crowd. I thought I have seen her somewhere. I went close to her, “Oh god she is Kyra!!!  The sunshine girl Kyra”.  I have seen her in TV, she is the brand ambassador of Lakme.  She was looking awesome in her sleeveless top. She was beaming like a fresh sunshine in this hot summer.

Looking at me, She smiled and said “Why are you hiding your face?” I replied “I will get tanned if I remove it”. She laughed and said “Oh so you are scared of sun.!!!”.  I really got annoyed with her smirk smile and said “I am no Diva like you… I am just an ordinary girl who gets tanned in summer”. She again smiled and said “I am also an ordinary girl but I have a magic wand to solve my skin issues”.  I was quite surprised, seeing my curiosity Kyra showed me some Lakme sun expert products from her bag. She told me to use Lakme expert sunscreen lotion SPF 50 PA ++ before stepping out in sun. She asked me to clean my face with Lakme After Sun Facewash and Lakme After Sun Face Mask after I return from sun. Once cleansed, apply  Lakme After Sun Gel. It will complete the procedure of sun protection. 
It sounded so good and tempting to me.

While going back, Kyra’s words keep coming to my mind. I bought Lakme sun expert products.

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Next day, I applied the product and got ready to hit the campaign, thousands of people from Delhi, senior government officials, dignitaries and artists came to the venue and pledged their support for this campaign. I saw Kyra, she was looking as fresh as yesterday. Seeing me she smiled and said “Are you not scared of sun today?”. I smiled and replied “Now, I also have a magical wand like you”.

In evening when I came back, I saw that my skin had no signs of tanning. I was amazed. I messaged Kyra and said thanks to her, for sharing her magic wand with me. I noticed that in my face I had freshness even after working for whole day which was missing earlier when I was just a couch potato.

2nd day Sri Sri Ravi Shankar kick-off the cleaning movement. I, Kyra and many other folks started the cleaning ITO ghat. It was a real fun. I and Kyra were talking about so many things including making city cleaner, Yamuna problem, my skin issue and talking about various Lamke products. Kyra and me was full of energy and enthusiasm for this campaign because now both of us have a magic wand.

It was self satisfying experience that I am doing something for the society and a bonus effect of Lakme sun expert products on my skin. Thanks to Kyra and to Lakme, I can now fearlessly wander under the sun without having to cover from head to toe and look like Dacoit!

Along with other volunteers, I and Kyra worked round the clock to spread awareness about this campaign. We created page in FB to spread the information about this campaign and asked people to join us.

The cleaning of the ghats went on for eight days and took place at a different venue every day, including the ghats at Wazirabad, Nizamuddin, KalindiKunj, Kudesiaghat, Okhla Bird Sanctuary, Yamuna Bazar and Okhla Dhobi ghat. It has become a routine for me to reach early morning to these ghats, work with Kyra. It was a fun to work in such harsh summer for the society without thinking about my skin. Working with Kyra and sharing thoughts with her, I started developing a sense of responsibility towards the society.  Being a celebrity, Kyra was so keen to do something for society. It was a real fun in true sense.

 

With the help of organizing committee, we ran free breath-water-sound workshops for villagers, special workshops for children and gave talks to create awareness and encourage people to join in. Hundreds of Delhi citizens came together to support this project.

Even working in such harsh summer, my skin doesn’t trouble me. I uploaded my campaign pictures in Facebook to promote the campaign. To my surprise, some of my friends were complementing me for my skin as it was getting better day by day.

On the concluding day, Chief Minister of Delhi Sheela Dixit came to venue to congratulate the volunteers for their sheer hardwork and to demonstrate that ‘it is possible to make a difference’. Suddenly I heard my name and when I paid attention I got shock of my life. “OMG!!!, I was selected as the best volunteer for whole campaign”. She awarded me a shield and a certificate. 

I saw tears in my parent’s eyes who were sitting in audience. Today, I have made them proud and all thanks to Kyra and her magical wand. I went to this campaign to grab few autographs and meet some celebrities but Kyra made me a celebrity in real sense.

Now I had a beautiful skin and a confident personality. With Lakme sun expert products, I need not have to worry about sun before stepping out of home. Lakme sunexpert products and Kyra’s skin care tips has embedded a new personality within me. I am no more a couch potato but have an ambition to give something back to my society. Seriously, attractiveness and magnetism of one's personality is the result of his/her inner radiance. With the help of Kyra, I got that inner radiance.

“Meri Dili Meri Yamuna” was definitely a very enriching experience, as I met Kyra and got such a lifetime friendship with her.

This post is part of a  Lakme-Diva Blogger  contest. 
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