Aarushi Nishank has been on a mission to conserve River Ganga. As a passionate advocate for the environment, she has been involved in several ecological and sustainability initiatives. She co-founded Sparsh Ganga in 2008 with the vision of making the Ganges free of contamination and pollution. The initiative has garnered the support of several prominent public figures, including veteran actress Hema Malini, who is also the brand ambassador of Sparsh Ganga.
Sparsh Ganga has earned several accolades, including an award from the Golden Book of World Records, which was presented by Shri Nitin Gadkari. Besides working for environment upliftment, the organization also distributed more than two lakh reusable khadi masks to soldiers during the pandemic. Spearheaded by Arushi, the initiative was done as a collaboration with AquaCraft.
Nishank took the promotion of the Clean Ganga Initiative as the National Ambassador of Sparsh Ganga through her Kathak performances, “Ganga Tujhe Salam” in Dubai and the United Arab Emirates, aimed at conveying the importance of the River Ganga and its state of preservation. She also composed and choreographed “Ganga Avataran“, the tale of the goddess Ganga’s ascent to earth.
Nishank is also associated with several social reform programs aimed at empowering women worldwide, apart from her role in environmental preservation. She chaired the International Women Empowerment Program (IWEP) in Dubai. Apart from being Globally active in promoting Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, a government initiative to save girl children, she has also been in Forbes Middle East for her contribution to social work and women’s empowerment. She is also the first woman from Uttarakhand to be recognized as a power woman.
Nishank’s efforts in women empowerment also guided her to launch the Himalayan Ayurvedic Medical College and Hospital in Dehradun, Uttarakhand (2006), where she educates youth about Ayurveda and creates employment opportunities.
She helped generate better employment opportunities for women of Uttarakhand, including promoting the utilization of the Vimal tree’s bark to make fabric and baskets. The flowers and petals drained into Ganga were also used to make scent sticks, further providing employment.
Another initiative by Aarushi Nishank was the “Selfie with my Sparsh Tree” campaign to promote afforestation in India, launched on October 2, 2019, on the occasion of Mahatma Gandhi and Lal Bahadur Shastri’s birth; a monumental ocassion for all Indians. Through the campaign, Nishank aimed to plant over 10 lakh saplings throughout the year in India in association with educational institutions and NGOs.
As part of the Sparsh Ganga campaign, Nishank also participated in the Yamuna Cleaning Drive. Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari joined her in the drive to clean the river, Yamuna.
Aarushi Nishank has been an inspiration to many who want to make a difference in society. Through her work on environmental preservation, women empowerment, and other social reform programs, the positive impact has reached throughout India and beyond.