BY CHARULATA RAVI KUMAR
CEO, Razorfish
Ever since we moved to Mumbai years ago, the barrage of garbage from homes and spitattacks on the streets threw us off totally. Yes, we went through our fair share of spite and scorn at the state of affairs in Mumbai and the usual resentment of government inaction. Well, all that until recently we chose to act on this problem. With the help of R V Shah, president of the Worli Residents Welfare Association (WRWA), the extended family that we live in, i.e., the society and its neighbourhood, we decided to clean up! Vehemently determined to walk the talk, we mobilized WRWA, a BMC-approved ALM, and got all societies, 5-star hotels, shops, garages, etc., on Dainik Shivner Marg, L Pappan Marg and E Moses Road to collaborate and initiate the ‘Swachhata Shramdan Day’ in January.
About 300 eager children, youth, adults and senior citizens descended upon the garbage and encroachments in the areas around Marathon Complex, Palladium Hotel, DS Marg, Lady Ratan Towers and Lokhandwala Residency. Swirling brooms vigorously on the one hand and swaying colours from brushes on the other, the battle against junk led to the creation of an ‘Art Avenue’ within six hours under the guidance of the noted artist, Rekha Shivdasani, and her team of students. To lend support, Arvind Sawant, Member of Parliament, as well as the Deputy Commissioner of Police, along with BMC teams took an active part.
What was most striking was the enthusiasm of children who unabashedly took up brooms and brushes with equal enthusiasm, to sweep away all ego and inhibition in this drive to a cleaner Mumbai. Their display of determination and deftness encouraged more adults from the neighborhoods and even passers-by to lend a hand.
Cleanliness for many begins at home, but ends up as garbage on the streets. We need to shed our myopic passiveness of what lies within the four walls of our homes and embrace the larger world as our own. Teaching our young ones this important life lesson from a very early age will result in making it their second nature.
This made me wonder… The rules of family and society bonding have changed. It’s not just about breaking bread together. Nor about sharing bowls of sugar in times of need. And car-pooling will become a necessity for sure. Collaborative living may be convenient; but purposeful collaboration is what will bring a transformation in our lives and the lives of our future generations. For us, this initiative was not so much about just cleaning up. It was about living together for a tomorrow we can be proud of.
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charulata.ravikumar@razorfish.com
