Last year in July, I received a phone call from Mr. Rajesh Kumar, Commissioner, Municipal Corporation, Panchkula. As much as I like to work with municipal officers, it is very rare for me to receive such phone calls. He informed me that they are preparing a delegation of wastepickers from their city. The wastepickers are were at that time picking waste at the dumping site. They wanted them to move out and have a better occupation. On their part, Panchkula Municipal Corporation had already issued the occupational identity card to most wastepickers working in the dumping site. To showcase that there are alternative vocations out there. They wanted the delegation to visit Bangalore and learn about the integration of wastepickers undertaken by Bangalore municipal corporation and Hasiru Dala. He told me that they can manage the travel (air travel in this case). Is it possible for us to host the wastepickers and show them the work done in Bangalore? No municipal corporation has reached out to the Alliance of Indian Wastepickers with such a request. We jumped at the opportunity and said yes. The wastepickers from Panchkula flew down to Bangalore. Learned about our work and went back. They were enthusiastic. They wanted to do something similar in their own city.
To our sheer luck, the Alliance received support from National Safaikarmacharis Finance & Development Corporation (NSKFDC) to institute a fellowship for creating leadership amongst wastepickers. Recognizing the potential in Panchkula, the Alliance members decided to award the fellowship to one of the wastepickers from Panchkula, Kailash. Closer to the end of last year, Kailash joined Stree Mukti Sanghatana, Mumbai, as a fellow. He learned different aspects of organizing, various methods of composting. After spending a month in Mumbai, he went back.
He joined the efforts of municipal authorities to manage organic waste. With few initial hiccups, he managed to stay through. Today, he along with his 40 other colleagues left wastepicking in the dumping site and completely moved into organic waste management. Panchkula generates around 117 tons of waste every day. 70 tons of waste is organic. Segregation of waste is enforced. Residents of the city have not yet fully come around the idea of segregation. Mixed waste is still arriving. The wastepickers have to manually separate out the dry and reject waste from the wet waste. The municipal corporation is running awareness generation campaign to better segregation levels.
More than half of the organic waste is managed scientifically. A substantial part of it is sent to a bio-methanization plant in Ambala. Around 10-15 tons of organic waste is composted within the city. Kailash and his colleagues are the composters of the city. They manage 3 composting plants. The oldest one is more than a year old. The compost is sent to the nurseries of the municipal corporation. The wastepickers are on the payroll of municipal corporation and receive a salary of INR 12727 per month. They contribute to Employee Social Insurance and Provident Fund. The municipal corporation provides the occupational safety gear. When I asked them: isn’t this safety gear a little uncomfortable? One of them responded saying ‘this our uniform, this our pride.’ The municipal authorities on their part have been very strict in enforcing that workers wear the gear and provide it on regular basis.
There are around 40-50 wastepickers still on the dumping site. The flow of organic waste to the dumping site has reduced. It is receiving dry and reject waste. The wastepickers at the dumpsite are retrieving dry waste from the arriving vehicles. After managing the organic waste, the corporation is planning to set up a material recovery facility (dry waste collection centre) and has a plan to involve wastepickers who have not yet been integrated into the system.
Five women gather in a room in the office of Hasiru Dala to talk of the life spent wastepicking. Chinnapillai (70), Sharada (60) and Aniyamma (58) have been at it for 45 years, Lakshmi (55) for 30 years while Nadtaimma (72) is still at it even after 40 years. Amidst frequent laughter, their individual and collective narratives unfurl over steel glasses of tea brought in by Kamli. Sharada’s daughter Vasanti, acting as Kannada to Tamil translator warns gap-toothed smiling Nadtaimma to stick to the history of wastepicking and not talk of her family history, marriage et al. When Nadtaimma wades in nevertheless to reminiscence about her husband, she is shouted down affectionately by the rest. Nadtaimma takes it sportingly, the smile never leaving her face throughout the discussion. Every now and then, the women bicker like kids about which of them having come first to the city is the sole authority in some detail. Lakshmi, the quietest of the women looks on calmly at the proceedings joining in intermittently while Aniyamma, the most vocal of the lot, jumps up to gesture animatedly to expound a particular point. Chinnapillai is a trifle distracted pointing to a wound below her right knee while Sharada whose face is wrapped in a scarf and is unwell runs out of steam mid-way and lies down on the couch on her daughter Vasanti’s urging. The women present are all related to each other by marriage but Aniyamma remarks, “Even if we aren’t related, we’re all family, everyone is a brother or sister to us as we all stay together.”
Jhupdi is their place of residence, a word that across Tamil and Hindi languages means a hutment/shack, the most basic and informal mode of housing. Accompanying their families, these women made the journey from their homes in Tamil Nadu to Bangalore by bus. Chinnapillai recalls that the bus ticket cost just 50 paise. She had four children before she moved to Bangalore with her husband and other relatives and was around 25-30 years old when she first ventured into the profession of wastepicking. Others like Sharada and Aniyamma were child brides of 13 when they first started.
On arriving in Bangalore, the migrants made their way to a barren stretch near the burial ground called Nayandahalli area. Aniyamma says that her mother-in-law told her that two generations of elders before her had first set up home here using clothes strung out on sticks to serve as shelter. The isolated, lonely place made them reach out to and coax other Tamilians into joining them. Soon, a colony of 62 families sprung up and the cloth gave way to metal and tin sheets till finally cemented blocks became home. Those who could not afford the construction built mud dwellings.
When they first arrived, the proximity to the burial ground made collecting bones (not human bones!) a daily ritual for the families. They were then taken to the sorting ground to dry where a stick would be used to strike the bones with a force so that the bits of flesh and muscle adhering to them fell off. After stray dogs had feasted on the remains, the women would gather the bones to sell them. Whereas earlier bones made their way to farms, now they’re used to make medicines. The women point out that even today, there are bastis (informal settlements) in Bangalore known as bone jhupdis.
The search for waste led the women further afield, covering a radius from Khalasipalya bus stand to Banashankari, Jayanagar, Tilaknagar, Shivajinagar and Goripallya, among others. The last was a Muslim-dominated locality at the time. The travel from place to place would be largely by foot because there were no autorickshaws then. Sharada would take the horse carriage (jhatka). The waste collection expanded from bones called likakari to coal (igler) fallen along railway tracks as well as broken glass and plastic hawaii chappals, which were commonly used back then. Besides railway tracks, coal would also be collected from the embers of firewood discarded on the road by hotels. At least six different areas had to be visited to collect sufficient waste and it was not possible to complete the entire circuit in a day. For instance, it would take a whole week walking nearly 25 km to Dasarahalli, Timbanalli and Hosalli, to collect a sackful of coal. Over time, Vinobha Nagar became the hotspot for waste in the form of rags. Some families would also collect hospital waste, including uniforms comprising trousers and shirts that would be washed for re-use.
Getting water was a major hassle. The women speak of a lake at the site where Urvashi theatre now stands and 3-4 lakes in Lalbagh, whose water was used for bathing and washing. Women had to walk to Lalbagh and Mavalli to fetch water in pots. Drinking water and cooking water were sourced from a different area. With its many bushes, greenery and cacti offering convenient cover, the maidan served as an open toilet. They had to wake up before the men did at 5 am for their daily ablutions. But barring the Shivaji theatre building there was nothing else around so the women didn’t fear any peeping toms.
After breakfast, they’d set out for their waste collection rounds but even if exhausted, the women could barely rest a moment before turning to the sorting of the waste, which was spread out in an enclosed area at JC Road, then surrounded by empty plots as buildings had yet to come up there. The waste of the week would then be carried to the dealers. The load was so heavy that it took four men to lift and place it on their heads. It was unproductive to compress the waste. The other alternative was that the dealers would come to the ground directly but this meant a cut of 5 paise from the sale price. The rates were 50 paise per kilo of bones or fifteen rupees for a tin of them. A tin of coal would fetch two-and-a-half rupees. Only coal was sold by volume, the rest by the kilo. Iron filings would sell at rupees two-and-a-half per kilo, cotton for one rupee a kilo. White paper received a then princely sum of three rupees while the newspaper rate was 50 paise as was the mixed paper used for art and craft including brown paper.
The daily schedule lasted from 5am-5pm during which the women would take a break three times a day to sip tea bought from a vendor for 15-22 paise. There was no coffee powder so they’d make do with chukku coffee that was more like a herbal concoction (kasai) made from jaggery and dhania (coriander seeds). A man would come around vending it for 3-6 paise, which later rose to 10 paise. They all recall that an anna coin with a hole in its centre would be enough to buy aarkasu, murkasu, coconut barfi and a puffed rice ball. But their perennial go-to indulgence was and remains tobacco and betel leaf, bought in a bunch of five for ten rupees. A beaming Nadtaimma shows off her betel leaves tucked in at her waist saying, “We’ll miss our meals but can’t do without these!” Vasanti chimes in that their addiction is rooted in their traditional belief that betel leaves can cure anything of a snake bite to worm infestation. Nadtaaimma and the others declare that having lived a long life and with their children grown-up and doing well, they feel it’s okay to chew tobacco despite the attendant health risks.
Aniyamma mentions that most of their menfolk earned from cutting the iron and their hands were hewn rough by the arduous work. But Vasanti’s mother, Sharada was the sole earning member in her family. Her husband took care of the kids when she was away. Unlike the rest, she made sure that none of her three children ever went for waste-picking. Aniyamma says there was a Godrej cupboard factory behind their homes so children would be sent with a magnet to ferret out iron filings scattered on the ground. Some did it without a magnet. Aniyamma does not recall how old her children were when they started collecting plastic. “Who knows?” she remarks, “They were studying and growing up.” Aniyamma’s eldest daughter was 9-10 years old when she started cooking.
Barring Aniyamma, who delivered three of her six children in a hospital, all the rest had their children at home. Three old women in their community, long deceased, acting as midwives. In their words, “We were given a drink made of drumstick leaves in water. Then we’d feel a pain in our lower back and whoosh the kid would come out.” Aniyamma mentions a doctor being available at the church and Chinnapillai remembers the doctor would charge two rupees for treating the children. While they’ve all taken their children to a doctor they all opted for self-medication for themselves – popping calcium pills for aches and pains and Anacin for headaches. But Vasanti points out, “Despite the dirt, we all lived in we hardly ever fell ill. It’s only in recent times that it’s become more frequent.”
The women would always share food. If they got five rupees, they’d cook a kilo of what was called Rangoon rice – very white in colour, it had to be cooked and eaten immediately before it turned soggy – add another kilo of mutton to it and throw in some greens that grew all around and make a meal of it. Ration cards when they did come – the year cannot be recalled – provided wheat, Rangoon rice, ragi and kerosene. Children were fed puffed rice sweetened with jaggery, which they slurped up.
None of the women can give the rates of groceries as these were bought by the menfolk. Kerosene that was priced at 75 paise a litre provided fuel for cooking and children would read under the light of a kerosene lantern. Vasanti’s father once gifted Aniyamma the Bhagvad Gita and the children had to read one para daily. The school books had to be bought and were procured from Tamil Nadu as well. The white and green uniform also did not come free and cost a whopping Rs. 130.
The women agree that they never had to purchase sarees, which cost Rs. 150. They received them as gifts or in barter. Chinnapillai mentions that her husband would buy her clothes from the city market. Aniyamma admits that then and now, she loves to dress up. Growing up, she never wore the mini and maxi, but always wore sarees with blouses, unlike her elders who did away with the blouse altogether. Nadtaimma recalls wearing the half-saree at some point. Aniyamma reminds her how Vasanti’s father forbade her from adorning her hair with flowers. Seeing her, he’d told the then married Nadtaimma caustically that if she dared roam around like that, she’d end up eloping with some other man! Nadtaimma agrees with this version as does Vasanti. But Nadtaimma insists she didn’t mind and to this day does not wear flowers in her hair.
The monsoons made living and work conditions absolute hell. Being a low-lying area, the rains would bring the drain water right into their homes. Sharada says they had to cup their hands and throw the water out manually. There was no question of getting any sleep at night. Hence, children would be sent to the only dry space in the area – the temple. Sharada’s daughter Vasanti shudders as she recalls the large size of the worms crawling everywhere, which sometimes entered the ears of sleeping children. Kerosene would be poured into the ear or a safety pin inserted to coax the worm out. The stench was unbearable even otherwise and the rains made it worse. Vasanti laughs as she says that it kept the landlord away and politicos coming to canvas for votes would arrive with noses and mouths fully covered. But living and growing up there made residents immune to the stink. Many years later, it was Vasanti’s father who gave up his home to allow the construction of a proper drain pipe and cover. It was his efforts again that brought electricity to the area when Vasanti was in class 5. Today, while 110 houses are now registered under the Slum Board, there are nearly 200 sprawled across the area.
None has any memories of the Freedom movement but etched in their individual and collective psyche are the language riots in 1991 when anti-Tamil violence broke out in Karnataka. Says Aniyamma, “There was this area where we were all women residents, when the rioters came we fought a pitched battle using whatever we could lay our hands on like stray implements and chilli powder.” She goes on to add that it was only Tamil versus Kannadiga sentiment that fuelled riots and the area has never seen anti-Muslim hate crimes. Festivals like Diwali and Pongal are celebrated as is the Urahabba, for the local devi (goddess), for which each household contributes INR 1000. However, they feel it’s more politicised now. They miss the community feeling of years ago, the contribution at that time was only ten rupees. Despite prodding, the women steer clear of speaking on the issue of the rowdy gangs only going so far as to admit that they do operate in their areas.
Sharada suddenly begins to weep, “When my children were infants, I’d pump breast milk into two bottles before setting out for the day’s rounds. So much care I took of my children and my son was murdered.” As she’s unable to speak further, Vasanti elaborates on his tragic death to road rage: “Five people just stood and watched. We were metres away. If only someone had run and informed us, his life could’ve been saved. He died on the road.” As Sharada’s eyes brim with tears, the eyes of the rest of the women in the room also turn moist in unspoken solidarity.
The women concur that there’s been an overall downtrend in income over the past decade. Where they once earned a minimum of INR 1000-1500 on a weekly basis, the last two years, in particular, has seen a steep decline. For instance, the rate per carton has dropped to three to four rupees from the earlier twelve rupees.
Chinnapillai is now too old at seventy years to go out waste picking so she earns her living by cleaning shops in the market and hopes to be eligible for the State’s old-age pension. But Nadtaimma and others contend that the postman takes a cut of INR 50 for delivering pension money. Sharada is looking for financial aid and shelter in Chennai where her daughter awaits a lung transplant. Aniyamma continues to enjoy dressing up. Nadtaimma raises her eyes upwards and brings the palms of her hands together in thanks to the deity for all that she has got even as she continues in the profession forty years after she first stepped into it. Lakshmi speaks quietly of starting at the age of ten picking iron filings and lapses into silence.
And then they’re gone. But the emptied room still throbs with their energetic presence, shed and unshed tears and gales of laughter. The bald eagle that just a while ago was the cynosure of all eyes is still perched on the tree across the road. They felt blessed they’d said, seeing it as an auspicious sighting. If only the city considered them so as well.
Hasiru Dala has been working with the Samanvay Foundation to develop a data capturing app. Charles John from the Samanvay Foundation writes on the Chintu Gudiya Blog:
Background
Dry Waste Collection Centres (DWCC) in Bengaluru are a recent-ish (since 2013-14) development in waste-management efforts of the city civic body BBMP in collaboration with various citizen groups and NGOs within the city. The idea for centres like these stemmed from a larger idea of containing and managing the waste generated in a ward within the ward itself.
There are about 166 functioning DWCCs (out of the sanctioned 198), one per ward, operating in a decentralized manner as they were envisioned. The management and operation of these DWCCs has been handed over to various contractors and agencies who operate them on BBMP’s behalf and perform necessary functions – like collecting this dry waste generated within their ward, segregating them into categories like high/low-value recyclables, reject, e-waste etc. and then depending on the nature of waste send it to aggregators (also setup by the BBMP to handle/store low value waste from multiple DWCCs) or recyclers or landfill.
Hasiru Dala is one such organization which manages 33 DWCCs in Bangalore and couple more in adjacent regions. What sets Hasiru Dala apart from other agencies is that their DWCCs are operated by waste-pickers or waste-picker-entrepreneurs trained by Hasiru Dala— in line with their mission of bettering the lives of the waste-picker community who they serve. Hasiru Dala provides training, encouragement/support and operational help like dealing with necessary reporting, regulatory and financial paperwork required by BBMP. It is towards this purpose that they realized the need for software to keep track of these streams of incoming/outgoing waste in each DWCC, generate various reports required by BBMP or other collaborators (like UNDP) and also gain quantitative insights from this data.
Scope
I am pretty excited to be developing this solution given that the domain sits inside that of one of my pet interests – environment, and more importantly the opportunity to be working with an organization who is going at it in a wholesome manner and with admirably noble intentions (not just waste – waste-pickers matter too!). While the topic of waste management is a large one, in this post, I intend to only cover one cog in the process – DWCC – and the challenges involved in designing a software solution that works for the stakeholders involved.
Our mandate is to develop software that aids in the following functions:
Track streams of waste moving in and out of a DWCC
Track expenses involved in operating a DWCC
This post will only talk about the various constraints around which the solution needs to be designed specifically for pt.1 … more concrete details like models and implementation will follow in subsequent posts.
An overview of the real-world process
Dry waste comes to a DWCC via:
Door-to-door household collection. A mini-trailer (usually a container mounted on top of a rickshaw-like vehicle) goes around gathering waste from houses in a ward and multiple of these vehicles are required to cover a whole ward.
Waste collected by sweepers
People dropping them off at these centres
This incoming waste is then segregated and kept in batches depending on the type of waste. Items could range from milk covers, shampoo bottles, emptied toothpaste containers, glass bottles, metal pieces, food packages etc.
A portion of it is considered “Reject”.
Once this segregation and batching is done, it is ready to be sold to recyclers or whoever is interested in buying them. This constitutes Outgoing waste. There is a marketplace for these items and now thanks to these processes becoming more formal and institutionalized, there is usually a standard rate as well.
Software design challenges
On paper, the process outlined above seems fairly straightforward. However, on the ground, things are slightly disorderly for various reasons ranging from the composition of incoming waste to availability of workers to various parties with vested interests who benefit from not having a smooth functioning system who we will not talk about here
From a software design perspective, a well-oiled process that generates very specific, elemental data is always desirable. And things get complicated when these conditions don’t exist. Which is pretty much the case with tech in most social sector projects.
In our case, the complexity is in developing a software solution that works for 33+ DWCCs many of which operate in non-uniform ways.
At the time of writing, it is not practical to develop a solution to be used for real-time tracking of incoming/outgoing data directly from the DWCCs. Instead, data entry happens in a retrospective fashion. What they do presently is note down all required metrics on paper, hand it over to a coordinator who then brings it to a central office to feed it into the system. Incoming data is recorded daily, outgoing data as and when it happens (on a weekly basis approximately) and all this data gets fed into the system once or twice a month.
Retrospective data entry means it is not possible to have strong validations to prevent wrong data from going in and instead make do with a flag and review system.
The nature and quality of data noted down (which ultimately depends on the type of waste coming in) also poses an order of magnitude of complexity when it comes to doing analytics on the data. For example, segregated waste provides for the cleanest kind of data but often there is mixed waste in the incoming stream and these disproportionate combinations of waste are hard to make sense of. Another problematic area is stock keeping which is a problem space of its own.
Another thing that needs to be kept in mind is to provide for some flexible taxonomy system to be able to label waste in various ways. This is necessary because Hasiru Dala collaborates with different partners (UNDP, Sweepsmart etc.) in a subset of centres and with this feature, their waste-classification nomenclature gets included without much hassle.
While collaborating with Indha and Pradeep from Hasiru Dala, we were able to identify small/incremental changes that could be made in the process that could potentially provide for much higher gains from both a data reporting and ground operations perspective. These changes cannot be made overnight but we hope they will be able to overcome the real-world hurdles in bringing these plans to fruition.
For now, the plan is to capture whatever available data and make sense of it and work towards establishing better processes on-the-ground to enable higher precision in reporting.
As part of my MA Applied Theatre course at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London, I was required to do a drama-based project that connects with the practice I intended to develop after completing my MA. Funded by the Leverhulme Trusts, my project with the young people at Buguri Community LIbrary at Mysore ran from the end of May 2019 till the beginning of July 2019 for 2 months, where I went every weekend and facilitated full-day applied theatre sessions which focussed on the young people and their connection with their community, engaging with their community and therefore helping to develop a sense of belonging with their community.
Exploring Performance, Narrative, Substance and Identity with Buguri
Phenomenologist philosopher, Edward Casey (2001) defines a place to be ‘thick’ by virtue of its rigour and substance. The community at Mysore was thick with its lived history and art (the tin-work and wood-work that have been at the heart of this community for the past 100 years). The young people in the community, however, did not give much thought to the diversity and art that existed within their community. But what became apparent through the initial days of my project with them was the fact that they had their own dreams of what makes an ideal community, such as religious inclusivity, good education, good electricity and water supply and
Thickness, rigour: Lived History
good connectivity to name a few. It became evident and also important that the young people engage with the people of their community more, to learn more about their history; who they are are and where they come from. So they met with and interviewed the adults of the community, where they learned a lot about them; who they were, what kind of work they did, what dreams they have for the next generation. It was heartening to see the adults so passionately talking to them about their lives, about the kind of work they did. Some very practical, saying they wished for the next generation to follow their dreams and make something of themselves, rather than get stuck in the rut they got stuck in. Some were sad that their art would perhaps die with them as the younger generation were not keen to learn the family trade, but equally hopeful that they would follow the path of education and do well in life.
Creating the dream *here* rather than *there*.
The young people came back from their interviews with renewed enthusiasm, for they had never experienced their own community in the way they had through these interviews. They were more invested in their community. Instead of searching for their dream community, they now wanted to make their community their dream community. They started to think about how they could bring the ideal to their community when they grow up. This was the beginnings of the performance they devised, to be showcased to the adults as well as to the youth of the community. Right from the conceptualization of the story, to the making of the props, to gathering their audience were all led by the young people. It was indeed fulfilling to see the older girls and boys taking charge of the process and bringing their performance together and ensuring the younger children were all ready to go. At this point, one could see they felt a true sense of belonging with their community.
In charge of their own narratives
This project gave me a lens through which to see the importance of placemaking to develop a sense of belonging and how that motivates one to take steps to make a positive change in their community. Since I depended on Chaitra and Sachitha for translating everything for me from English to Kannada and vice versa, this project also encouraged me to introspect the importance and politics of language in an applied theatre setting in post-colonial India, where language is not only a mode of communication, but also a reflection of your identity and your privilege. There were many times I was left wondering whether I was running the risk of re-stamping colonisation due to my language barrier, or vice versa when they managed to redefine a drama game we played, using Kannada as their primary language! It was indeed heartening to see the young people using their agency to make this project more meaningful and relevant to them.
An Interview with Pallavi Chander, who runs the Creative Arts Therapy Programme with the Buguri Community Library.
This interview first featured on the IndiaFoundation for the Arts Newsletter, edition 49.
This project is made possible with support from RG Cargo, Help For Children in Need, and India Foundation for the Arts, under the Project 560 programme and partnered by Citi India.
point of view: ON CREATING A SAFE SPACE FOR ADOLESCENTS, AN INTERVIEW WITH CREATIVE ARTS THERAPIST, PALLAVI CHANDER
For this newsletter, we are pleased to feature an interview with Project 560 grantee Pallavi Chander! Pallavi Chander works as a creative arts therapist. She completed her training in Drama and Movement Therapy (Sesame, Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London) in 2017 and Arts-Based Therapy (India) in 2012. She also has a BA in Visual Arts from Chitrakala Parishath. Her practice uses drama, visual arts, storytelling, music, movement, play and mediation to facilitate creative processes towards psycho-social interventions and compassion-based treatments as well as for self-expression and awareness. The creative sessions are intended to be client-led to create a safe and non-confrontational environment for the clients. Pallavi received a grant from IFA, under its Project 560 programme, for sharing, through artistic practices, an arts-based therapy intervention by the children of the MGR colony in Banashankari. The adolescent residents and participants of the Creative Arts Expression programme of the Buguri Community Library shared their experiences in a year-long engagement with this intervention. The project took their learnings to members of the Buguri Library community in Bangalore and Mysuru.
IFA: What drew you to the Buguri Community Library project? Pallavi Chander:The library essentially is a space for children from the community to play and learn from stories and imagination. The first time I stepped into the library, I saw children staring at pictures in books, some reading aloud, some who could not read were making up stories and narrating it to their friends. I could not help but be drawn to their magical worlds. I spent about four months at the library before initiating the Creative Arts Therapy (CAT) program. I was stepping in for the coordinator who was on a break at a residency. It was in that time, that I understood the importance of Buguri in the community and the difference it intends to create in the lives of the children. The organisation – Harisudala, who largely work with waste pickers were trying to create safe learning spaces for their children; in the hope to provide an alternative where they could work through some of the dire issues and challenges they faced within the community, i.e., alcohol and drug misuse, school dropouts, early/ child marriages, and violence to name a few. The library was already using art-forms such as visual arts, craft work and drama activities in their daily reading programmes. Reading and telling stories by itself seemed to be therapeutic, therefore bringing a therapeutic approach using the arts seemed like a natural progression to their existent programmes. The CAT program also helped to build a safe container for children to therapeutically work through some of these issues mentioned above. Additionally, using the arts for therapy is an up and coming field in India and I am very grateful to the organisation and Lakshmi Karunakaran, the children’s programme coordinator for not only trusting the process but also helping in raising funds for the programme. It is the openness and support from the organisation, the children, and the donors that encouraged me to set-up the CAT programme and it continues to draw me to work at the library.
From a creative arts therapy session for boys at the Buguri Community Library in Banashankari
IFA: Why did you choose to work with adolescent children? Pallavi Chander: Do you remember that phase in your life when you felt that you are not a child anymore, also not entrusted with all the burdens of being an adult? It is a phase charged with a weird sense of freedom and a rush of social activities; where friends suddenly occupy an important dynamic in shaping your understanding of the world. The body feels different, you notice changes and there is a hurry to do everything under the sun. I remember it as the most confusing and overwhelming phase of my developmental years. I yearned for a space to pause and think through things. I leaned on the arts which allowed me to understand and respond to my world in a way that felt necessary and relevant. It was mostly drama and visual arts that allowed me to create a space, within myself and with my peers, where we could voice our thoughts and emotions. In retrospect, I think I was more idealistic and had the energy to conquer any problem or issue and also acknowledge that we were all probably confused. But somehow it mattered to have that space, it was liberating, irrespective of all that confusion. Looking back, I know it was not easy and I had a difficult time trying to make meaning of things in isolation and the arts gave me some grounding. When I started working with children, I was naturally drawn to adolescent children because I think somewhere I recognised that resistance, that need to ‘act out’ to ‘be heard’ and although it isn’t pretty to the least, I can empathise with those manifestations. I strongly believe that as adults who engage with young adults, our responses matter as it could impact how young adults adapt to situations, build coping strategies and this is in many ways are the building blocks to adulthood. Young adults are growing up with not just a surge of media influences but seem to find very creative ways of using it. I think we adults need to learn from them and listen to their challenges. Rather than complain about millennials changing culture and simply brush them away with humare zamane pe… (‘in our time’) stories, which I think we do to avoid our own anxieties. Yes, when we were at their age, we did not have as much, but they do and it can be overwhelming to wade through it and blaming them only adds to their challenges. I feel we have much to learn from them and we need to include them in this process.
Participants of the experience sharing session at the Buguri Community Library in Mysuru
IFA: Your programme requires participants to communicate actively with you and with each other. How did you manage to create a safe space for children to share openly? Pallavi Chander: The CAT programme uses art forms such as drama, movement and visual arts therapeutically to create a safe, confidential and client-led process in a non-confrontational and non-judgemental manner. This translates to a process that is more allowing and playful, establishing required boundaries that is built into the sessions along with the participants. Moreover, the programme is set-up as an open group where the participants come on a voluntary basis, so no one is forced to attend these sessions. We started the program with trial sessions where we informed the children about these terms and conditions in a way that was accessible to them, i.e., using the language of play and stories. Before we started, I also visited their parents in the community to inform them about the programme and shared a letter of consent in Kannada which the children had to get signed from their parents. During the programme, it did take a few sessions initially to build these boundaries into our sessions, to create an environment of trust and group rapport among the participants. The therapeutic sessions explored activities such as, using beginnings and closure rituals, improvisations and spontaneity, projective play with materials, stories and enactment, spontaneous play, image work, drawings, movement, and so on, which encouraged the participants to share their thoughts and emotions through the symbols and metaphors of the characters from a story or drawing. This way they shared whatever they felt like, when they felt ready and comfortable and it was at their own pace. Also, the participants came from the same community where they lived in close proximity to one another, many of them went to the same school and some were even related. In that sense, most of them knew each other and like most relationships, this had its pros and cons in the sessions. However, being together in the sessions also brought them closer and I feel they built strong bonds through the course of the programme.
From the creative arts therapy workshop at the Buguri Community Library in Banashankari
IFA: Tell us about the two books authored by children. How did you come up with this idea? What were the processes involved? Pallavi Chander: The books are offerings from their experiences of the programme. Aye Reena, authored by the girls was put together towards the end of the programme. One of the recurrent themes that emerged from our sessions was the menstrual rites as all the participants in this group were adolescent girls and a couple of them got their first period during the course of the programme. So we explored this theme by creating a play using materials to enact their experience of the menstrual rites during one of the sessions. In successive sessions, we created scenes using Eric Carle’s style of collage-making from coloured textured paper. Eventually, towards the end of the programme, the girls collectively felt the need to share these scenes as a story with the younger girls and boys so they could understand and be aware of what girls go through during their menstrual cycle. And so, Reena was the character who holds the experiences of the girls and takes us through the journey of her first period as well as the many thoughts and emotions she traverses during these rites and additionally gives some suggestions on how to manage period pain and what kind of cloth or sanitary pads to use in a safe and healthy way. Similarly with the boys, the book – Oota Aayutha (‘have you eaten your meal’) was the result of participants documenting the recipes of the dishes they cooked. The participants illustrated the process of cooking each dish from procuring the ingredients, calculating the budgets, understanding the procedure, i.e., cutting, kneading or baking (in some recipes), cooking, and finally eating it. As we came to the end of the programme, the participants decided to put these illustrations together to share it with their friends and family and we turned those illustrations into a recipe book! These books were then given to a designer to digitise, lay out scenes and illustrations into a book format. Finally, with the help of IFA’s Project 560 grant, we managed to print a limited edition of these books. The books are displayed at the Buguri libraries and a few copies have been distributed to other community libraries. We do have a lot of requests for more copies and we hope to raise funds to print them in future.
Recreating scenes of the menstrual ritual on paper
IFA: Tell us about your interactions with parents. Were they open to their kids participating in the experience sharing events you organised, especially when it involved travelling to Mysuru? Pallavi Chander: The parents were supportive and encouraged their children to attend the programme and some of them even attended the closure event which was held at the library in April, 2019. However, their turn out for the event was rather very low. It would have been good to have all their parents and family members attend the event. Most of them informed us that with both parents working for daily wages through the day, attending such an event would have meant, missing out on a day’s pay, even if it was for an hour and it might have been difficult for them to do so. This is not to say that the parents were not interested but acknowledge the fact that they were working under certain constraints. Also being so close to the elections, the team at the library was informed that many parents were busy attending different campaigns. Consequently, for the next phase, we are planning to have a few sessions with parents. That might help us understand how we can include them into such a process and also open out avenues for conversation about certain topics between parents and children. The trip to meet the Buguri community in Mysuru was something all the children were really looking forward to and they had informed their parents much in advance. So the parents knew about it and they seemed quite excited for their children. Also, the library has had several events where children have gone for day-trips – i.e., to Freedom Park for the annual summer camp, Cubbon Park for a Sunday session and Rangashankara to watch plays; so parents are quite familiar with the process. However, going to Mysuru was a full-day affair, so there was a lot of planning that the team had to put in place to make it happen and we made all efforts from our end to make sure the parents were kept informed at all times.
The two books authored by children on display
IFA: Many of your sessions were focused on breaking gender stereotypes. How did the children respond to it? Were there any challenges along the way? Pallavi Chander: Honestly, there were several challenges but that is the work. Talking about gender stereotypes and gendered behaviours we consciously or unconsciously carry due to social training is not an easy area to thread. I had to keep in mind not to hound them with information as the children still had to go back to their environments (home and school) where these stereotypes are celebrated as the norm. Instead, I worked with what they brought into the session, encouraged them to ask questions and be curious about things that made them uncomfortable or bothered them. This way, they were involved in the process of breaking these notions down with me, they came up with questions and arrived at finding some answers. In some sessions, we used symbols and metaphors from stories with puppets and dramatic projections to address these issues. Sometimes we spoke about their experiences and acknowledged their challenges as young teenagers. Also when the group felt challenged and frustrated with certain issues, as a facilitator and therapist, I was stuck with my privileged upbringing and class politics. I could only wait in the wings till the children arrived at unpacking certain aspects of gendered behaviours and I could only go as far as the group wanted to go. One example was when the boys would casually but violently hit each other in the name of play or when they felt it was okay to tease girls and rag younger boys because they felt a sense of power over them. This was very difficult for me to confront but we managed to address it in a way where the boys were able to talk about it and think through what that idea of ‘power’ was and where it was coming from. On the contrary, there were times when I was pleasantly surprised at how my privilege and knowledge of popular discourse also restricted my view and cushioned me to bracket certain experiences as uncomfortable or challenging. Instead, I found myself questioning certain discourses which have expanded my understanding of certain issues through their experiences. An example is that of the menstrual rituals. Growing up, I completely detested the ritual and blocked it off as something unholy and prejudice. However, when the girls’ spoke of their experiences, my unbiased therapist hat forced me see beyond my experiences and I am grateful for that.
A page from Oota Aayutha? (‘Have you eaten your meal?’)
Pallavi Chander received a Project 560 grant from India Foundation of the Arts, made possible with support from Citi India.
We at Hasiru Dala are deeply saddened to share the news that Shivanna, 15-year-old son of waste-pickers Venkatesh and Narsamma passed away this morning in a hospital in Tumkur. He lost the battle for his life after struggling for over a week in intensive care units in the hospitals of Bangalore and Tumkur.
Shivanna had a fatal fall from the third-floor terrace of the Slum Rehabilitation Building in Dibbur that houses 1250 other families with hundreds of other children and adolescents.
This was a much avoidable death. This is not the first time a child has fallen from such a building. Incidents like this have been recorded in other buildings in Bangalore as well. Most of the buildings constructed by the Karnataka Slum Board lack safety, they do not have parapet walls or have doors to the terrace. With parents out to work through the day and children at home, they are at high risk for these kinds of accidents, some of which have been fatal.
This is definitely a design flaw and a huge oversight by the Karnataka Slum Board in terms of assuring the safety of children and adults in these bastis (informal settlements).
We request the Karnataka Slum Board to take cognizance of this high-risk condition and take immediate action to make sure that the safety of our children always remains of utmost importance to all of us.
We mourn the loss of Shivanna, and we hope that we never have to mourn one like this again.
Shivanna, you put up a brave fight. You will always live in our hearts.
Statement of Working Peoples’ Charter on Coronavirus Crisis
If India, with its brittle economy and even weaker healthcare infrastructure, is to survive the current Coronavirus pandemic without complete social, economic and physical breakdown, it will require drastic, radical and – most importantly – timely measures that are commensurate with the scale of the crisis. These measures must protect our people, in particular, the most vulnerable – including the elderly, the sick and the poor – and the most vital of all – the informal workers – the backbone of the Indian economy. While the current focus is understandably on health responses and physical distancing, we cannot separate the economic risk to working households from health risks. Indeed, both have a direct impact on the health of households. Workers fearing job retrenchment, working without economic and social support, and worrying about how to feed their families and earn an income cannot, even if they wanted to, practice social distancing and responsible health practices. These are not the choices they should make. A comprehensive response to the pandemic is one that roots physical distancing and infection control with increased social protection and economic support to workers.
We cannot afford to act with indecision or to limit our imagination. All the old certainties and beliefs we had followed for years are being put into question. Countries like Spain have nationalized all healthcare facilities overnight and even capitalist economies like the US are talking about instituting universal basic income to support people in this crisis. We too must not waver, not get encumbered by old ways and old frameworks of thinking, and act rapidly and decisively before it is too late. We, the representatives of trade unions and worker organisations of all sectors (including formal, informal, self-employed) are distressed to foresee the upcoming economic and social challenges and drastic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on the informal sector workers such as domestic workers, daily wage workers, construction workers, brick making workers, manual scavenging workers, entertainment industry workers (like bar dancers et al.), street vendors, auto-rickshaw workers, auto goods carrier workers, service industry workers particularly food & hospitality sector, gig economy workers like delivery boys, Ola & uber drivers, waste-pickers, home-based workers etc.
The Working Peoples’ Charter (WPC) represents the aspirations of more than 500 million working people, primarily in the informal sector, across the length and breadth of India: working in the urban or rural, formal or informal sector, in wage employment, self-employment, home-based and domestic employment, and includes all socially oppressed and excluded working people, whether earning a livelihood or not. We are heartened to see measures by state governments of Kerala, Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand that have specific measures for formal and informal workers. We urge other state governments to rapidly follow suit.
In addition, however, we believe the Central Government must assist states to create the strongest emergency packages possible. The Central Government’s announcement of creating a ‘dedicated task force’ to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic is a welcome one to address the economic concerns and vulnerabilities of the citizens of India. On behalf of the WPC, we make the following recommendation key recommendation:
The Central Government Task Force should create INR 50,000 crores Emergency Workers Welfare Fund which can add to and complement the state relief packages or allow states with limited fiscal capacity to rely on central assistance.
How should this Fund be used? Emergency packages at both state and central level must bring together different forms of relief for workers. This Fund must be both protective as a response to current welfare shocks which workers are facing as well as be preventive to build a foundation to prevent the next phase of economic vulnerability. It can be used for both direct and indirect support to workers. We detail the protective and preventive measures below.
Protective Measures: Cash and Non-Cash Transfers
1) Special PDS package to workers holding BPL and APL Card, which can sustain their food requirements at least for 3 months. This can also, be supplemented through other state feeding institutions (government canteens or feeding centres), or through the subsidising of locally produced and distributed means by non-state actors.
2) All the workers holding, BPL and APL cards should be given ‘Immediate cash transfer’ @ INR 10,000 or minimum wages of one month.
3) Workers enrolled in MGNREGA and agricultural workers should get an upfront payment for 50 days of minimum wages, along with @ INR 10,000 or minimum wages of one month.
4) Workers possessing ‘construction worker welfare board card’ should be given @ Rs 10,000 or minimum wages of one month.
5) Street vendors possessing a licence for vending by municipal institutions or registration under shops and establishment act, or surveyed, challaned, trained by FSSAI, should be given @ 10,000 or minimum wages of one month.
6) Daily wage workers/migrant workers, domestic workers, waste picker workers carrying any worker organisation card such as Trade Union, Worker Collective or CSO should be given @ 10,000 or minimum wages of one month.
7) Auto rickshaw and tempo goods carrier workers possessing driving licence should be given @ 10,000 or minimum wages of one month.
8) Along with cash, they also need to be provided with safety gears. Preventive Measures: Securing Basic Capability and Public Goods/Services
9) Freeze on eviction of homes, including evictions of tenants and mortgage payments.
10) Ban on reductions in the workforce in small and medium enterprises, with payroll support to owners to cover losses with a condition that firms continue to service supply and vendor contracts.
11) Ban all price hikes and withdraw recent price hikes like on cooking cylinders.
12) We understand that a large number of health workers/scheme workers/Honorary workers will be accessing the honorarium, however, their health will remain at high risk. We demand Rs 10 lakh ex-gratia compensation in case of a fatality, and reimbursement of entire medical expenditure.
13) Directed provision of evening clinics and temporary health infrastructure in informal/ migrant settlements should be made available as an emergency response, focussing on migrant population.
14) Safai Karamcharis (sanitation workers) involved in third party contractual work must be provided statutory entitlements at par with organised sector workers.
15) Special trains must be provided to ensure dignified transport to migrant workers in case the affected workers want to go back to their source states.
16) Urgent action to secure workers living in slums and informal settlements must be taken. Slum-dwellers, majority of them working-class live in high-density localities with poor sanitation, water shortages, and in proximity to sewage. These could become death traps and flash points for coronavirus expansion. There must be an immediate suspension of all evictions, demolitions and urgent regularization and proprietary rights for all low-income settlements. Immediate measures must also be taken to ensure sanitation and clean water provision in slums and low-income neighbourhoods.
17) Suspend utility bills: Suspension of utility bills payments for a period of at least two months for working and middle-class income bracketed households should be enforced. Revise energy agreements for high and middle-income groups to ensure uninterrupted energy supply in this period without hurting poor consumers.
18) Immediate measures must be taken to guard against price gouging & monopolization of all essential items, particularly medicine, food, sanitizers, masks, and medical equipment. Restrictions should be placed on the number of essential items people can buy at a time. The counter burden on central and state reserves via increased GST on luxury items and land taxes.
19) Nationalised and private banks must create progressive lending instruments to ensure the expansion of affordable credit for SMEs & other businesses so that they can survive the crisis period.
20) Special and fast track courts to hear pleas of cases relating to domestic violence etc due to physical distancing, self-isolation, etc?
21) Create a national emergency helpline number for women and child safety in both private and public spaces. Create a protocol for immediate removal of the victim without putting the burden of proof.
Subject: Safety of the waste-pickers and informal waste collectors during Covid 19 pandemic.
Respected Sir
We the members of the Alliance of Indian Wastepickers, welcome your address to the nation given on 19th March 2020, where you called sanitation workers defenders of the nation. For earning our livelihood, we waste-pickers and informal waste collectors have been keeping our cities and towns clean. In the times of Covid 19 pandemic, we are working diligently. Even though the prices of the commodities i.e. waste paper, plastic, cardboard, junk metal have gone down significantly, we have not left our work. We the waste-pickers and informal waste collectors along with the other sanitation workers are the first lines of defence against the spread of the disease. As defenders, we are equally vulnerable to contracting the disease ourselves. Due to the nature of the work, many of our colleague waste-pickers and informal waste collectors have low immunity. We earn our livelihood on day to day basis, this does not leave us with the luxury of working from home. In the times of pandemic, when we must wash our hands with soaps but we do not have access to regular and clean water. We welcome the celebration of our work, further, we will appreciate if our following demands are met:
Provisioning occupational safety gears- good quality masks, gloves, towels, shoes to all the waste-pickers and informal waste collectors. All urban and rural local bodies, resident and apartment welfare associations should be directed to make them available at all times.
All urban and rural local bodies, as well as resident and apartment welfare associations, should be asked to make necessary arrangements for waste-pickers and informal waste collectors to wash their hands. The provision of sanitisers for workers where washing of hands is not possible must be made mandatory.
With the waste material markets collapsing across the country, there has been a loss of income. We request that all waste-pickers and informal waste collectors be given emergency basic income of INR 10,000 per month per household.
Similarly, ration (including grains, soap/hand sanitizer, oil, sugar and salt) which can sustain the waste-pickers and informal waste collectors and their families and all residents of the slums and other informal settlements, for the next three months should be given immediately, without the requirement of biometrics via the Public Distribution System. The government must take action against the price rise of essential commodities, food items and medicines.
The settlements of waste-pickers and informal waste collectors are densely populated and the residents highly vulnerable to the spread of Covid 19, we strongly recommend that the government should arrange regular health camps for screening and medication purposes in all the slums and other informal settlements.
There must be an immediate suspension of all eviction, demolitions and urgent regularization of all our settlements. Measures should be taken for providing clean water, electricity and sanitation in our settlements. Charges for using public toilets and urinals should be removed and the toilets and urinals are cleaned regularly. They should be equipped with soaps, refilled every day by the local bodies, or resident/apartment complexes.
In case of fatality related to Covid 19, the compensation similar to the one is given for rail accident casualties or for the onsite death of construction worker or INR 10,00,000 should be given next to the kin as demanded by many informal (unorganized) workers unions.
While the eligibility to any such provisions may be based on the occupational identity cards given by the municipal authorities and rural local bodies, trade unions, civil society organizations, resident and apartment welfare associations and the database of waste-pickers organizations and the relevant government bodies be used as a way to identify waste-pickers and extending these schemes. The effort should be made for the emergency basic income, ration and fatality compensation be universal and no exclusion of any waste-picker or informal waste collector be allowed.
We the waste-pickers and informal waste collectors request the government to give directions to the relevant departments, state governments and urban and rural local bodies for the satisfaction of our demands.
Endorsed by the following organizations:
Center for Applied Research and People’s Engagement, Aurangabad
Centre for Sustainable Development, Nagpur
Dalit Bahujan Resource Centre, Guntur
Delhi Roundtable on Solid Waste Management, Delhi
Hasiru Dala, Bengaluru
Iainehskhem Self Help Group, Shillong
Janvikas Society, Indore
Kagad Kach Patra Kashtakari Panchayat, Pune
Lokadhikar, Delhi
Main Bhi Dilli, Delhi
National Coalition for Inclusive and Sustainable Urbanization, Delhi
Physical distancing, stocking up on sanitizers, soaps for hand-washing, masks and gloves, hoarding supplies, limiting travel, working from home may be the new normal in being and is seen as an act of being responsible citizens. But pause, take a deep breath and ask yourself- what about the sanitation workers, (pourakarmika/ safai karmacharis), waste pickers and other informal waste collectors and recyclers, who are in the frontline of managing our waste? There is an urgent need to be conscious of the work they do, and the services they offer.
Picture availed from Hasiru Dala archives
There is a need for us to realize that we have to be inclusive in fighting the pandemic and in situations like these the best thing that you can do is to “segregate our waste.”
Read up about the right way to segregate your waste from the 2bin1 bag website https://www.2bin1bag.in/. Ensure three-way segregation of waste at source. Take time to rinse out your soiled plastic or beverage cans and take away boxes, yes including the sachets, pizza/cake boxes, everything.
Dispose off masks, gloves, and tissues that you are using in sanitary waste separately. It must be wrapped in a newspaper bag and clearly specified or marked. Think twice about using disposable wet wipes, as it is known to clog drains.
Make sure the sanitary worker/waste picker is aware of the contents in the bag.
It will not hurt for you to spend a few minutes to engage with the waste workers and donate personal protective equipment such as gloves and face/eye/mouth protection if they are not using or haven’t been given. Also, ensure that they are aware of cleaning the PPE tools.
Do not dump waste, in case you missed the pick-up.
There is much debate on this, but it is better to be safe and go the sustainable way and shun the single-use plastic. (In a paper that has not yet been peer-reviewed, National Institute of Health scientists analyzed the behaviour of the coronavirus, researchers tracked the virus’ life on different surfaces and the longevity of staying on plastics, cardboard, steels and other material may way vary. You are better off, with something that can be washed and sterilized, than disposed of right?
Lastly, if you show symptoms or have travelled recently and are waiting for results, please do not leave waste unsupervised for collection. Be proactive and inform the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Pallike (Greater Bangalore Municipal Corporation- BBMP) or your relevant local authority.
Remember that the sanitation workers and waste-pickers are playing a crucial role, being responsible towards them is our fundamental duty as the citizens.
Subject: Inclusion of sanitation workers including waste-pickers and informal waste collectors in the INR 50 lakh insurance cover programme rolled out for the health-care workers.
Respected Madam
We the members of the Alliance of Indian Wastepickers, welcome the relief package announced by the Union Finance Ministry. For earning our livelihood, we waste-pickers and informal waste collectors have been keeping our cities and towns clean. In the times of COVID 19 pandemic, we are working diligently. We along with the other sanitation workers are the first lines of defence against the spread of the disease. This was mentioned by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his address to the nation on 19th March 2020.
However, as defenders, we run the risk of contracting the disease ourselves. Due to the nature of our work, our immunity suffers too. In the times of crisis, our work of waste management has been identified as other essential services which contribute to the better health of all citizens.
We request that we be recognized as health workers and all waste-pickers and informal waste collectors, as well as the sanitation workers, are included in the INR 50 Lakh insurance cover programme rolled out for the healthcare workers.
The eligibility for inclusion can be based on the occupational identity cards or the letters of employment issued by the municipal authorities and rural local bodies, trade unions, civil society organizations, resident and apartment welfare associations and the database of waste-pickers’ organizations and the relevant government bodies. The effort should be made in such a way that the inclusion in the scheme is universal and no exclusion of any waste-picker or informal waste collector be allowed.
We the waste-pickers and informal waste collectors request the government to give directions to the relevant departments, state governments and urban and rural local bodies for the satisfaction of our given demand.
Endorsed by the following organizations:
Center for Applied Research and People’s Engagement, Aurangabad, Maharashtra
Centre for Sustainable Development, Nagpur, Maharashtra
Dalit Bahujan Resource Centre, Guntur, Andhra Pradesh
Subject: Suggestions for being considerate to the needs of migrant workers, single women, children and the aged in the COVID 19 relief operations
Respected Sir
We appreciate the COVID 19 relief operations undertaken by the Government of Karnataka and Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Pallike (BBMP). We have few suggestions to expand the relief operations for including inter-state migrant workers, single women, children and the aged. We have been working with the waste-pickers and informal waste collectors in the city for almost a decade. A lot of them are inter-state migrant workers, single women with children and aged. In the ongoing relief operations, BBMP is seeking either the Aadhar number or phone number as base information for providing food. This measure may exclude single women, children and the aged, who may not have either Aadhar number or phone. Their unintended exclusion may push them into dire consequences. Therefore, we recommend the following measures:
Universal distribution of food, including a small food kit for children which includes protein-rich food items like groundnuts, eggs and milk.
For Bangalore, Indira canteens are spread all over the city. They can be used to provide both cooked food for the workers and their families as well as a distribution channel for supplying raw food as a part of the Public Distribution System.
In the case of inter-state migrant workers, a lot of them have Aadhar Number and other identity documents from their place of origin. At present, those documents including Aadhar number are not valid to avail benefits of various social welfare programmes instituted by the Government of Karnataka. We suggest that the Aadhar Number issued from the place of origin can be used to provide food through the Public Distribution System. This measure will be in line with the Draft Social Security Code, prepared by the Union Labour Ministry. Further, due to lack of work, a lot of them have no money to buy cooking fuel. We recommend that based on their existing identity documents, they should be included in Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, so that they can get gas cylinder for cooking at a subsidized price.
In many communities, it is found that due to the lockdown, cases of domestic violence against women and children are increasing. We request you to start a helpline number for survivors of domestic violence. In addition to helpline number, in the absence of a physical meeting, we request that the survivors of domestic violence be counselled via phone. The state government must create a protocol for immediate removal of the survivor without putting the burden of proof. Wherever possible, as a part of the relief operations art therapy kits be provided to the domestic violence survivors.
1. Preference may be given to waste to energy over recycling
The recycling industries across the world and in India are completely shut. The supply chains of materials for recycling have been disrupted. Waste management has been identified as essential services. Waste is being collected from households. In the cities where segregation is in place, the organic waste is destination bound. One is not very sure whether the waste is being composted. In the case of dry waste, the collection is ongoing. The dry waste collection facilities or collectors are stocking the high-value recyclable material. The low-value recyclable material is being sent to dumping sites. Due to the limitation of space, most dry waste collection facilities cannot stock a lot of waste and if the lockdown continues, at some point in time they may stop collection. Unless an alternative is provided.
In Delhi, the residents have stopped segregating the waste and the mixed waste is sent to Bhawana Waste to Energy Plant, this includes both organic waste and high and low-value recyclable material. The plant is receiving the waste more than its running capacity. A lot of high-value material including plastic can become the carrier of the SARS-COV2 virus, this may discourage recycling. The high-value material has calorific value, thus very useful for incineration. Incineration may become the norm of the day. If the recycling of material is to continue one needs to find ways to make sure that the virus does not travel on the waste material.
Further, the oil prices have been at the historic low. They may stay low throughout the year and later. This will make virgin plastic cheaper than recycled plastic. The low price of virgin plastic and the stigma of being a ‘possible carrier’ of the virus, may make the recycled plastic less lucrative in the market.
There is a need to identify creative ways to sanitize the recyclable material. Similarly, we need a stronger commitment for Extended Producers Responsibility, which in turn support the informal recyclable material market and resurrect the demand for the recycled plastic materials.
2. Recyclable material prices going down further
With the shut down of the recycling industry, there is no demand for the recyclable material. Once the lockdown gets over, the godown owners and aggregators would like to clear the already stocked material, at any available price. In the context of virgin plastic being cheaper, it is given that the price of recycled plastic material must be lower than the price of virgin plastic. With the increased supply of material (clearing the stock) and low demand, the prices will go down further and stay there for an exceedingly long time. This low price and higher supply will hit the bottom of the recycling pyramid the most. Waste-pickers will go out for picking material. Once picked, they may not get the price which they were receiving earlier as the scrap dealer or aggregator would like to first clear their existing stock. It is important to mention that considering the scale of pandemic and no medical solution available, there will be no grand opening of the economy i.e. government will encourage staggered opening (rightly so) of the industries. Oversupply of material, recycling industry running at a staggering pace will be another factor in lower prices of the recyclable material. In Mumbai, many of the recycling enterprises are operated by migrant workers. A lot of them have returned to their place of origin. Staggered opening of the recycling industry will be further dependent on the return of migrant workers.
Thus, creating a cash crunch at the bottom, with the waste-pickers and small scrap dealers having no cash or income.
A) Efforts like emergency support income need to be made to support waste-pickers. These include supporting the waste-pickers by opening their bank-accounts under the Jan Dhan Scheme. Union and state governments have made commitments for providing emergency support income. Many of those with Jan Dhan Bank accounts have received the amount of INR 500.
B) Many small and large scrap dealers would be keen to buy material, because of no quick trickle-down of the cash from the re-processers, they may not be able to do so. In that scenario, the low rate of interest loans from non-banking financial institutions to the scrap dealers can be a way to inject cash in the sector.
C) Setting up the fair price aggregation centres with the involvement of waste-pickers and small scrap dealers to hold onto buffer stock of the material collected by waste-pickers and small scrap dealers. In the long term, they can complement the existing supply chains. This intervention will require both grant and credit support for at least a year before becoming sustainable.
D) Including the recycling industry in Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) and extending the provision to help to MSMEs can go a long way. Recycling should also be included in essential services, as it is an extension of the solid waste management ecosystem.
E) A large part of working poor’s income goes in buying food. In the short term, donor-driven staple food provisioning can provide some relief. This is not a sustainable measure. Efforts need to be made to ensure that all waste pickers are linked to the public distribution system. Some amount of advocacy work is also required for strengthening the public distribution system, reducing leakage and adding vegetables, fruits and eggs, milk in the distribution system. The current PDS is restricted to the sale of wheat, rice and lentils at a subsidized price.
Note: Under the Extended Producers Responsibility framework, many large corporations in Brazil have supported the waste-pickers (organized) with the emergency support income.
3. High drop-out of school-going children
With no income in hand, parents will not be encouraged to send their children to school. There is a possibility of an increased number of children going to work, and not to school. To ensure that they attend school, children may require scholarship support to manage their school expenses or support in kind for books, notebooks and uniform.
For the children of waste-pickers, Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has a special scholarship scheme ‘Children of parents working in the unclean occupation.’ It is a pre-matric scholarship and provides INR 3000 annually for day scholars and INR 8000 for those in the hostel. The occupational identity card of the parents is enough to enrol in the programme. Advocacy efforts need to be made for increasing the amount of the scholarship.
If scholarships cannot be provided, a low rate of interest loans for children’s education, with flexible payment cycle is another way to ensure that children go to school. Their parents can pay the amount in the long run.
Note: Panchkula Municipal Commissioner set up a scholarship scheme for children of the sanitation workers, where they receive INR 20,000 annually. The amount increases if the children score well in the examination. This support starts from the school level and can be extended to the college level.
4. Severe physical and mental health repercussions
In general, waste-pickers are susceptible to many infections, COVID 19 will make them a lot more vulnerable. Till the time, the preventive medicine to deal with SARS -COV2 virus is not developed, their vulnerability will not go down.
A) To ensure that they stay healthy, efforts need to be made for expanding the usage of ‘quality’ protective gear. These include glasses for the eyes, good quality and relevant gloves, washable masks and shoes. A monthly or bi-monthly meeting for reminding everyone about the usage and benefits of protective gear will make the process sustainable.
B) Provisioning and refilling of the hand-wash or sanitizers and maintaining physical distance at the workplace is also necessary.
C) In case of sickness, waste-pickers will need cash or support system in place. The employers or the organizations of waste-pickers can enrol them in the government-sponsored schemes like Ayushmaan Bharat. This will help them avail treatment at a low cost. A collective insurance scheme with the support of the municipal corporation or the employers can be set up as has been done in Pune. Pune Municipal Corporation has been contributing to the insurance of the waste-pickers. Advocacy work needs to be done to increase the insurance cover and ensure that all members of the family of the waste-pickers are also included in it.
D) Many waste-pickers in India suffer from a cardiac condition. With reduced income and no money in hand, they may not be able to buy medicine. Based on the prescription medicines for such illnesses should be provided free through the Primary Health Care Centre.
E) Lockdown will result in mental health issues. These issues can be as wide as being a survivor of domestic violence or stressed about the payment of the debt. Connecting with a trained counsellor and having regular sessions for all the workers at the workplace is a good way to deal with it. One day with a few hours at hand can be set aside for counselling or collective listening, where workers or waste-pickers can share how they are doing and dealing with physical and emotional stress.
F) Supervisors can be encouraged to do some ‘active listening’ at the workplace. Active listening is a process is like holding a conversation, where one asks about the wellbeing of the co-worker or a colleague. Listens to concerns and issues one is dealing with. While doing so, avoid giving advice. It is the act of listening which is helpful in dealing with mental and emotional stress.
The COVID 19 pandemic has forced governments across the globe to shut down their residents into lockdown. In India, the lockdown was announced on the evening of 21st March which led to a humanitarian crisis in several parts of the country. Since then, millions of workers and students are stuck in faraway cities outside their homes and are unable to reach their places of origin due to strict restrictions on the movement of people. Millions of people have lost their livelihood and thousands are on the verge of starvation. The marginalised sections and the poor are fighting both COVID 19 and starvation.
Unlike the rest of India, the state of Karnataka went on staggered lockdown before the announcement of nation-wide lockdown by the central government. Millions of people experienced difficulties in work or decrease in their incomes. Bangalore is the largest city of Karnataka experienced lockdown measures for restricting the spread of COVID-19 in early March. By 13th March educational institutions were closed and malls and other public places were declared a no-go area. The lockdown impacted every section of society. These measures have taken a serious toll on the vulnerable sections of informal workers including the daily wagers.
Background
There are millions of waste pickers and informal waste collectors in India, who pick, clean, sort grade and trade recyclable waste. They sell the material further up the value chain to the local scrap dealers to make a living. This is their only source of livelihood. Their nature of work has put them under serious threats. They are at risk handling unmarked domestic biomedical waste emerging from homes where COVID-19 patients are quarantined. It has been found that plastic objects are a means of transmission of SARS-COV2 virus; people who pick the solid waste often unsegregated are at severe risk. In Pune, face masks dumped by users in household garbage were being collected by waste-pickers, A report[1] published in Indian Express stated that there was no mechanism for collection and disposal of masks and domestic biomedical waste generated by more than 2,000 people under home-quarantine across the district for having a travel history or showing COVID-19 symptoms. It has also been reported that informal workers are not allowed to work and collect waste or segregate garbage which has led to open dumping. Police is not allowing waste-pickers and other informal workers to venture out of their homes or travel between localities due to lockdown.[2] There are thousands of waste-pickers (WP) and informal waste collectors (IWC) in Karnataka, most of those are based in the city of Bangalore. In Bangalore, there are 15000 to 35000 waste pickers and IWCs who work hard to earn their livelihoods. Hasiru Dala is a social impact organisation established in 2011, focuses on securing justice for wastepickers and informal waste collectors. The immediate COVID 19 relief work of the organization is to ensure the survival of WP families. Past events like demonetisation[3] and recession in the plastic industry[4] had led to the depletion of income for WPs and IWCs. This had directly and quickly resulted in malnourishment among children and women. Learning from these experiences Hasiru Dala quickly responded to this crisis making hunger mitigation and medical aid the primary goal of its intervention.
Identification and Assessment
Relief distribution
When the lockdown to restrict the spread of COVID 19 was announced in Bangalore, thousands of WP families were on the verge of starvation due to loss of their regular source of income. The urgent task was to provide these families with some immediate relief. Identifying the families and assessing their special needs was not an easy task. The organisation made special arrangements for different communities keeping in mind the food consumption patterns of the target groups. One community preferred steam rice and pigeon pea (tur dal) while another group of people preferred red lentil locally known as Masur dal. The organisation believed that during a phase where starvation like situation, changing diet would result in a health crisis so extensive care was taken to provide appropriate staples for the families. Hasiru Dala had to ensure that the appropriate food packets are delivered to the right group. She informed that there is a shortage of grains and other essentials in the wholesale market due to restrictions on transport and absence of labour, they were trying their best to procure the food and other essential materials for the beneficial families. Distribution of relief material was not easy. The distribution was carried out in stages.
In the initial stage, the most vulnerable section of about 500 waste picker families was provided with emergency relief materials. The selected families were mostly those who lacked access to the public distribution system (PDS), public housing facilities or were single mothers among WPs. They were provided with food kits comprising of rice, lentils, spices, vegetable oil, soaps, tea powder and other essentials. During distribution, members and volunteers ensured that physical distance is being maintained by the beneficiaries. A safety protocol was developed for all staff participating in relief operations to ensure their safety and the safety of the communities that they work with. It was also important that the other non- staff member (truck drivers, loaders, volunteers etc) also adhere to these safety protocols.
In the second stage, people with access to PDS, but who do not get anything other than rice from PDS were selected. They were provided with food kits comprising lentils, soap, sugar, spices, chilli powder and vegetable oil.
In the third stage, WithBengaluru, a citizen lead initiative that provided cooked food approached Hasiru Dala . they requested the organisation’s support to extend the ration kit distribution to informal workers from different sectors and other vulnerable communities like interstate migrant workers, garment workers, domestic workers, construction workers, sex workers, trans persons etc. The organisation rapidly plunged into action to make a difference in the lives of these communities with limited resources in hand. They were provided with dry food kits which contained food grains and other basic materials for about a month for a family of four.
In the Fourth stage, the organisation is currently engaged in providing hygiene kits, protein kits and other special kits for children. These kits are being provided to young children, lactating mothers, and pregnant women. The hygiene kits have been specially devised keeping in view the needs of target groups. The hygiene kit includes toothpaste, toothbrush, appropriate size reusable face masks, a towel and two different kinds of soaps. The special children hygiene kit contains protein-rich grains , child-friendly reusable masks and a leaflet containing basic child-friendly information on COVID 19 in Kannada.
In the fifth stage, WPs and their family members who were on prescribed medicines for diabetes, cardiac conditions, mental health conditions and blood pressure are being supported with medicines lasting for about a month.
Two reports in local newspapers, in Nelamangala and another near Chikkaballapur that highlighted the struggles of waste-pickers who had not received any sort of food support from anyone. Another article alluded to an old couple whose collected recyclable materials were burnt down by unknown persons. Hasiru Dala was quick to respond and supported wastepicker families in both cases.
This exercise has also led to the identification of new waste picker communities in the city. Two large areas of waste-pickers in the outskirts of Bangalore and one in an isolated area of Yelahanka zone were identified by citizens, in total 280 families who were supported with ration and grocery kits immediately.
As of 3rd June 2020, Hasiru Dala (along with partner organizations) has distributed the following across Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh Ration Care Kits – 46,606 Protein kits for children and young mothers – 3,358 Hygiene kits for children – 4,289 Hygiene kits for pregnant women and young mothers – 606 Fresh vegetable kits – 4,144
CHALLENGES
Highways closed, road barricaded and streets patrolled by cops ensuring the movement of volunteers and team members was a herculean task. With severe restrictions on movement, the challenge was to get permission for vehicle movement and individual passes for Hasiru Dala team members and volunteers. The task was way beyond organisations human resources to carry out the entire operation by itself, there was a need for a large number of volunteers. The organisation was given only 40 passes which proved highly insufficient keeping in mind the scale of operations. The organization then approached local citizen associations around the packing centres for volunteers. In this way, the volunteers could walk to the packing centres from their homes.
One of the primary challenges during the lockdown was the procurement of food grains in this lockdown when markets were closed, and the transport was off the road. There was shortage of grains and other essentials in the wholesale market due to restrictions on transport and absence of labour. While initially the grains were procured from the government wholesale market, they were later procured directly from the mills several kilometres away from the city.
The other challenge was setting up distribution channels for relief. The special food kits were packed on the food habits of beneficiaries. The organisation had to ensure that the relevant kits are being distributed in specific areas and there is no duplication of distribution.
The community leaders ensured the distribution is transparent. The leaders used to gave tokens and were highly active in the distribution of food kits in their localities. The staff members and volunteers packed and distributed food kits with a view that they must ensure that these kits reach their own people and to everyone. The state and municipal governments have been supportive so far in the distribution of relief material. In one of the instances, during the distribution of kits in lockdown the workers had to take help of police personnel when their vehicle was surrounded by a desperate crowd.
The presence of cops ensured that physical distance is maintained, and the relief reaches to every person in the locality
Learning
The previous data which the organisation has collected of families and localities proved very helpful in this turbulent situation. The support of community members is crucial in the distribution of food kits, their support and trust ensure that it reaches everybody. The data of beneficiaries helped us to cross-check whether every deserving family has received the kit or not. The cell phone numbers of the families and community members were used to call to check if the packets reached the families or not. Such measures helped in maintaining transparency and accountability of those who were in distribution.
Hasiru Dala not only works for the welfare and empowerment of people engaged in waste collection and sorting but has also been working to turn them into entrepreneurs. Due to lockdown, the DWCCs are running out of space to store sorted recyclable solid waste. The entrepreneurs are left with no money to pay workers, bear day to day operational costs and no additional space available to store sorted recyclables in the centres is adding to the existing challenges. The municipal authorities have not released the money due towards DWCCs, which has put the livelihood of those who run DWCCs and those who are associated with them under risk.
The organisation is providing relief to the people running DWCCs by providing grocery kits and other financial support so that they keep on functioning. In the initial week of lockdown, the organisation provided 15 DWCCs with diesel expenses for a week to ensure the collection does not stop and services are being rendered to the citizens. The DWCCs were provided with personal protective gear and sanitizers by the organisation. For a few days, DWCCs workers were also provided cooked food.
Currently, Dry waste collection centres are not functional at their best as recycling of waste is not considered an immediate economic activity or a part of essential services during the lockdown. The collection of waste from households is declared as a part of essential services and not recycling or waste processing. The WPs are out of work and godowns are full of dry waste. Even when the lockdown is lifted, there will be very little demand for scrap and other solid wastes due to the slowing of economic activity. The vehicles of DWCCs are still going out for the collection of dry waste twice a week. Even with no space or recycling option available, they are stocking the material.
Fundraising
Poster prepared for daily communication with the donors
The pandemic impacted every section of society. It was not easy to raise the funds. With the help of our partners and other donors, Hasiru Dala was able to raise the money for this crisis. The organisation utilised social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Whatsapp and word of mouth to spread the information about the fundraising effort. The campaign seemed successful and we were able to raise 48% of funds by individual donors from the platforms like Ketto, the rest of the funds were given by other institutional partners and donors. The people donated with open hearts. In the first 48 hours of the campaign, the organisation was able to raise about a million (In Indian rupees). The organisation has raised so far INR 4.80 cr. Many people have donated directly to the account of the organisation while a good chunk of funds was raised from platforms like Ketto.
The success of the fund-raising can be laid down to three factors – the quick turnaround before and after the lockdown was initiated to call for support; simple and transparent messaging with frequent updates on the work being accomplished, and the spreading of the call for funds through established networks of supporters where trust was already established. The institutional help from other partner organisations has been significant.
WithBengaluru Initiative
Distribution of the relief with the help of With Bengaluru
The organisation plunged into action to support other vulnerable communities when requested by a citizen-based platform WithBengaluru. The organisation is working together with ‘WithBengaluru’, an initiative run by a collective of different social and nongovernmental groups to ensure that no one dies of hunger in this city of 13 million people. The initiative is providing cooked meals to thousands of persons and families belonging to marginalised and vulnerable sections particularly daily wage workers, interstate migrant labourers. The organisation is an important component of the WithBengaluru initiative to check that relief reaches to every person and there is no duplication of relief material or kits.
So far, Hasiru Dala has distributed relief material (one month ration) to 12,097 families in the city. The organisation has also provided 3,328 grocery kits to the vulnerable families of wastepickers in Tumkur, Mysuru and other cities and towns of Karnataka, as well as Rajahmundry in Andhra Pradesh, and Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu. With the help of WithBengaluru, Hasiru Dala was able to help in providing 24,615 families of all other informal workers with monthly ration kits.
Future Challenge
The biggest challenge before the organisation is to revive the economic activity of WPs. There is a threat that WP families might end up in debt and their children can drop out from the schools. The organisation is trying its best to help WPs to revive their livelihood as they cannot always stay on hand-outs. Efforts are also being made t0 identify places where solid waste can be stored during the lockdown as DWCCs and IWPs are running out of storage capacity.
Healthcare
The organisation is also aiding those who need immediate medical attention or those who are dependent on medicines. They are being provided financial assistance in procuring the medicines from designated stores. The organisation is also working to provide access to medical professionals and doctors on phone. The prescription on the phone is being taken as an emergency medical prescription and advice.
Education
One of the significant impacts of the lockdown has been on the children of WPs and IWC. Efforts are being made that none of their young children drops out of schools. The economic and other obstacles are one of the hurdles in their access to the online mode of education. The organisation had launched a platform for children of all ages and genders to access education, better reading skills, skill development and leadership skill development. Buguri Children’s Programme works with over 3500 children of waste-pickers and informal waste workers through its libraries and education support programs. In the current crisis, efforts are being made to ensure that knowledge is being imparted to the children of WPs and IWCs.
Immediately after the lockdown was imposed the library educators across the three locations (Bangalore, Mysore and Tumkur) updated the contact numbers of the parents and also ascertained if their handsets had internet access and had access to Whatsapp, in the coming days Whatsapp groups, especially for children of WPs and IWCs, were formed. EBooks and reading material was shared for the children
Video calls with the children of the waste-pickers
Through its zero-drop our program, the organisation is giving incentives to the children of WPs and IWCs in the form of stationery and scholarships to ensure that they continue with studies with zeal and excellence.
A community radio programme The Buguri Podcast with inputs of children in the lockdown is being broadcasted on Radioactive 90.4 MHz. The coordinators of the Buguri are reaching to children every working day to learn about their day to day activities and how they and their parents are dealing with the lockdown. Listening to their ideas through phone and community radio has become an important tool to counsel and support children in these times.
The access to smartphones is limited and wherever there is access to the internet or Whatsapp, it is via the smartphones of parents. The educators must keep in mind the availability of children and their parents to impart education through digital media. Due to lockdown and lack of financial sources, several parents are unable to pay the bills of their smartphones which restrains the ability of their kids to access the web-based education.
Post-Lockdown Strategy
The recycling industry across the globe is either shut or working minimal during this pandemic. Supply chains have been broken and the restrictions on transportation have complicated it further.
The current lockdown has again shown the vulnerability of the plastic waste industry. The crash in global crude prices has added the complications. After the easing of lockdown, there might be some economic activity pertaining to recycling of dry waste but there is going to be a very low demand due to fall in global crude prices and slowing of the economy.
There is a need to make long-term initiatives which will sustain the wastepickers and DWCCs in case of market shocks or other crises like a pandemic, the economic recession in future. There is an urgent need to preserve the physical and mental wellbeing of WPs and IWCs. All the WPs and IWPs must be linked to financial institutions like banks so that they can avail government assistance in the form of cash irrespective of howsoever meagre the amount is. Efforts are to be made to support the DWCCs and other workers with finances with very low-interest rates so that they are able to generate a viable economic activity and become independent within a reasonable time. Incentives like an Emergency fund or prolonged food support can also be provided for the same.
Another significant strategy is to curb the drop out of students under the Buguri children Program. The lockdown is impacting several families adversely and some of the youngsters might be forced to drop out of school and turn to child labour. Efforts are to be made to ensure there is zero drop out from the schools’ post easement in lockdown.
Donations
Hasiru Dala has so far been successful in its endeavour due to the support of citizens, partners, and donors. Although a significant amount of funds was raised from individual donors directly in the form of cash, in several parts of Karnataka, farmers supported the organisation with their produce in the form of vegetables and grains. The organisation is leading the massive relief work by providing grocery kits and other types of relief material to the target groups. Soon the organisation is thinking of providing some minimum income support to the families of IWPs and those running DWCCs as most of them are battling malnutrition and starvation
The partial list of main donors is
No.
Name of the Donor
Amount Received
Date
Donations to Support Wastepickers (Hasiru Dala)
1
Alabos BPO Solutions Pvt Ltd
₹ 1,00,000.00
11-05-2020
2
Amazon Distribution PVT LTD
₹ 1,00,000.00
26-03-2020
3
Association for Democratic Reforms
₹ 1,67,000.00
06-04-2020
4
Axis Bank Foundation
₹ 10,00,000.00
30-03-2020
5
Citrix
₹ 3,86,640.00
13-05-2020
6
Direct support of Azim Premji Philanthropic Initiative to Hasiru Dala for waste-pickers
₹ 80,00,000.00
16-04-2020
7
Hema Hattangady
₹ 5,00,000.00
06-04-2020
8
Hutti Gold Mines
₹ 10,00,000.00
30-03-2020
9
K N Ananthasivan Foundation
₹ 2,00,000.00
17-04-2020
10
K N Guruswamy Educational and Charitable Trust
₹ 1,00,000.00
02-04-2020
11
Mahaperiaval Trust
₹ 80,000.00
31-03-2020
12
National Backward
₹ 2,06,415.00
30-03-2020
13
Orchid Laminates PVT
₹ 1,20,000.00
02-04-2020
14
Prakash Raj Foundation
₹ 50,000.00
02-04-2020
15
Saankhya Labs
₹ 1,00,000.00
26-04-2020
16
Safechem
₹ 20,00,000.00
15-04-2020
17
Sarojini Nanduri
₹ 1,00,000.00
08-04-2020
18
Seva Mandaara, New England Kannada Koota, Rotary Bangalore West, and Rotary Bangalore Sadashivanagar
₹ 1,44,160.00
11-05-2020
19
Sheeba Marina Dmello
₹ 1,00,000.00
27-03-2020
20
Tally Solutions private Ltd
₹ 5,00,000.00
30-03-2020
21
Transworld
₹ 5,00,000.00
13-04-2020
22
Wipro Cares
₹ 7,00,000.00
03-04-2020
23
Individual donations made directly to Hasiru Dala
₹ 67,24,832.00
24
Ketto (Individual Donations)
₹ 43,12,103.00
Donations to Support Informal, Daily Wage and Migrant Workers (Hasiru Dala and WithBengaluru)
1
Wipro Foundation
₹ 75,00,000.00
07-04-2020
2
Azim Premji Philanthropic Initiative Support WithBengaluru for providing food kits to all other informal workers.
[3] When 84% of all currency in India was demonetised in November 2016
[4] Primarily due to the shock of implementation of GST
[5] Dry Waste Collection Centres (DWCCs) facilitate the streamlining of the entire process of waste management in the city, by concentrating exclusively on dry waste. They are equipped with an appropriate infrastructure capable of purchasing, collecting, aggregating and processing both high value and low-value dry waste such as plastics, paper, glass, tetra packs.
[Copies of the letter sent to Chief Minister of Delhi, Commissioner of Police, Delhi and Chairperson of National Human Rights Commission]
Subject: Condemnation of the brutal killing of waste-picker Oshit Das in Jahangir Puri & demand for immediate action to be taken against those responsible for the killing
We the members of the Alliance of Indian Waste-pickers condemn the brutal killing of Oshit Das and other waste-pickers and demand for immediate action to be taken against those responsible for the killing. We request speedy justice and adequate compensation and safety for the family members of Oshit Das. The family should also be provided access to other social and economic protection measures.
Through this letter, we would like to bring to your note that waste-pickers play an important role in waste management. Waste-pickers pick waste from the streets. They convert the discards into useful materials for manufacturing. Thereby keep our cities clean. The vitality of their work has been acknowledged in Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan guidelines and Solid Waste Management Rules 2016. The rules mandate their inclusion and integration. There are many programs started by different ministries at the union and states level for their integration process. With all the discussion about their integration, on the ground, they are discriminated against because of their caste and occupation. They are looked at as thieves and criminals. We demand an end to this discrimination, which a lot of times turn violent. We demand that all social actors including police, security guards, and state institutions are sensitized about the work done by waste-pickers. They should be provided with a safe, non-discriminatory and violence-free environment to work in.
Endorsed by the member organizations of the Alliance of Indian Waste-pickers
Aasra Welfare Association, Mumbai, Maharashtra
Arya Samaj Foundation, Aurangabad, Maharashtra
Avani Sanstha, Kolhapur, Maharashtra
Bal Vikas Dhara, Delhi
Basti Suraksha Manch, Delhi
Centre for Sustainable Development, Nagpur, Maharashtra
Dalit Bahujan Resource Centre, Guntur, Andhra Pradesh
Janvikas Society, Indore, Madhya Pradesh
Delhi Roundtable on Solid Waste Management, Delhi
Direct Initiative for Social and Health Action (DISHA), Kolkata, West Bengal
Endorsed by the allies and partners of the Alliance of Indian Waste-pickers
Indo-Global Social Service Society (IGSSS), New Delhi, Delhi
Main Bhi Dilli Campaign, Delhi
Dalit Adivasi Shakti Adhikar Manch (DASAM), Delhi
Alliance of Indian Wastepickers is a national coalition of organizations working with waste-pickers and other informal waste workers. The alliance was created to have coordinated efforts to ensure inclusion of waste pickers in various national level programmes. Members of the alliance are from more than 12 states of India and represent more than 140,000 waste-pickers
ಬುಗುರಿ..! ಎಂದಾಕ್ಷಣ ನಮ್ಮೆಲ್ಲರ ಮನದಲ್ಲಿ ಮೂಡುವುದು ನಮ್ಮ ಬಾಲ್ಯದ ಆ ಚೆಂದನೆಯ ಆಟ. ತಿರುಗುವ ಬುಗುರಿಯನ್ನು ನೋಡುವುದೇ ಒಂದು ಸಂಭ್ರಮ. ನಾವೆಲ್ಲರೂ ಬುಗುರಿಯೊಂದಿಗೆ ಆಟವಾಡುತ್ತಲೇ ನಮ್ಮ ಬಾಲ್ಯವನ್ನು ಕಳೆದಿದ್ದೇವೆ. ಆದರೆ ಈಗ ನಾನು ಹೇಳುವ ಬುಗುರಿ ಸ್ವಲ್ಪ ವಿಭಿನ್ನವಾದ ಪರಿಕಲ್ಪನೆ. ಈ ನಮ್ಮ ಬುಗುರಿಯೊಳಗೆ ಮಕ್ಕಳು ಪುಸ್ತಕಗಳೊಂದಿಗೆ ಆಟವಾಡುತ್ತಾ… ಪುಸ್ತಕಗಳನ್ನು ಓದುತ್ತಾ ಸಂಭ್ರಮಿಸುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಹೌದು, ಹೀಗೆ ಪುಸ್ತಕ ಮತ್ತು ಮಕ್ಕಳ ನಡುವೆ ಒಡನಾಟ ಬೆಳೆಸುವ ಬುಗುರಿಯೊಂದು ಅರಮನೆ ನಗರಿ ಮೈಸೂರಿನ ಬಿ.ಎಂ.ಶ್ರೀ ನಗರದಲ್ಲಿ ಕಳೆದ ಮೂರು ವರ್ಷಗಳಿಂದ ಕಾರ್ಯನಿರ್ವಹಿಸುತ್ತಿದೆ.ಇದು ಹಸಿರುದಳ ಸಂಸ್ಥೆಯೂ ಕಸ ಆಯುವವರ ಮಕ್ಕಳಿಗೆ ಓದಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಆಸಕ್ತಿ ಮೂಡಿಸಿ, ಪುಸ್ತಕಗಳೊಡನೆ ಒಡನಾಟ ಬೆಳೆಸಿ, ಅವರಲ್ಲಿ ಅಡಗಿರುವ ಸೃಜನಾತ್ಮಕತೆಯನ್ನು ಪ್ರೋತ್ಸಾಹಿಸುವ ನಿಟ್ಟಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಆರಂಭಗೊಂಡ ಯೋಜನೆ ಬುಗುರಿ ಸಮುದಾಯ ಗ್ರಂಥಾಲಯ. ಈ ನಮ್ಮ ಬುಗುರಿ ಗ್ರಂಥಾಲಯ ಇನ್ನು ಕೆಲವೇ ದಿನಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ತನ್ನ ನಾಲ್ಕನೇ ವರ್ಷದ ವಾರ್ಷಿಕೋತ್ಸವವನ್ನು ಆಚರಿಸಿಕೊಳ್ಳಲಿದೆ. ಇನ್ನು ಕಳೆದ ಮೂರು ವರ್ಷಗಳಿಂದ ಬುಗುರಿ ಸಮುದಾಯ ಗ್ರಂಥಾಲಯದಲ್ಲಿ ನಡೆಯುತ್ತಿರುವ ಚಟುವಟಿಕೆಗಳಿಂದ ಮಕ್ಕಳ ಅಭಿರುಚಿ, ಓದಿನ ಆಸಕ್ತಿ, ಸೃಜನಾತ್ಮಕತೆ, ನಡುವಳಿಕೆ, ಯೋಚನೆಯ ಲಹರಿ ಸೇರಿದಂತೆ ಅನೇಕ ಬದಲಾವಣೆಗಳನ್ನು ಕಾಣುತ್ತಿದ್ದೇವೆ. ಬುಗುರಿ ಗ್ರಂಥಾಲಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಮಕ್ಕಳಿಗೆ ಕಲಿಸುತ್ತಾ.. ಅವರೊಂದಿಗೆ ನಾವು ಕಲಿಯುತ್ತಾ… ಸಾಗುವುದು ನಿಜಕ್ಕೂ ನನಗೆ ಅದ್ಭುತವಾದ ಅನುಭವ ನೀಡಿದೆ.
ಇನ್ನು ಕಳೆದ ವರ್ಷ ಮೊದಲ ಬಾರಿ ಕಾಣಿಸಿಕೊಂಡ ಕೊರೊನಾ ರೋಗದ ಪರಿಣಾಮ ನಮ್ಮ ಬುಗುರಿ ಗ್ರಂಥಾಲಯನ್ನು ನಾವು ಮುಚ್ಚಬೇಕಾಗಿ ಬಂತು. ಆಗ ಮಕ್ಕಳನ್ನು ಸದಾ ಕ್ರಿಯಾಶೀಲರಾಗಿರುವಂತೆ ನೋಡಿಕೊಳ್ಳುವುದೇ ನಮ್ಮ ಮುಂದಿರುವ ಬಹುದೊಡ್ಡ ಸವಾಲಾಗಿತ್ತು. ಆಗ ಆನ್ಲೈನ್ ಮೂಲಕ ತರಗತಿಗಳನ್ನು ನಡೆಸಲು ನಿರ್ಧರಿಸಿದೆವು. ಆದರೆ ಅನೇಕ ಮಕ್ಕಳ ತಂದೆ-ತಾಯಿಯರ ಬಳಿ ಸ್ಮಾರ್ಟಫೋನ್ಗಳಿರಲಿಲ್ಲ. ಆಗ ನಾವು ಮಕ್ಕಳನ್ನು ಎರಡು ತಂಡಗಳಾಗಿ ವಿಂಗಡಿಸಿದೇವು. ಒಂದು ತಂಡಕ್ಕೆ ವಾಟ್ಸ್ಅಪ್ ಗ್ರೂಪ್ ಮೂಲಕ, ಪ್ರತಿದಿನ ಪುಸ್ತಕ, ಆಡಿಯೋ, ಪ್ರಶ್ನೆಗಳು, ಚಟುವಟಿಕೆಗಳನ್ನು ನೀಡುತ್ತಿದ್ದೇವು. ಇನ್ನೊಂದು ತಂಡಕ್ಕೆ ಕಾನ್ಪರೆನ್ಸ್ ಕಾಲ್ ಮೂಲಕ ನಾಲ್ಕೈದು ಮಕ್ಕಳನ್ನು ಒಂದೇ ಬಾರಿಗೆ ಸಂಪರ್ಕಿಸಿ, ಕರೆಯ ಮೂಲಕವೇ ಕತೆ ಮತ್ತು ಚಟುವಟಿಕೆಗಳನ್ನು ನೀಡುತ್ತಿದ್ದೇವು. ವಿಶೇಷವೆಂದರೆ ಈ ನಮ್ಮ ಯೋಜನೆಗೆ ಅನೇಕ ಸ್ವಯಂ ಸೇವಕರು ಕೈಜೋಡಿಸಿ, ಅವರು ಕೂಡಾ ಮಕ್ಕಳಿಗೆ ಕತೆ ಸೇರಿದಂತೆ ಅನೇಕ ಚಟುವಟಿಕೆಗಳನ್ನು ಹೇಳಿಕೊಟ್ಟರು. ಹೀಗೆ ಆನ್ಲೈನ್ ಮೂಲಕವೇ ಮಕ್ಕಳಿಗೆ ಕಥೆಗಳು, ಕಥೆಗೆ ಸಂಬಂಧಪಟ್ಟ ಚಟುವಟಿಕೆಗಳನ್ನು ಕೊಟ್ಟು ಅವರನ್ನು ಸದಾ ಓದಿನಲ್ಲಿ, ಸೃಜನಾತ್ಮಕ ಕೆಲಸಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಮಗ್ನರಾಗಿರುವಂತೆ ನೋಡಿಕೊಂಡೆವು. ಇದರ ಜೊತೆಗೆ ಬುಗುರಿ ತಂಡ ಬೆಂಗಳೂರಿನ ಸಮುದಾಯ ರೇಡಿಯೋ Radio Active 90.4MHz ಮೂಲಕ ‘ಬುಗುರಿ ಪಾಡ್ಕಾಸ್ಟ್’ ಎಂಬ ಮಕ್ಕಳ ರೇಡಿಯೋ ಕಾರ್ಯಕ್ರಮವನ್ನು ಪ್ರಾರಂಭ ಮಾಡಿದೇವು. ಈ ಪಾಡ್ಕಾಸ್ಟ್ ಮೂಲಕ ಮಕ್ಕಳ ಸ್ನೇಹಿ ಕೊರೊನಾ ಜಾಗೃತಿ, ಆರೋಗ್ಯ, ದೇಶಿ ಆಹಾರ ಪದ್ದತಿ, ಪರಿಸರ ಸಂರಕ್ಷಣೆ ಹೀಗೆ ಮುಂತಾದ ವಿಷಯಗಳ ಕುರಿತು ತಿಳುವಳಿಕೆ ಮೂಡಿಸಲಾಯಿತು. ಪಾಡ್ಕಾಸ್ಟ್ ನ ವಿಶೇಷವೆಂದರೆ ಕೊರೊನಾ ಸಂಬಂಧಿತ ಮಕ್ಕಳ ಪ್ರಶ್ನೆಗಳಿಗೆ ಉತ್ತರಿಸಲು, ‘ಮಾಯಾ-ತುಂಗಾ’ ಎಂಬ ವಿಶೇಷ ಕಥಾ ಸರಣಿಯನ್ನು ಪ್ರಾರಂಭಿಸಿ, ಕನ್ನಡ,ಇಂಗ್ಲೀಷ್,ಬೆಂಗಾಳಿ, ತಮಿಳು ಭಾಷೆಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಮೂರು ಸರಣಿಗಳಾಗಿ ಪ್ರಸಾರ ಮಾಡಿದೇವು. ಈ ನಮ್ಮ ಪ್ರಯತ್ನಗಳಿಗೆ ಮಕ್ಕಳಿಂದ ಉತ್ತಮ ಪ್ರತಿಕ್ರಿಯೆ ಸಿಕ್ಕಿದ್ದು ವಿಶೇಷ. ನಾವು ಕೊಡುವ ಚಟುವಟಕೆಗಳನ್ನು ಮಕ್ಕಳು ಅತ್ಯಂತ ಉತ್ಸಾಹದಿಂದ ಮಾಡುತ್ತಿದ್ದರು. ಹೀಗಾಗಿ ಆನ್ಲೈನ್ ಮೂಲಕ ನಾವು ಮಕ್ಕಳೊಂದಿಗೆ ನಿಕಟ ಸಂಪರ್ಕ ಸಾಧಿಸಿ, ಉತ್ತಮ ಕಲಿಕಾ ವಾತಾವರಣವನ್ನು ನಿರ್ಮಿಸಬಹುದು ಎಂಬ ಸತ್ಯ ನಮಗೆ ಮೊದಲ ಬಾರಿಯ ಲಾಕ್ಡೌನ್ನಲ್ಲಿ ಅರಿವಾಯಿತು.
ಇನ್ನು ಲಾಕ್ಡೌನ್ ಮುಗಿದ ಮೇಲೆ ಮತ್ತೆ ಬುಗುರಿ ಗ್ರಂಥಾಲಯವನ್ನು ಆರಂಭಿಸಿದೇವು. ಆಗ ಮಕ್ಕಳು ಲಾಕ್ಡೌನ್ ದಿನಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ತಮಗಾದ ಅನುಭವ ಮತ್ತು ಕಲಿತ ವಿಷಯಗಳ ಕುರಿತು ಕಥೆ, ಕವಿತೆ, ನೃತ್ಯ,ನಾಟಕಗಳನ್ನು ರಚಿಸಿ, ನಮ್ಮ ಬುಗುರಿಯ 3ನೇ ವರ್ಷದ ವಾರ್ಷಿಕೋತ್ಸವದಲ್ಲಿ ಪ್ರದರ್ಶಿಸಿದರು. ಲಾಕ್ಡೌನ್ನಲ್ಲಿ ನಾವು ನಡೆಸಿದ ವಿಶೇಷ ಚಟುವಟಿಕೆಗಳಿಂದ ಮಕ್ಕಳ ಮಾನಸಿಕ ಮನೋಭಾವ, ಸ್ವತಂತ್ರ ಬರವಣಿಗೆ, ನಾಯಕತ್ವ ಸೇರಿದಂತೆ ಅನೇಕ ವಿಶೇಷ ಗುಣಗಳನ್ನು ಬೆಳೆಸಿಕೊಂಡಿದ್ದರು. ಅದೆಲ್ಲವೂ ಪ್ರದರ್ಶಿನದ ಮೂಲಕ ಅಭಿವ್ಯಕ್ತವಾಯಿತು.
ಹೀಗೆ ಹಲವಾರು ಚಟುವಟಿಕೆಗಳ ಮೂಲಕ ಬುಗುರಿ ಯಥಾಸ್ಥಿತಿಗೆ ಮರುಳುತ್ತಿರುವಾಗಲೇ, ಕೊರೊನಾ ಸಾಂಕ್ರಾಮಿಕ ರೋಗದ ಎರಡನೇಯ ಅಲೆಯ ಪರಿಣಾಮ ಮತ್ತೆ ಲಾಕ್ಡೌನ್ ಘೋಷಣೆಯಾಯಿತು. ಆಗ ನಾವು ಕಳೆದ ಬಾರಿಗಿಂತ ಪರಿಣಾಮಕಾರಿಯಾಗಿ ಲಾಕ್ಡೌನ್ ದಿನಗಳನ್ನು ಬಳಸಿಕೊಳ್ಳಲು ನಿರ್ಧರಿಸಿ, ಮತ್ತೆ ಆನ್ಲೈನ್ ಮೂಲಕವೇ ಮಕ್ಕಳೆಲ್ಲರನ್ನು ಒಗ್ಗೂಡಿಸಿದೆವು. ನಮ್ಮ ಬುಗುರಿ ವಾಟ್ಸಪ್ ಗ್ರೂಪ್ನಲ್ಲಿ ಎಲ್ಲ ವಯೋಮಾನದ ಮಕ್ಕಳಿದ್ದು, ಅವರಿಗೆ ತಕ್ಕಂತೆ ಚಟುವಟಿಕೆಗಳನ್ನು ನೀಡುತ್ತಿದ್ದೇವೆ. ಕೆಲವು ಮಕ್ಕಳಿಗೆ ಮೊಬೈಲ್ ಕೊರತೆ, ಇನ್ನು ಕೆಲವರಿಗೆ ಇಂಟರ್ನೆಟ್ ಇಲ್ಲದಿರುವುದನ್ನು ನಾವು ಗಮನಿಸಿ, ಅಂತಹ ಮಕ್ಕಳಿಗಾಗಿ ‘ಲಾಕ್ಡೌನ್ ಬುಕ್ ಕಿಟ್’ಗಳನ್ನು ನೀಡಿದೇವು. ಆ ಬುಕ್ ಕಿಟ್ ಕನ್ನಡ-ಇಂಗ್ಲೀಷ ಕಥೆಗಳು ಮತ್ತು ಅದಕ್ಕೆ ಸಂಬಂಧಿಸಿದ ಅನೇಕ ಚಟುವಟಿಕೆಗಳಿಂದ ರೂಪಕೊಂಡಿದೆ. ಇದರಿಂದ ಮೊಬೈಲ್ ಮತ್ತು ಇಂಟರ್ನೆಟ್ ಸಂಪರ್ಕವಿಲ್ಲದ ಮಕ್ಕಳು ಸಹ ಕಲಿಕಾ ಚಟುವಟಿಕೆಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಮಗ್ನರಾಗಲು ಸಹಾಯಕವಾಯಿತು. ಹೀಗೆ ಕತೆ-ಕವನಗಳನ್ನು ಓದುವುದು, ಕ್ರಾಫ್ಟ್ ಮಾಡುವುದು, ವಿಜ್ಞಾನದ ಮಾದರಿ ತಯಾರಿಕೆ, ಚಿತ್ರ ಬಿಡಿಸುವುದು, ಚಿಕ್ಕ ನಾಟಕಗಳ ರಚನೆ ಸೇರಿದಂತೆ ಅನೇಕ ವಿಭಿನ್ನವಾದ ಚಟುವಟಿಕೆಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ನಮ್ಮ ಬುಗುರಿ ಮಕ್ಕಳು ತೊಡಗಿಸಿಕೊಂಡ ಪರಿಣಾಮ, ಲಾಕ್ಡೌನ್ ವೇಳೆಯಲ್ಲಿಯೂ ನಮ್ಮ ಬುಗುರಿ ಮಕ್ಕಳು ಅತ್ಯಂತ ಕ್ರಿಯಾಶೀಲರಾಗಿ ಹೊರಹೊಮ್ಮುತ್ತಿದ್ದಾರೆ.
ಒಟ್ಟಾರೆಯಾಗಿ ಲಾಕ್ಡೌನ್ ದಿನಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ನಮ್ಮ ಬುಗುರಿ ಮಕ್ಕಳು ವಿಭಿನ್ನ ರೀತಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ತಮ್ಮನ್ನು ತಾವು ತೊಡಗಿಸಿಕೊಂಡಿದ್ದಾರೆ. ವಿಶೇಷವಾಗಿ ಮಕ್ಕಳೆಲ್ಲರೂ ಒಟ್ಟಾಗಿ ಸೇರಿ ಕಲಿಯುವುದು, ತಮ್ಮತಮ್ಮಲ್ಲೇ ವಿಷಯದ ಕುರಿತು ಚರ್ಚೆ ನಡೆಸುವುದು, ಬೇರೆಯವರ ಕಷ್ಟಗಳಿಗೆ ಸ್ಪಂದಿಸುವುದು, ಮೊಬೈಲ್ ಇಲ್ಲದಿರುವ ಮಕ್ಕಳನ್ನು ಇತರೆ ಮಕ್ಕಳು ತಮ್ಮೊಂದಿಗೆ ಸೇರಿಸಿಕೊಂಡು ಒಟ್ಟಾಗಿ ಚಟುಚಟಿಕೆಗಳನ್ನು ಮಾಡುವುದು, ಹಾಗೆ ಚಿಕ್ಕ ಮಕ್ಕಳಿಗೆ ದೊಡ್ಡ ಮಕ್ಕಳು ಪಾಠ ಹೇಳಿ ಕೊಡುವ ಮೂಲಕ ಎಲ್ಲರೂ ಒಗ್ಗಟ್ಟಾಗಿ ಕಲಿಕೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ತಮ್ಮನ್ನು ತಾವು ತೊಡಗಿಸಿಕೊಂಡಿದ್ದಾರೆ. ಇನ್ನು ಅನೇಕ ಮಕ್ಕಳು ಸ್ವತಃ ತಾವೇ ಕಥೆ, ಕವಿತೆ, ನಾಟಕಗಳನ್ನು ಬರೆಯುತ್ತಿದ್ದು, ಇದು ಮಕ್ಕಳ ಮನೋವಿಕಾಸಕ್ಕೆ ಪೂರಕವಾಗಿದೆ. ಕೊನೆಯದಾಗಿ ಲಾಕ್ಡೌನ್ ದಿನಗಳು ನಮ್ಮ ಬುಗುರಿ ಗ್ರಂಥಾಲಯದ ಮಕ್ಕಳಿಗೆ ಉತ್ತಮ ವಾತಾವರಣವನ್ನೇ ಒದಗಿಸಿದೆ ಎಂದರೆ ತಪ್ಪಾಗಲಾರದು.
Chaitra T.S. is the coordinator for the Buguri Community Library in Mysuru.
ಪ್ರಪಂಚದಲ್ಲಿ ಹಲವಾರು ವೃತ್ತಿಪರ ಕೆಲಸಗಳಿವೆ. ಅದರಲ್ಲಿ ನಮ್ಮ ಕೂದಲು ವ್ಯಾಪಾರವು ಒಂದಾಗಿದೆ. ನಾವು ಕರ್ನಾಟಕ ರಾಜ್ಯದ ಮೈಸೂರು ಜಿಲ್ಲೆಯ ಬಿ.ಎಂ.ಶ್ರೀ ನಗರ ಸಮುದಾಯದ ನಿವಾಸಿಗಳು. ನಮ್ಮ ವೃತ್ತಿಯಲ್ಲಿನ ಲಾಭ- ನಷ್ಟ, ಕಷ್ಟ-ಸುಖ, ನೋವು-ನಲಿವುಗಳ ಅನುಭವನ್ನು ಮತ್ತು ಕೂದಲು ವ್ಯಾಪಾರ ಮಾಡುವ ನಮ್ಮ ಬದುಕಿನ ವಿವಿಧ ಆಯಾಮಗಳನ್ನು ಈ ಲೇಖನದ ಮೂಲಕ ನಿಮ್ಮೊಂದಿಗೆ ಹಂಚಿಕೊಳ್ಳುತ್ತಿದ್ದೇವೆ.
ನಮ್ಮ ಸಮುದಾಯದ ಕೂದಲು ವ್ಯಾಪಾರ ಮತ್ತು ಅದರ ಹಿಂದಿನ ಇತಿಹಾಸ
ನಮ್ಮ ಸಮುದಾಯದವರಿಗೆ ಎರಡು ದಶಕದ ಹಿಂದೆ ಈ ಕೂದಲು ವ್ಯಾಪಾರದ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ತಿಳಿದಿರಲಿಲ್ಲ. ನಾವು ಮುಖ್ಯವಾಗಿ ಬೀಗ ಮತ್ತು ವಂದ್ರಿ ಕೆಲಸಗಳನ್ನು ಮಾಡುತ್ತಿದ್ದೇವು. ನಮಗೆ ವಾಸ ಮಾಡಲು ನಿರ್ದಿಷ್ಟವಾದ ಸ್ಥಳ ಇರಲಿಲ್ಲ. ಹಾಗಾಗಿ ನಾವು ಬೇರೆ ಬೇರೆ ಊರುಗಳಿಗೆ ವಲಸೆ ಹೋಗುತ್ತಾ, ಅಲ್ಲಿಯೇ ಗೂಡಿಸಲು ಹಾಕಿಕೊಂಡು ವಾಸಿಸುತ್ತಿದ್ದೇವು. ಹೀಗಾಗಿಯೇ ನಮ್ಮ ಸಮುದಾಯಕ್ಕೆ ಶಿಕ್ಷಣ ಸಿಗಲಿಲ್ಲ. ನಾವು ನಮ್ಮ ಪೋಷಕರೊಡನೆ ಬೇರೆ ಬೇರೆ ಊರುಗಳಿಗೆ ಹೋಗಬೇಕಾದರೆ, ಆ ಊರುಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಇರುವ ಸ್ಥಳಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಟೆಂಟ್ಗಳನ್ನು ಹಾಕಿಕೊಳ್ಳುತ್ತಿದ್ದೇವು ಮತ್ತು ನಮ್ಮನ್ನು ಟೆಂಟ್ನಲ್ಲೇ ಬಿಟ್ಟು ಅವರು ವ್ಯಾಪಾರಕ್ಕೆ ಹೋಗುತ್ತಿದ್ದರು. ಹೀಗೆ ಅಲೆಮಾರಿಗಳಾಗಿದ್ದ ನಾವು ಮೈಸೂರಿನ ಇಂದಿನ ಬಿ.ಎಂ.ಶ್ರೀ ನಗರದಲ್ಲಿ ಒಂದು ಸೂಕ್ತ ನೆಲೆ ಕಂಡುಕೊಂಡೆವು. ಅನೇಕ ವರ್ಷಗಳ ಹಿಂದೆ ಈ ಸ್ಥಳ ಊರ ಹೊರಗಿನ ನಿರ್ಜನ ಪ್ರದೇಶವಾಗಿದ್ದರಿಂದ ನಮ್ಮ ಜನಾಂಗದವರೆಲ್ಲಾ ಗುಂಪುಗೂಡಿ ಇಲ್ಲಿಯೇ ನೆಲೆಸಲು ಆರಂಭಿಸಿದೇವು. ಹೀಗೆ ನೆಲೆಸಿದ ನಮ್ಮ ಜನಾಂಗದವರನ್ನು ‘ವಂದ್ರಿ ವ್ಯಾಪರಸ್ಥರು’ ಎಂದು ಮೊದಲು ಗುರುತಿಸಲಾಯಿತು. ನಮ್ಮ ಸಮುದಾಯದವರೆಲ್ಲಾ ವಂದ್ರಿ ವ್ಯಾಪಾರ ಮಾಡುವುದನ್ನೇ ವೃತ್ತಿಯಾಗಿಸಿಕೊಂಡಿದ್ದರು. ಆಗ ವಂದ್ರಿ ವ್ಯಾಪಾರ ಮಾಡುತ್ತಾ, ನೀಲಮ್ಮನವರು ಬೆಂಗಳೂರಿನ ಕನಕಪುರಕ್ಕೆ ಹೋದರು. ಅಲ್ಲಿ ಅವರಿಗೆ ಕೂದಲು ವ್ಯಾಪಾರಸ್ಥರು ಪರಿಚಯವಾದರು. ಅವರು ಕೂದಲು ವ್ಯಾಪಾರದ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ತಿಳಿಸಿದರು ಹಾಗೂ ಕೂದಲು ಮಾಲಿಕರನ್ನು ಪರಿಚಯಿಸಿದರು. ಆಗ ನೀಲಮ್ಮನವರು ಮೈಸೂರಿನ ನಮ್ಮ ಸಮುದಾಯದವರಿಗೆ ಈ ವ್ಯಾಪಾರವನ್ನು ಹೇಳಿಕೊಟ್ಟರು. ಕೇವಲ ವಂದ್ರಿ ವ್ಯಾಪಾರ ಮಾಡುತ್ತಿದ್ದ ನಾವು ನಂತರದ ದಿನಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಕೂದಲು ವ್ಯಾಪಾರವನ್ನು ನಮ್ಮ ವೃತ್ತಿಯಾಗಿಸಿಕೊಂಡೆವು. ಈಗಲೂ ನಾವು ಕೂದಲು ಮತ್ತು ವಂದ್ರಿ ಎರಡು ವ್ಯಾಪಾರವನ್ನೂ ಮಾಡುತ್ತಿದ್ದೇವೆ.
ಕೂದಲು ವ್ಯಾಪಾರದಲ್ಲಿ ಆದ ಬದಲಾವಣೆಗಳು..!
ಈ ಕೂದಲು ವ್ಯಾಪಾರದಲ್ಲಿ ನಾವು ಹಲವಾರು ಬದಲಾವಣೆಗಳನ್ನು ಮಾಡಿಕೊಂಡಿದ್ದೇವೆ. ಪ್ರಾರಂಭದಲ್ಲಿ ಕೂದಲಿಗೆ ಪ್ರತಿಯಾಗಿ ನಾವು ಮಹಿಳೆಯರು ಬಳಸುವ ಕ್ಲಿಪ್-ಪಿನ್, ರಿಬ್ಬನ್, ಬಟನ್, ದಾರಗಳನ್ನು ಕೊಡುತ್ತಿದ್ದೇವು. ಆದರೆ ಇತ್ತೀಚಿನ ದಿನಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಕೂದಲಿಗೆ ಪ್ರತಿಯಾಗಿ ನಾವೇ ತಯಾರಿಸಿದ ಪಾತ್ರೆಗಳು, ವಂದ್ರಿ ಮತ್ತು ಸೇರುಗಳನ್ನು ಕೊಡುತ್ತಿದ್ದೇವೆ. ನಮ್ಮಲ್ಲಿಯೇ ಇನ್ನು ಕೆಲವರು ವಸ್ತುಗಳ ಬದಲಾಗಿ, ಗ್ರಾಹಕರಿಗೆ ಹಣವನ್ನು ಕೊಡುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಇನ್ನು ಮೊದಲಿಗೆ ನಾವು ನಡೆದುಕೊಂಡು ಹೋಗಿ ಮನೆಮನೆಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಕೂದಲನ್ನು ಸಂಗ್ರಹಿಸುತ್ತಿದೇವು. ಆದರೆ ಈಗ ವಾಹನಗಳನ್ನು ಬಳಸಿಕೊಂಡು ವ್ಯಾಪಾರ ಮಾಡುತ್ತಿದ್ದೇವೆ. ಪ್ರಾರಂಭದಲ್ಲಿ ಕೂದಲಿಗೆ ಸಾಕಷ್ಟು ಬೇಡಿಕೆ ಇರಲಿಲ್ಲ. ಹೀಗಾಗಿ ಅದರಿಂದ ಬರುವ ಲಾಭವೂ ಕಡಿಮೆ ಇತ್ತು. ಆದರೆ ಇತ್ತೀಚಿನ ದಿನಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ನೈಸರ್ಗಿಕ ಕೂದಲಿಗೆ ವಿದೇಶಗಳಲ್ಲಿಯೂ ಬಹುಬೇಡಿಕೆ ಬಂದಿದೆ. ಹೀಗಾಗಿ ಉತ್ತಮ ಮಾರುಕಟ್ಟೆ ಸೃಷ್ಟಿಯಾಗಿದೆ. ಕೂದಲು ವ್ಯಾಪಾರವೂ ಈಗ ಒಂದು ಲಾಭದಾಯಕ ವೃತ್ತಿಯಾಗಿದೆ. ಈ ಮೊದಲು ಕೂದಲು ವ್ಯಾಪಾರ ಮಾಡಿಕೊಂಡು ಜೀವನ ನಡೆಸುವುದು ಕಷ್ಟ ಆಗುತ್ತಿತ್ತು. ಆದರೆ ಈಗ ಕೂದಲು ವ್ಯಾಪಾರದಲ್ಲಿ ಸ್ವಲ್ಪ ಲಾಭ ಕಾಣುತ್ತಿದ್ದೇವೆ. ಚಲನಚಿತ್ರಗಳಲ್ಲಿ, ಸೀರಿಯಲ್ಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಮತ್ತು ಮದುವೆ ಸಂದರ್ಭಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಕೂದಲನ್ನ ಬಳಸುವುದರಿಂದ ಕೂದಲು ವ್ಯಾಪಾರ ಮಾಡುವÀ ನಮ್ಮಂತವರ ಜೀವನ ಮಟ್ಟ ಸುಧಾರಿಸಿದೆ.
ಕೂದಲಿನ ಪಯಣ ಕೂದಲು ವ್ಯಾಪಾರದವರ ದಿನಚರಿ
ನಮ್ಮ ಸಮುದಾಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಕೂದಲು ವ್ಯಾಪಾರ ಮಾಡುವವರು ಬೆಳಿಗ್ಗೆ 6 ಗಂಟೆಯೊಳಗೆ ಎದ್ದು ಮನೆ ಕೆಲಸ ಮುಗಿಸಿ, ಮಕ್ಕಳನ್ನು ಶಾಲೆಗೆ ಕಳಿಸುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಮಕ್ಕಳು ಸ್ಕೂಲಿಗೆ ಹೋದಾಗ ಅವರು ವ್ಯಾಪರಕ್ಕೆ ಸಿದ್ದರಾಗಿ ಪಾತ್ರೆಗಳನ್ನು ತೆಗೆದುಕೊಂಡು ಆಟೋ ಅಥವಾ ಬಸ್ನಲ್ಲಿ ವ್ಯಾಪಾರಕ್ಕೆ ಹೋಗುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಸಂಜೆ 5 ಗಂಟೆಗೆ ವ್ಯಾಪಾರ ಮುಗಿಸಿಕೊಂಡು ಬಂದು, ಟೀ-ಕಾಫಿ ಕುಡಿದು ಮತ್ತೆ ಟಿನ್ ಕೆಲಸ ಮಾಡಲು ಕೂರುತ್ತಾರೆ. ವಂದ್ರಿ, ಸೇರು, ಪಾವುಗಳನ್ನು ಮಾಡುತ್ತಾರೆ. 6:30ಕ್ಕೆ ಕೆಲಸ ಮುಗಿಸಿ ರಾತ್ರಿಗೆ ಅಡುಗೆ ಮಾಡಿ ಮನೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಎಲ್ಲರೂ ಒಟ್ಟಿಗೆ ಕುಳಿತು ಖುಷಿ ಖುಷಿಯಾಗಿ ಊಟ ಮಾಡಿ ಮಲಗುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಆದರೆ ವಾರದಲ್ಲಿ ಶುಕ್ರವಾರ ಮಾತ್ರ ಕೂದಲು ವ್ಯಾಪಾರಕ್ಕೆ ಹೋಗದೆ, ಮನೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಪೂಜೆ ಮಾಡಿ, ಟಿನ್ ಕೆಲಸ ಮಾಡಲು ಕೂರುತ್ತಾರೆ ಅಥವಾ ಅವರ ಅಣ್ಣ, ತಮ್ಮ, ಅಕ್ಕ, ತಂಗಿಯಂದಿರ ಮನೆಗೆ ಹೋಗಿ ಮಾತಾಡುತ್ತಾ ಸಮಯ ಕಳೆಯುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಇನ್ನು ಗಂಡಸರು ರಜೆ ಹಾಕಿದ ದಿನ ಮೀನು ಬೇಟೆಗೆ ಹೋಗಿ ಮೀನು ಹಿಡಿದುಕೊಂಡು ಬಂದು ಅಡುಗೆ ಮಾಡಿ ಊಟ ಮಾಡುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಹಾಗೆ ಹಬ್ಬದ ದಿನ ವ್ಯಾಪಾರಕ್ಕೆ ರಜೆ ಹಾಕಿ ಹೊಸ ಬಟ್ಟೆ ಧರಿಸಿ ರುಚಿ ರುಚಿಯಾದ ಅಡುಗೆ ಮಾಡಿ ಸಂಬಂಧಿಕರ ಜೊತೆ ಕೂತು ಊಟ ಮಾಡಿ ದೇವಸ್ಥಾನ ಮತ್ತು ಸಿನಿಮಾಗಳಿಗೆ ಹೋಗುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಇದು ನಮ್ಮ ಸಮುದಾಯದ ಕೂದಲು ವ್ಯಾಪಾರ ಮಾಡುವವರ ದಿನ ನಿತ್ಯದ ಜೀವನವಾಗಿದೆ.
ಕೂದಲಿನ ಸಂಗ್ರಹ
ಇನ್ನು ನಮ್ಮ ಕೂದಲು ವ್ಯಾಪಾರಸ್ಥರಲ್ಲಿ ಕೆಲವರು ತಾವೇ ಮಾಡಿದ ವಂದ್ರಿ, ಸೇರುಗಳನ್ನು ತೆಗೆದುಕೊಂಡು ಇನ್ನೂ ಕೆಲವರು ನಮ್ಮ ಏರಿಯದಲ್ಲೇ ಇರುವ ಒಂದು ಪಾತ್ರೆ ಅಂಗಡಿಗೆ ಹೋಗಿ ಅಲ್ಲಿ ಪಾತ್ರೆಗಳನ್ನು ಖರೀಸಿದಿ, ತಮ್ಮ ವ್ಯಾಪಾರ ಸ್ನೇಹಿತರೊಂದಿಗೆ ಇವತ್ತು ಯಾವ ಏರಿಯಾಕ್ಕೆ ಹೋಗಬೇಕು ಎಂದು ನಿರ್ಧರಿಸುತ್ತಾರೆ. ನಂತರ ಕುಂಬಾರಕೊಪ್ಪಲು, ಕಲ್ಯಾಣಗಿರಿ, ವಿಜಯನಗರ, ಗೋಕುಲಂ, ಮೇಟಗಳ್ಳಿ, ಶ್ರೀನಿವಾಸನಗರ, ಬನ್ನಿಮಂಟಪ, ಹನುಮಂತ ನಗರ, ಕಾವೇರಿ ನಗರ, ಬೆಲವತ್ತ ಗ್ರಾಮ, ಮಂಡಿಮೊಹಲ್ಲಾ, ಚಾಮುಂಡಿಪುರಂ, ವಾಟರ್ಟ್ಯಾಂಕ್, ಪಡುವಾರಳ್ಳಿ, ಒಂಟಿಕೊಪ್ಪಲ್, ಬೋಗಾದಿ, ಗಾಯತ್ರಿಪುರಂ, ಉದಯಗಿರಿ, ಮಾದೇಗೌಡ ಬಡಾವಣೆ, ಕೂರ್ಗಳ್ಳಿ ಮುಂತಾದ ಏರಿಯಾಗಳಿಗೆ 4-5 ಜನರು ಸೇರಿಕೊಂಡು ಆಟೋ ಅಥವಾ ಬಸ್ನಲ್ಲಿ ಹೋಗುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಮತ್ತೆ ಅವರು ಅಲ್ಲಿಂದ ತಮ್ಮಲ್ಲಿಯೇ ಮಾತನಾಡಿಕೊಂಡು, ಬೇರೆ-ಬೇರೆ ಬಡಾವಣೆಗಳಿಗೆ ಹೋಗುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಒಬ್ಬರು ಹೋಗುವ ಬಡಾವಣೆಗೆ ಮತ್ತೊಬ್ಬರು ಹೋಗುವುದಿಲ್ಲ. ನಂತರ ಬಡಾವಣೆಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ತಿರುಗಾಡುತ್ತಾ, ಬೀದಿಯಲ್ಲಿ “ಕೂದಲು ಇದೆಯಮ್ಮ ಕೂದಲು” ಎಂದು ಸಾರಿಕೊಂಡು ಹೋಗುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಅವರನ್ನು ಕಂಡು, ಕೆಲವರು ಗುರುತಿಸುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಆಗ ಕೂದಲನ್ನು ತೂಕ ಮಾಡಿ, ತೂಕಕ್ಕೆ ತಕ್ಕಂತೆ ಏನಾದರೂ ಪಾತ್ರೆ ಅಥವಾ ವಂದ್ರಿ ಅಥವಾ ಹಣವನ್ನು ಕೊಡುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಹಾಗೆಯೇ ಸಂಜೆಯವರೆಗೆ ವ್ಯಾಪಾರ ಮಾಡಿಕೊಂಡು ಎಲ್ಲಾ ವ್ಯಾಪಾರಸ್ಥರು ಒಂದು ಕಡೆ ಮತ್ತೆ ಸೇರಿ ಅಲ್ಲಿಂದ ಮನೆಗೆ ಆಟೋ ಅಥವಾ ಬಸ್ನಲ್ಲಿ ಮರಳಿ ಬರುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಇವರು ಕೆಲವೊಮ್ಮೆ ವ್ಯಾಪಾರ ಮಾಡಲು ಮಂಡ್ಯ, ಹಾಸನ, ಶ್ರೀರಂಗಪಟ್ಟಣ, ಹುಣಸೂರು, ಕೊಳ್ಳೆಗಾಲ, ಕೆ.ಆರ್.ನಗರ ಮುಂತಾದ ಪಟ್ಟಣಗಳ ಸುತ್ತಮುತ್ತಲಿನ ಹಳ್ಳಿಗಳಿಗೆ ಹೋಗಿ ಅಲ್ಲಿಯೇ ಸ್ವಲ್ಪ ದಿನಗಳ ಕಾಲ ನೆಲೆಸಿ ವ್ಯಾಪಾರ ಮಾಡುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಕೆಲವು ಹಳ್ಳಿಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಗ್ರಾಹಕರು ಇವರಿಗೆ ಕಾರದ ಪುಡಿ ಮತ್ತು ದವಸ ಧಾನ್ಯಗಳನ್ನು ಕೊಡುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಹೀಗೆ ಒಂದು ವಾರ ಹಳ್ಳಿಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ವಾಸ ಮಾಡಿ ಕೂದಲನ್ನು ಸಂಗ್ರಹಿಸಿ, ನಂತರ ಆ ಕೂದಲನ್ನು ಬಾಬಣ್ಣನಿಗೆ ಮಾರಾಟ ಮಾಡುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಹೀಗೆ ನಮ್ಮ ಕೂದಲು ವ್ಯಾಪಾರಸ್ಥರು ಕೂದಲು ವ್ಯಾಪಾರವನ್ನು ಮೈಸೂರು ಮಾತ್ರವಲ್ಲದೇ ಇತರ ಜಿಲ್ಲೆಗಳಿಗೂ ವಿಸ್ತರಿಸಿಕೊಂಡಿದ್ದಾರೆ.
ಕೂದಲಿನ ವಿಧಗಳು ಮತ್ತು ಅದರ ಪರಿಚಯ
ಕೂದಲು ವ್ಯಾಪಾರದಲ್ಲಿ ನಾವು ಕೂದಲನ್ನು ನಾಲ್ಕು ರೀತಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ವಿಂಗಡಿಸಿದ್ದೇವೆ. ಬಿಳಿ, ಕಪ್ಪು, ಕೆಂಚು, ಉದ್ದ ಕೂದಲು. ಇದರಲ್ಲಿ ಒಂದೊಂದು ವಿಧದ ಕೂದಲಿಗೆ ಬೇರೆ ಬೇರೆ ಬೆಲೆ ಇದೆ. ಕಪ್ಪು ಕೂದಲಿನ ಬೆಲೆ ಕೆಜಿಗೆ ಸುಮಾರು 4500 ರೂ. ಇದೆ. ಈ ಕೂದಲಿಗೆ ಅಪಾರವಾದ ಬೇಡಿಕೆ ಇದ್ದು, ಇದಕ್ಕೆ ಬೆಲೆ ಜಾಸ್ತಿ ಇರುವುರಿಂದ ನಮಗೆ ಲಾಭವಾಗುತ್ತದೆ. ಹೀಗಾಗಿ ಕಪ್ಪು ಕೂದಲು ಸಂಗ್ರಹಕ್ಕೆ ನಾವು ಹೆಚ್ಚಿನ ಮಹತ್ವ ನೀಡುತ್ತೇವೆ. ಇನ್ನು ಕೆಂಚು ಕೂದಲಿಗೆ ಮಧ್ಯಮ ಬೆಲೆ ಇದ್ದು, ಬೇಡಿಕೆಯೂ ಅಷ್ಟಾಗಿ ಇಲ್ಲ. ಕೆಂಚು ಕೂದಲಿನಿಂದ ನಮಗೆ ಜಾಸ್ತಿ ಲಾಭವಾಗುವುದಿಲ್ಲ. ಅದೇ ರೀತಿ ನಷ್ಟವು ಆಗುವುದಿಲ್ಲ. ಹೀಗಾಗಿ ಕೆಂಚು ಕೂದಲನ್ನು ಕಡಿಮೆ ಪ್ರಮಾಣದಲ್ಲಿ ಸಂಗ್ರಹಿಸುತ್ತೇವೆ. ಅದೇ ರೀತಿ ಬಿಳಿ ಕೂದಲಿಗೆ ಬೇಡಿಕೆ ತುಂಬಾ ಕಡಿಮೆ ಇದ್ದು, ಅದರ ಸಂಗ್ರಹದಿಂದ ನಮಗೆ ಸ್ವಲ್ಪ ನಷ್ಟವಾಗುತ್ತದೆ. ಹೀಗಾಗಿಯೇ ಬಿಳಿ ಕೂದಲನ್ನು ನಾವು ಹೆಚ್ಚಿನ ಪ್ರಮಾಣದಲ್ಲಿ ಸಂಗ್ರಹಿಸುವುದಿಲ್ಲ.
ಕೂದಲು ಉದುರುವಿಕೆ
ಇನ್ನು ಅನೇಕರು ನಮಗೆ ಕೇಳುವ ಸಾಮಾನ್ಯ ಪ್ರಶ್ನೆ ಎಂದರೆ “ನೀವು ಕೂದಲು ವ್ಯಾಪಾರ ಮಾಡುತ್ತೀರಲ್ಲಾ, ಹಾಗಾದ್ರೆ ನಿಮಗೆ ಗೊತ್ತಾ ಕೂದಲು ಏಕೆ ಉದುರುತ್ತದೆ..?” ಎಂದು. ಆದರೆ ಈ ಕುರಿತು ನಮಗೆ ಸ್ವಲ್ಪ ಮಾತ್ರ ಗೊತ್ತು. ಅತಿಯಾದ ಮಾನಸಿಕ ಒತ್ತಡ ಮತ್ತು ಥೈಯ್ರಾಯ್ಡ್ದಿಂದ ನಮ್ಮ ತಲೆಯ ಭಾಗದಲ್ಲಿರುವ ನರಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ರಕ್ತ ಸಂಚಾರ ಕುಂಟಿತವಾದಾಗ ಈ ಕೂದಲು ಉದುರುವುದು ಹೆಚ್ಚಾಗುತ್ತದೆ.
ನೀವು ಈಗಾಗಲೇ ಕೂದಲು ವ್ಯಾಪಾರದ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಸಾಕಷ್ಟು ವಿಷಯಗಳನ್ನು ತಿಳಿದುಕೊಂಡಿದ್ದೀರಿ. ಆದರೆ ಈ ಕೂದಲು ಯಾರು ಕೊಂಡುಕೊಳ್ಳುತ್ತಾರೆ..? ನಂತರ ಅದನ್ನು ಏನು ಮಾಡುತ್ತಾರೆ..? ಎಂಬ ಪ್ರಶ್ನೆಗಳು ನಿಮ್ಮನ್ನು ಕಾಡುತ್ತಿವೆಯಲ್ಲವೇ..? ಹಾಗಾದ್ರೆ ಈಗ ನಾನು ನಿಮಗೆ ಈ ಕುರಿತು ತಿಳಿಸುತ್ತೇನೆ.
ನಾವು ಪ್ರತಿದಿನ ಸಂಗ್ರಹಿಸಿದ ಕೂದಲನ್ನು ಬಾಬಣ್ಣ ಎನ್ನುವವರಿಗೆ ಕೊಡುತ್ತೇವೆ. ಅವರು ನಮ್ಮಿಂದ ಒಂದು ದರದಲ್ಲಿ ಕೊಂಡುಕೊಂಡು ನಂತರ, ಅದನ್ನು ಅವರಿಗೆ ಗೊತ್ತಿರುವ ದೊಡ್ಡ ಮಟ್ಟದ ಕೂದಲು ವ್ಯಾಪಾರಿಗೆ ಮತ್ತೊಂದು ದರದಲ್ಲಿ ಮಾರಾಟ ಮಾಡುತ್ತಾರೆ. ದೊಡ್ಡ ವ್ಯಾಪಾರಿ ಮತ್ತು ನಮ್ಮ ನಡುವೆ ಸೇತುವೆಯಾಗಿ ಬಾಬಣ್ಣ ಕೆಲಸ ಮಾಡುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಇನ್ನು ದೊಡ್ಡ ಕೂದಲು ವ್ಯಾಪಾರಿಗಳು ಕೂದಲನ್ನು ತೆಗೆದುಕೊಂಡು ‘ಚೌಲಿ’ ಮಾಡುತ್ತಾರೆ ಎಂದು ನಾವು ಕೇಳಿದ್ದೇವೆ. ಇನ್ನು ಕೆಲವು ಕೂದಲು ಉದ್ಯಮಿಗಳನ್ನು ಅಪಾರ ಪ್ರಮಾಣದ ಕೂದಲನ್ನು ವಿದೇಶಗಳಿಗೆ ರಫ್ತು ಮಾಡುತ್ತಾರೆ.
ಕೂದಲಿನ ಮರುಬಳಕೆ ಕುರಿತು
ಕೂದಲಿನ ಮರುಬಳಕೆಯ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ನಮಗೆ ಸಾಕಷ್ಟಯ ಮಾಹಿತಿ ಇಲ್ಲ. ಆದರೆ ನಮ್ಮ ಮಕ್ಕಳು ಶಾಲಾ-ಕಾಲೇಜುಗಳಿಗೆ ಹೋಗುವುದರಿಂದ ಅವರಿಂದ ಅಲ್ಪ-ಸ್ವಲ್ಪ ತಿಳಿದುಕೊಂಡಿದ್ದೇವೆ. ಕೂದಲು ವ್ಯಾಪಾರ ಮಾಡುವ ಕೆಲವು ಜನಕ್ಕೆ ಮಾತ್ರ ಈ ಮರುಬಳಕೆ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ತಿಳಿದಿದೆ. ಅವರಲ್ಲಿ ಕೆಲವು ಜನಕ್ಕೆ ಪರಿಸರದ ಮೇಲೆ ಹೆಚ್ಚು ಕಾಳಜಿ ಇದೆ. ಕೆಲವು ಕೂದಲು ವ್ಯಾಪಾರಿಗಳು ಹೇಳುವ ಪ್ರಕಾರ “ನಾವು ಪರಿಸರಕ್ಕೆ ಸಹಾಯ ಮಾಡುತ್ತಿರುವುದು ನಿಜ. ಏಕೆಂದರೆ ನಾವು ಕೂದಲು ಸಂಗ್ರಹ ಮಾಡದಿದ್ದರೆ, ಪರಿಸರದಲ್ಲೆಲ್ಲಾ ಹರಡುವ ಕೂದಲು ಮಣ್ಣಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಸುಲಭವಾಗಿ ಕರಗುವುದಿಲ್ಲ. ಇದರಿಂದ ಮಣ್ಣಿನ ಸತ್ವವೂ ಕಡಿಮೆಯಾಗಿ, ಗಿಡಮರಗಳ ಮೇಲೆ ಪರಿಣಾಮ ಬೀರುತ್ತದೆ. ಹಾಗೇ ಬೀದಿ ನಾಯಿಗಳು, ಹಸುಗಳು, ಹಂದಿ ಈ ರೀತಿಯ ಅನೇಕ ಪ್ರಾಣಿಗಳು ಕೂದಲನ್ನು ತಿನ್ನುತ್ತವೆ. ಇದರಿಂದÀ ಅವುಗಳ ಜೀವಕ್ಕೆ ಹಾನಿ ಉಂಟಾಗುತ್ತದೆ. ಕೂದಲು ಸಂಗ್ರಹ ಮಾಡುವುದರಿಂದ ಇಂತಹ ಅನೇಕ ಸಮಸ್ಯೆಗಳಿಗೆ ನಾವು ಪ್ರಾರಂಭದಲ್ಲೇ ಕಡಿವಾಣ ಹಾಕುತ್ತೇವೆ.
ಕೂದಲು ವ್ಯಾಪಾರಿಗಳ ಕತೆಗಳು
ಕೂದಲು ವಾನಾವು ನಿಮಗೆ ಕೂದಲು ವ್ಯಾಪಾರಿಗಳು ಬಾಲ್ಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಕಳೆದ ಕೆಲ ಸಿಹಿಕಹಿ ಕತೆಗಳ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ತಿಳಿಸುತ್ತೇವೆ. ನಮ್ಮ ಸಮುದಾಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಅಂಬಿಕಾ ಎನ್ನುವವರು ಇದ್ದು, ಅವರು ನಮ್ಮೊಂದಿಗೆ ತಮ್ಮ ಜೀವನದಲ್ಲಿ ನಡೆದ ಘಟನೆಯೊಂದನ್ನು ಹಂಚಿಕೊಂಡಿದ್ದಾರೆ. ನಾವು ಅವರ ಮನದಾಳದ ಮಾತುಗಳನ್ನು ನಿಮಗೆ ತಿಳಿಸುತ್ತಿದ್ದೇವೆ. ಅವರು ಚಿಕ್ಕ ವಯಸ್ಸಿನಲ್ಲಿ ತುಂಬಾ ತುಂಟಾಟ ಮಾಡುತ್ತಿದ್ದರಂತೆ. ಸ್ನೇಹಿತರೊಂದಿಗೆ ಸೇರಿ ಆಟವಾಡುತ್ತಾ, ಕಾಲ ಕಳೆಯುತ್ತಿದ್ದರು. ಪೋಷಕರೆಲ್ಲರೂ ಕೆಲಸಕ್ಕೆಂದು ಹೊರಟು ಹೋದ ನಂತರ, ಎಲ್ಲರೂ ಸೇರಿಕೊಂಡು ಮನೆಯ ಹತ್ತಿರವಿದ್ದ ಹೊಳೆಯ ಬಳಿ ಆಟವಾಡೋದೆ ಇವರ ಕೆಲಸವಾಗಿತ್ತು. ಆ ಹೊಳೆಯ ಹತ್ತಿರ ಒರ್ವ ಮಾನಸಿಕ ಅಸ್ವಸ್ಥ ಹೆಂಗಸು ಸದಾ ಕುಳಿತಿರುತ್ತಿದ್ದಳಂತೆ. ಇವರೆಲ್ಲಾ ಸೇರಿ ಅವಳನ್ನು ‘ಹುಚ್ಚಿ..ಹುಚ್ಚಿ..’ ಎಂದು ರೇಗಿಸಿದಾಗ, ತನ್ನಲ್ಲಿರುವ ಒಂದು ತಟ್ಟೆಯನ್ನು ಹಿಡಿದು ಅವಳು ಹೊಡೆಯಲು ಬರುತ್ತಿದ್ದಳು. ಹೀಗೆ ಒಂದು ದಿನ ಇವರೆಲ್ಲಾ ಅವಳನ್ನು ರೇಗಿಸಿದಾಗ ತಟ್ಟೆ ಹಿಡಿದು ಅವಳು ಹೊಡೆಯಲು ಬಂದಾಗ, ಅವಳ ತಟ್ಟೆಯನ್ನೇ ಇವರೆಲ್ಲಾ ಸೇರಿ ಮುರಿದು ಹಾಕಿದರಂತೆ. ಈ ವಿಷಯ ಅಂಬಿಕಾ ಅವರ ಮನೆಯವರಿಗೆ ತಿಳಿದಾಗ, ಅವರು ಅವಳ ತಟ್ಟೆಯನ್ನು ಸರಿ ಮಾಡಿಕೊಟ್ಟರು. ಈ ವಿಷಯ ಅಂಬಿಕಾ ಅವರ ಮನಸ್ಸಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಇನ್ನು ಹಚ್ಚಹಸಿರಾಗಿದೆ. ಇನ್ನು ಅಂಬಿಕಾ ಅವರು ಊರುರು ತಿರುಗುತ್ತಾ, ವ್ಯಾಪಾರ ಮಾಡುವಾಗ, ಒಂದು ಊರಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಒರ್ವ ಅಜ್ಜಿ ಇದ್ದರಂತೆ. ಇವರು “ಕೂದಲು ಇದೆಯಾ ಅಮ್ಮಾ..?” ಎಂದು ಕೇಳಿದಾಗ, ಅಜ್ಜಿಯೂ “ನಿನಗೆ ಎಷ್ಟು ಮಕ್ಕಳು..? ಊಟ ಆಯ್ತಾ..? ನಿಮ್ಮದು ಯಾವ ಊರು..? ಈ ಕೂದಲು ಏನು ಮಾಡುತ್ತೀರಿ..? ಎಂದು ಸುಮ್ಮನೆ ಅನಾವಶ್ಯಕವಾಗಿ ಮಾತನಾಡಿಸುತ್ತಿದ್ದರಂತೆ. ಕೂದಲು ಇದೆಯಾ..? ಎಂದು ಯಾಕಾಂದ್ರು ಕೇಳಿದ್ವೊ.. ಎಂದು ಅಂದುಕೊಳ್ಳುತ್ತಿದ್ದಂತೆ. ಹೀಗೆ ಅಂಬಿಕಾ ಅವರ ಬದುಕು ಕೂದಲು ವ್ಯಾಪಾರದೊಂದಿಗೆ ಬೆರೆತುಕೊಂಡಿದೆ.
ಇನ್ನು ಅಂಬಿಕಾ ಅವರ ಕತೆ ಹೀಗಾದ್ರೆ, ಚಂದ್ರಮ್ಮ ಎನ್ನುವವರ ಕತೆ ಇದ್ದಕ್ಕಿಂತ ಭಿನ್ನವಾಗಿದೆ. ಅವರು ಕೂಡಾ ತಮ್ಮ ಜೀವನದಲ್ಲಿ ನಡೆದ ಕೆಲ ಘಟನೆಗಳನ್ನು ನಮ್ಮೊಂದಿಗೆ ಹಂಚಿಕೊಂಡಿದ್ದಾರೆ. ಸಾಮಾನ್ಯವಾಗಿ ಕೂದಲು ವ್ಯಾಪಾರ ಮಾಡುವವರು ಇಷ್ಟು ಏರಿಯಾ ನಿನ್ನದು, ಇಷ್ಟು ನನ್ನದು ಎಂದು ಹಂಚಿಕೊಳ್ಳುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಅವರ ಏರಿಯಾ ಬಿಟ್ಟು ಬೇರೆ ಕಡೆ ಇನ್ನೊಬ್ಬರು ವ್ಯಾಪಾರ ಮಾಡುವಂತಿಲ್ಲ. ಹಾಗೆ ಆದ್ರೆ ಇಬ್ಬರಿಗೂ ನಷ್ಟವಾಗುತ್ತೆ. ಇನ್ನು ಒಂದು ದಿನ ಚಂದ್ರಮ್ಮನಿಗೆ ಅಂದು ವ್ಯಾಪಾರದಲ್ಲಿ ಅಷ್ಟನೂ ಲಾಭವಾಗಿರಲಿಲ್ಲ. ಒಂದು ಬೇಕರಿ ಬಳಿ ಬಂದಾಗ, ಅಲ್ಲಿ ಅವರ ಗೆಳತಿಯರೆಲ್ಲಾ ಬೇಕರಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಪಪ್ಸ್ ಮತ್ತು ಕೇಕ್ ತಿನ್ನುತಿದ್ದರಂತೆ. ಅದರ ಅರ್ಥವೆಂದರೆ, ಇವರಿಗೆಲ್ಲಾ ಅಧಿಕ ಲಾಭವಾದಾಗ ಮಾತ್ರ ಹೀಗೆ ಬೇಕರಿಗೆ ಹೋಗಿ ತಿನ್ನುತ್ತಾರಂತೆ. ಚಂದ್ರಮ್ಮ ಅವರ ಬಳಿ ಬಂದಾಗ ಅವರೆಲ್ಲಾ ಸೇರಿ ಚಂದ್ರಮ್ಮನನ್ನು ರೇಗಿಸುತ್ತಾ, ಮಜಾ ಮಾಡುತ್ತಿದ್ದರಂತೆ. ಅವರನ್ನೆಲ್ಲಾ ನೋಡಿದ ಚಂದ್ರಮ್ಮಾ ಮನದಲ್ಲೇ, “ತಿನ್ನಿ..ತಿನ್ನಿ.. ನನಗೂ ಟೈಮ್ ಬರುತ್ತೇ..” ಎಂದು ಮುಗುಳ್ನಕ್ಕರಂತೆ. ಹೀಗೆ ಚಂದ್ರಮ್ಮನವರ ಬದುಕು ಕೂಡಾ ಕೂದಲು ವ್ಯಾಪಾರದೊಂದಿಗೆ ಬೆರೆತಿದೆ.
ಕೂದಲು ವ್ಯಾಪಾರಿಗಳ ಮುಂದಿನ ಭವಿಷ್ಯ..!
ನಮ್ಮ ಕೂದಲು ವ್ಯಾಪಾರ ಮಾಡುವ ಜನರಿಗೆ ಸ್ವಂತ ಮನೆ ಇಲ್ಲದಿದ್ದರಿಂದ, ಅವರು ಒಂದು ಸ್ಥಳದಿಂದ ಇನ್ನೊಂದು ಸ್ಥಳಕ್ಕೆ ವಲಸೆ ಹೋಗಬೇಕಿತ್ತು. ಅದರಿಂದ ನಮ್ಮ ಕೂದಲು ವ್ಯಾಪಾರದ ಕೆಲವು ಜನರಿಗೆ ಓದಿ, ಮಿಲಿಟರಿ, ಪೊಲೀಸ್ ಮತ್ತು ರಾಜಕಾರಣಿಯಾಗಬೇಕೆಂಬ ಆಸೆ ಇದ್ದರು, ಶಿಕ್ಷಣವನ್ನು ಮುಂದುವರೆಸಲು ಸಾಧ್ಯವಾಗಲಿಲ್ಲ. ಅವರ ತಂದೆ-ತಾಯಿ ಕೆಲಸಕ್ಕೆ ಹೋಗಬೇಕಾದರೆ, ಮಕ್ಕಳನ್ನು ತಾವಿದ್ದ ಸ್ಥಳದಲ್ಲೇ ಬಿಟ್ಟು ಹೋಗುತ್ತಿದ್ದರು. ಹಾಗಾಗಿ ಆ ವಾತಾವರಣದಲ್ಲಿ ಬೆಳೆದ ಇವರಿಗೆ ಶಿಕ್ಷಣ ಪಡೆಯಲು ಯಾವುದೇ ರೀತಿಯ ಅವಕಾಶ ಸಿಗಲಿಲ್ಲ. ಆದರೆ ಈಗ ಕಾಲ ಬದಲಾಗಿದ್ದು, ಮಕ್ಕಳಿಗೆ ಉತ್ತಮ ಶಿಕ್ಷಣ ಕೊಡಿಸಬೇಕು ಮತ್ತು ಒಂದು ದೊಡ್ಡ ವ್ಯಕ್ತಿಯಾಗಿಸಬೇಕು ಎಂಬ ಕನಸನ್ನು ಪೋಷಕರು ಕಾಣುತ್ತಿದ್ದಾರೆ. “ಈ ಕೆಲಸದಿಂದ ನಾವು ಪಟ್ಟ ಕಷ್ಟಗಳೇ ಸಾಕು. ನಮ್ಮ ಮಕ್ಕಳು ಕೂಡಾ ಎಲ್ಲರ ಹಾಗೆ ಸಮಾಜದಲ್ಲ್ಲಿ ಉತ್ತಮ ಸ್ಥಾನಮಾನಗಳಿಸಿ ಉತ್ತಮ ಜೀವನ ನಡೆಸಬೇಕು” ಎಂದು ಆಸೆ ಪಡುತ್ತಿದ್ದಾರೆ.
ಮಂಜುನಾಥ್, ಕೂದಲು ವ್ಯಾಪಾರಸ್ಥರು
ಮಂಜುನಾಥ್ ಅವರು ತುಂಬಾ ಸೈಲೆಂಟ್ ಮತ್ತು ಸ್ವಲ್ಪ ನಾಚಿಕೆ ಸ್ವಭಾವದವರು. ಆದರೆ ಅವರ ಜೊತೆ ಮಾತನಾಡಿದಾಗ ತುಂಬಾ ಸ್ಟ್ರಾಂಗ್ ಇದ್ದಾರೆ ಅನಿಸಿತು. ಇನ್ನು ಅವರನ್ನು ನೋಡಿದಾಗ ತುಂಬಾ ಖುಷಿ ಆಯಿತು. ಕೆಲವು ವಿಷಯಗಳ ಕುರಿತು ನಾವು ಕೇಳುವುದಕ್ಕಿಂತ ಜಾಸ್ತಿ ಹೇಳುತ್ತಿದ್ದರು.
ಅಂಬಿಕಾ, ಕೂದಲು ಆಯುವವರು
ಅಂಬಿಕಾ ಅವರು ತುಂಬಾ ಜೋಶ್ನಿಂದ ಮಾತನಾಡಿದರು. ಅವರು ತುಂಬಾ ಸ್ಟ್ರಾಂಗ್ ಇದ್ದು, ಎಲ್ಲವನ್ನೂ ಒಪನ್ ಆಗಿ ಹೇಳುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಯಾವಾಗಲೂ ತಮಾಷೆಯಿಂದ ಇರುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಯಾವುದನ್ನು ಜಾಸ್ತಿ ಮುಂಚಿಟ್ಟುಕೊಳ್ಳುವುದಿಲ್ಲ.
ಚಂದ್ರಮ್ಮ, ಕೂದಲು ಆಯುವವರು
ಚಂದ್ರಮ್ಮ ಅವರು ತುಂಬಾ ಖುಷಿಯಾಗಿರುವ ಲವಲವಿಕೆಯ ವ್ಯಕ್ತಿ. ಜೊತೆಗೆ ನಾವು ಕೇಳಿದಕ್ಕಿಂತ ಜಾಸ್ತಿ ಹೇಳುತ್ತಾರೆ. “ಯಾವ ಪ್ರಶ್ನೆಯನ್ನು ಬೇಕಾದರು ಕೇಳಿ” ಎಂದು ಅವರೇ ಹೇಳುತ್ತಿದ್ದರು. ಅವರು ಎಷ್ಟು ಹೇಳುತ್ತಿದ್ದರು ಎಂದರೇ, ನಾವು ಇನ್ನು ಏನಾದರೂ ಕೇಳಬೇಕು ಎಂದರೇ ನಮ್ಮಲ್ಲಿ ಪ್ರಶ್ನೆಗಳೇ ಇರಲಿಲ್ಲ. ಅವರು ನಮಗೆ ಕೆಲಸದಲ್ಲಿ ಆಗುವ ಕಷ್ಟ, ಸುಖ, ದು:ಖ ಎಲ್ಲವನ್ನು ಮುಕ್ತವಾಗಿ ಹೇಳಿದರು.
ನೀಲಮ್ಮ, ಕೂದಲು ಆಯುವವರು
ನೀಲಮ್ಮರವರು ಸದಾ ಚುರುಕಿನಿಂದ ಇರುತ್ತಾರೆ.ಇವರ ಮುಖವು ಸ್ವಲ್ಪ ಕೋಪದಿಂದ ಕಂಡರು, ಹೃದಯ ತುಂಬಾ ವಿಶಾಲವಾದದ್ದು. ಇವರು ನೋಡಲು ಕುಳ್ಳಗೆ, ಬೆಳ್ಳಗೆ, ಸ್ವಲ್ಪ ದಪ್ಪವಾಗಿ ಕಾಣುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಅವರ ಕಣ್ಣಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಸದಾ ಗೆಲ್ಲುವ ಛಲ ತುಂಬಿರುತ್ತದೆ ಹಾಗೆ ನಗುಮುಖದಿಂದ ಎಲ್ಲರನ್ನು ಪ್ರೀತಿ ವಿಶ್ವಾಸದಿಂದ ಮಾತನಾಡಿಸುತ್ತಾರೆ.
ಬಾಬಣ್ಣ(ತಾಜ್), ಕೂದಲು ವ್ಯಾಪಾರಸ್ಥರು
ಬಾಬಣ್ಣ ನೋಡಲು ಬುದ್ದಿವಂತ ಹಾಗೂ ಸಿನಿಮಾ ಹೀರೊತರ ಇದ್ದರೆ. ಆದರೂ ಸಹ ಬಾಬಣ್ಣನವರು ಬೇರೆ ಕೆಲಸಕ್ಕೆ ಹೋಗದೆ ಕೂದಲು ವ್ಯಾಪಾರದಲ್ಲೇ ಒಬ್ಬರಾಗಿ ಬಿಟ್ಟದ್ದರೆ. ಇವರು ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಇನ್ನೂ ಹೇಳಬೇಕೆಂದರೆ ಮುಗ್ದ ಮುಖ ಹಾಗೂ ತುಂಬಾ ಒಳ್ಳೆಯ ಮನಸ್ಸಿನವರು.
This article was originally posted on the Waste Frames site, and can be found here.
Plastic pollution is all pervasive. It is complex, dynamic and transcends boundaries. Addressing issues of plastic pollution, in a singular lens of either waste management, marine litter or just single use plastics further compounds the problem of effectively finding solutions. Interventions to address plastic pollution, while growing in numbers, lack convergence; and voluntary actions, lack ability to scale, and holistically deal with the issues that affect human health, biodiversity, environment and climate change.
Beat Plastic Pollution
In 2018, India announced an ambitious plan to Beat Plastic Pollution, by eliminating all single use plastics in the country by 2022. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, called for a global movement to beat plastic pollution. He stated, “It is the duty of each one of us, to ensure that the quest for material prosperity does not compromise our environment. The choices that we make today, will define our collective future. The choices may not be easy. But through awareness, technology, and a genuine global partnership, I am sure we can make the right choices. Let us all join together to beat plastic pollution and make this planet a better place to live.”
In line, with the call for a global partnership, in 2019, at the 4th United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA), India sponsored a draft resolution, titled “Phasing Out Single-use Plastics”. The Open Ended Committee for Permanent Representatives (OECPR), took up the discussion of the draft solutions, as it was decided that this could not be integrated into the other resolutions on integrated waste management or marine litter. The final resolution adopted was a watered down version of what India originally proposed. The issues on terminologies such as ‘phase out’, ‘reduce’, ‘address’, single use plastics within the time frame of 2025 was conscientious, with many countries opposing them. There was also a disagreement on what scientific and technological cooperation The other discussions centred around, the need to include plastic additives, the approach with working with industries, and consumers, target actions that include design and production phases required to be undertaken. The discussions at Committee of Whole (COG), continued and reached an impasse, and needed informal consultations, and with the final text proposed, changed the title of the resolution, ‘Addressing single-use plastic products pollution’, and called upon Member States to develop and implement national / regional actions and pushed the deadline with a commitment to reduce by 2030. This new document was then adopted at the plenary on 15th March 2019.
India’s Stand at International Forums/ Dialogues
UNEP launched the ‘Clean Seas’ programme in February 2017 to fight marine plastic litter with the help of governments, civil society and citizens. In 2018, India, which ( the 7th longest coastline in Asia, of 7500 kms joined the programme. As part of this, the government announced that the Union Ministry of Earth Sciences will assess the extent and source of marine litter along India’s coastline and National Marine Litter Policy will be framed along with the launch of a national and regional marine litter action campaign.
India is also the founding member of the new Group of Friends to Combat Plastic Pollution launched by Antigua and Barbuda, Norway and the Maldives on World Ocean Day, 8 June 2020. The main objective for the group is to support the ongoing work at UNEA and strengthen political momentum for an effective, coordinated action and solutions to address plastic pollution. The group will also collectively advocate to raise awareness on gaps in the global legal and policy framework, support the process for a global response option including a new agreement, and engage with other stakeholders and support the implementation of the UN SDG by 2030 in particular SDG 14 and 12.
India’s New Resolution at UNEA 5.2
In the run up to UNEA 5.2, India has proposed a new resolution titled ‘Framework for addressing plastic product pollution including single-use plastic product pollution’. The resolution builds on from the previous resolution sponsored by India to address single use plastics pollution in 2019, and while acknowledging that one of the main sources of plastic pollution and marine litter originates from land-based sources, it raises an urgent concern on the increase in the use of single-use plastic products.
Key Elements in the proposed resolution
Encourages multi stakeholder action: States the need for the government to engage holistically with all stakeholders: plastics producers, retailers, the consumer goods industry, importers, packaging firms, plastic waste processors and recyclers
Recognises the need to adopt principles of waste hierarchy of Reduce, Reuse and Recycle
International Collaboration: Recognises the need for collaboration and and international cooperation and collaboration, and the importance of financing and technology mechanisms and set up a legal and policy forum review of regulations, bring coherence in international, national and regional regulations, devise standard protocols and procedures for market based mechanisms such as EPR
Extended Producers Responsibility: Calls upon corporations to take responsibility and encourages member states to implement Extended Producers Responsibility to manage plastic waste and promote sustainable packaging design based on a four pronged strategy of promoting reuse, (ii) amenable for recycling, (iii) use of recycled plastic content and (iv) reduced material use
National Action Plans & Policies: Invites member states to prepare national or regional actions plans to reduce use of single- use plastic products, and develop policies and frameworks for promoting recycling of plastic waste including through use of recycled plastic in plastic packaging as per domestic laws, rules and regulations
Voluntary Data Disclosure & Monitoring:Invites member states to provide statistical information, annually, on a voluntary basis, with respect to plastic waste generated and plastic waste processed in an environmentally safe manner to United Nations Environment Programme, in form of a report, in ahead of United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) 6 and subsequent sessions thereafter
The Global Plastic Treaty Negotiations
As it stands at UNEA 5.2, presently, India’s resolution is being put in the cluster with two other resolutions – the first one sponsored by Rwanda and Peru in September 2021, that calls for internationally legally binding instrument on plastic pollution and the second one by Japan that calls for an international legally binding instrument on marine plastic pollution.
A comparison of all the three resolutions, reveal some commonality, but essentially have a lot of divergence in the drafts.
Some of the common features
All three stress the need for urgent action to address the issue of plastic pollution, while India specifically states single use, Japan focuses on marine plastic
All the three resolutions, emphasis the need for promoting circular economy, and resource efficiency, with India emphasising on principles of reduce reuse, recycle; the RP Resolution states the need for materials to be designed so that they can be reused, remanufactured or recycled
All three , recognise the importance of devising a mechanism for financing and technology
All three urge for a multistakeholder approach in addressing the plastic pollution problem.
Need for an ambitious forward looking vision for a Global Treaty on Plastic Pollution
India’s standalone current proposed resolution is neither ambitious nor aggressive, and pales in comparison with the Rwanda Peru Resolution. By singularly focussing on the problem of single use plastics, it limits its scope to comprehensively address the plastic pollution problem holistically. India’s resolution largely builds on from its ongoing national policies on the Plastic Waste Management Amended Rules2021 and 2022, the Extended Producers Responsibility Regulations and its international commitments to phase out problematic single use plastics
The voluntary focus in the resolution is equally problematic, as it lacks serious efforts to scale, and pursue the problem of pollution. India needs to demand for a globally binding plastic treaty that addresses pollution from marine, terrestrial and freshwater environments, given the transboundary nature of the issue. Both the other resolutions explicitly recognise this issue.
Further, in line with the previous resolution UNEP/EA.4/R.9 on “Addressing Single-use plastic products pollution”, sponsored by India, on full life cycle environmental impact of plastic products, the current draft must also call for the same on plastic as a whole with interventions on production (upstream), product design( midstream) and waste management (downstream). In response to the previous resolution, UNEP has already released a report titled ‘Addressing Single-use plastic products pollution, using a life cycle approach.
A significant direction that India has taken at the national level is recognising informal waste workers and has mandated their inclusion in the waste management systems. This needs to be amplified at the global level and India must strongly advocate for inclusion of the informal recycling waste workers in the current framework and the global treaty dialogues.
References
Resolution adopted by the United Nations Environment Assembly on 15 March 20194/9. Addressing single-use plastic products pollution
2011 ರಿಂದ 2021ರವರೆಗೆ ನಮ್ಮ ಕಾಗದ ಆಯುವವರ ಸಮುದಾಯದ ಮಕ್ಕಳ ವಿಧ್ಯಾಬ್ಯಾಸಕ್ಕೆ ಸಂಬಂದಿಸಿದ ಪ್ರಗತಿಯನ್ನು ನಾವು ಈಕೆಳಗಿನ ಪುಟದಲ್ಲಿ ನೋಡಬಹುದು.
ಪ್ರಾರಂಭದ ಹಂತದಲ್ಲಿ ಮಕ್ಕಳ ಸಮಸ್ಯೆಗಳು ಈ ಕೆಳಕಂಡಂತಿದ್ದವು.
ನಮ್ಮ ಕಾಗದ ಆಯುವವರ ಮಕ್ಕಳು 2011 ರಲ್ಲಿ ಶಾಲೆಗೆ ನಿರಂತರವಾಗಿ ಹೋಗುತ್ತಿರಲಿಲ್ಲ ಕಾರಣ ಹಲವಾರು ನಾವು ತಾಯಂದಿರು ಮುಂಜಾನೆ ಎಲ್ಲರೂ ಏದ್ದೇಳುವ ಮೊದಲೆ ಕಾಗದ ಆಯುಲು ಹೋಗುತ್ತಿದೇವು , ತಂದೆ ಜವಾಬ್ದಾರಿ ರಹಿತನಾಗಿ ಇರುತ್ತಿದ್ದನು. ನಾವು ತಾಯಂದಿರು ತಿರುಗಿ ಮನೆಗೆ ಬರುವಷ್ಟರಲ್ಲಿ ಶಾಲೆಗೆ ಹೋಗುವ ಸಮಯ ಮೀರುತ್ತಿತ್ತು, ಕೆಲವರು ಮಕ್ಕಳನ್ನು ಎಲ್ಲರಂತೆ ಆಂಗ್ಲ ಮಾಧ್ಯಮದಲ್ಲಿ ವಿಧ್ಯಾಬ್ಯಾಸ ಮಾಡಿಸಲು ಶಾಲೆಗೆ ದಾಖಲಿಸುತ್ತಿದ್ದರು, ಅರ್ಧ ಹಣವನ್ನು ಶಾಲಾ ಶುಲ್ಕವಾಗಿ ಭರೆಸುತ್ತಿದ್ದರು, ಉಳಿದ ಹಣವನ್ನು ಭರಿಸಲಾಗುತ್ತಿರಲಿಲ್ಲ, ಕೆಲವರಿಗೆ ಮಕ್ಕಳ ವಿಧ್ಯಾಭ್ಯಾಸಕ್ಕೆ ಹೆಚ್ಚು ಪ್ರಾಮುಖ್ಯತೆ ಕೊಡಬೇಕೆಂಬ ಅರಿವು ಇರಲಿಲ್ಲ, ಇನ್ನೂ ಕೆಲವು ಮನೆಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಹಿರಿಯರು ಮಕ್ಕಳಿಗೆ ಮದುವೆ ಒಂದನ್ನು ಬಿಟ್ಟು ಬೇರೆ ಆಲೋಚನೆಗಳು ಇರದ ಕಾರಣ ಮಕ್ಕಳ ಮದುವೆಗೆ ಒತ್ತಾಯಿಸುವುದು ಈ ಒತ್ತಡಗಳ ಮಧ್ಯ ನಮ್ಮ ಮಹಿಳಾ ಕಾಗದ ಆಯುವವರಿಗೆ ಅವರ ಕುಟುಂಭದವರ ಹೊಟ್ಟೆ ತುಂಬಿಸುವುದು ಮತ್ತು ಗಂಡನ ಕುಡಿತಕ್ಕೆ ಹಣ ನೀಡುವುದು, ಆಗ ತಾನೆ ತ್ಯಾಜ್ಯ ನಿರ್ವಹಣೆ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಬಿ.ಬಿ.ಎಂ.ಪಿ. ಯ ಒಣ ತ್ಯಾಜ್ಯ ಬೇರ್ಪಡಿಸುವ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಕಾರ್ಯನಿರ್ವಹಿಸಲು ಆರಂಬಿಸಿತ್ತು ಹಾಗಾಗಿ ಕಾಗದ ಆಯುವವರಿಗೆ ರಸ್ತೆ ಬದಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಒಣ ತ್ಯಾಜ್ಯ ಸಿಗುವುದು ಕಡಿಮೆಯಾಗಿತ್ತು, ಈ ಸಮಸ್ಯೆಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ನಮ್ಮ ಮಕ್ಕಳ ವಿಧ್ಯಾಭ್ಯಾಸದ ನಿಜಕ್ಕೂ ಸವಾಲೇ ಸರಿ.
ನಮ್ಮ ಸಮುದಾಯದ ಮುಖ್ಯ ಸವಾಲು 14 ರಿಂದ 18 ರ ವಯಸ್ಸಿನ ಮಕ್ಕಳ
ಬಾಲ್ಯ ವಿವಾಹಗಳು ಮತ್ತು ಮಕ್ಕಳ ಪ್ರೇಮವಿವಾಹಗಳು, ಗಂಡುಮಕ್ಕಳು ಮಾದಕ ವಸ್ತುಗಳಾದ ದೂಮಪಾನ, ಮಧ್ಯಪಾನಗಳನ್ನು ಸೇವಿಸುತ್ತಾ ಇದ್ದರು, 2011 ರಲ್ಲಿ ಹಸಿರು ದಳ ಸಂಸ್ಥೆಯು ನಮ್ಮ ಕಾಗದ ಆಯುವವರನ್ನು ಸಂಘಟಿಸುವುದು, ಅವರ ಅಭಿವೃದ್ದಿಯ ದೃಷ್ಠಿಯನ್ನು ಹೊತ್ತು ನಮ್ಮ ಕಾಗದ ಆಯುವವರ ಸಮುದಾಯಕ್ಕೆ ಕಾಲಿಟ್ಟಿತ್ತು, ಕಾಗದ ಆಯುವವರಿಗಾಗಿ ಬೇರೆ ಕಾರ್ಯಗಳನ್ನು ಮತ್ತು ಯೋಜನೆಳನ್ನು ರೂಪಿಸುವುದರಲ್ಲಿ ನಾವು ಅವರೊಡನೆ ನಿದಾನವಾಗಿ ಸಹಕರಿಸಲು ತೊಡಗಿಸಿಕೊಂಡೆವು. ಒಂದು ಕಡೆ ಮಕ್ಕಳ ಭವಿಷ್ಯದ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಕೂಡ ನಾವು ಹಲವಾರು ಯೋಜನೆಗಳನ್ನು ಸಂಸ್ಥೆಯ ಒಳಗೆ ನಮ್ಮ ಕಾಗದ ಆಯುವವರ ಜೊತೆ ಚರ್ಚಿಸುತ್ತಾ ಬಂದರು. ನಿದಾನವಾಗಿ ಮಕ್ಕಳ ವಿಷಯವನ್ನು ಚರ್ಚಿಸಲು ಪ್ರಾರಂಭಿಸಿದೆವು. ಸಂಸ್ಥೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಆಗ ತಾನೆ ಮಕ್ಕಳಿಗೆ ಸಂಬಂದಪಟ್ಟ ಹಾಗೆ ಸಹಾಯ ಮಾಡಲು ದಾನಿಗಳ ಮುಖಾಂತರ ಒಂದು ವಿಧ್ಯಾಬ್ಯಾಸಕ್ಕೆ ಸಂಬಂದಿಸಿದ ಹಾಗೆ ಯೋಜನೆಯನ್ನು ಆರಂಬಿಸಿದವು 8 ನೇ ತರಗತಿಗೆ ದಾಖಲಾಗುವ ಹೆಣ್ಣು ಮಕ್ಕಳಿಗೆ ಶಾಲಾ ಶುಲ್ಕವನ್ನು ಸಂಸ್ಥೆಯ ನಿಯಮದ ಅಡಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಕೊಡಲು ಪ್ರಾರಂಬಿಸಿದರು. ನಾವೆಲ್ಲ ಗಮನಿಸಿದ ಹಾಗೆ ಆ ವರ್ಷದಿಂದ ಹಂತ ಹಂತವಾಗಿ ಮಕ್ಕಳನ್ನು ಪಾಲಕರು ಶಾಲೆ ಬಿಡಿಸುವುದು ಕಡಿಮೆಯಾಗುತ್ತಾ ಬಂದಿತು. ಮುಂದಿನ ದಿನಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಸಮುದಾಯ ಗ್ರಂಥಾಲಯ ಬುಗುರಿಯನ್ನು ಆರಂಬಿಸಿದರು ಇದರಿಂದಾಗಿ ಮಕ್ಕಳನ್ನು ಕೇಂದ್ರಿಕರಿಸಿವುದು ಮಕ್ಕಳನ್ನು ಗುರುತಿಸುವುದರಲ್ಲಿ ಇನ್ನೂ ಒಂದು ಹೆಜ್ಜೆ ಮುಂದುವರೆದಂತಾಯಿತು.
2015-2016 ನೇ ಸಾಲಿನಲ್ಲಿ ನಮ್ಮ ಕಾರ್ಯಕ್ಷೇತ್ರದಲ್ಲಿ ಒಂದು ಮಗುವೂ ಸಹ ಕಾಲೇಜು ಶಿಕ್ಷಣಕ್ಕೆ ಹೋಗಿರಲಿಲ್ಲ 2016 ರಲ್ಲಿ ಮೊದಲಿಗೆ ಭವಾನಿ ಮತ್ತು ಶರಣ್ಯ ಎಂಬ ಬಾಲಕಿ ತಮಿಳುನಾಡಿನಲ್ಲಿ 10 ನೇ ತರಗತಿ ಮುಗಿಸಿ 2016 ರಲ್ಲಿ ಬೆಂಗಳೂರಿಗೆ ಬಂದು ಹಸಿರು ದಳದ ಸಹಾಯದಿಂದ ವಿಧ್ಯಾರ್ಥಿನಿಲಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಉಳಿದುಕೊಂಡು ಶಿಕ್ಷಣವನ್ನು ಮುಂದುವರೆಸಿದರು. ಶರಣ್ಯ ಬ.ಇ. ಮುಗಿಸಿ ಐ.ಏ.ಎಸ್. ಪರೀಕ್ಷೆ ಬರೆಯಲು ತರಬೇತಿಗೆ ದಾಖಲಾಗಿದ್ದಾಳೆ. ಕಳೆದ ವರ್ಷ ಸಂಸ್ಥೆಯ ನಿಯಮದ ಅಡಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಬರುವ 2019-20 ರ ಸಾಲಿನಲ್ಲಿ 45 ಮಕ್ಕಳಿಗೆ ವಿಧ್ಯಾರ್ಥಿವೇತನವನ್ನು ಕೊಡಲಾಯಿತು. ಇದರಲ್ಲಿ ಶೇಕಡಾ 70% ರಷ್ಟು ಹೆಣ್ಣು ಮಕ್ಕಳು ಶೇಕಡಾ 30% ರಷ್ಟು ಬಾಗ ಗಂಡು ಮಕ್ಕಳಿಗೆ ನಮಗೆ ಇರುವ ಸಂಪನ್ಮೂಲವನ್ನು ಒದಗಿಸುತ್ತಾ ಬಂದಿದ್ದೇವೆ. ಹೆಚ್ಚು ಹೆಣ್ಣು ಮಕ್ಕಳಿಗೆ ಪ್ರಾದಾನ್ಯತೆ ನೀಡಲಾಗುತ್ತಿದೆ. ಒಂಟಿ ಪೋಷಕರು ಮತ್ತು ಉತ್ತಮವಾಗಿ ಅಂಕ ಪಡೆಯುತ್ತಿರುವ ಗಂಡು ಮಕ್ಕಳಿಗೂ ವಿಧ್ಯಾರ್ಥಿವೇತನವನ್ನು ನೀಡಲಾಗುತ್ತಿದೆ. ಈ ಎಲ್ಲದರ ಪಲಿತಾಂಶವಾಗಿ 2021-22 ರ ಸಾಲಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಇತರೆ ಒಂದು ಸಂಸ್ಥೆ ಪದವಿ ಶಿಕ್ಷಣ ಪಡೆಯುತ್ತಿರುವ ಹೆಣ್ಣು ಮಕ್ಕಳಿಗೆ ವಿಧ್ಯಾರ್ಥಿವೇತನವನ್ನು ನೀಡಲು ಮುಂದೆ ಬಂದು ಸಹಾಯ ಮಾಡುತ್ತಿದೆ. ಒಟ್ಟು 17 ಹೆಣ್ಣು ಮಕ್ಕಳ ಪಟ್ಟಿಯನ್ನು ಇತರೆ ಸಂಸ್ಥೆಗಳಿಗೆ ನೀಡಲಾಗಿದ್ದು, ಇದರಿಂದ ಅವರ ಪದವಿ ಶಿಕ್ಷಣಕ್ಕೆ ನೆರವಾಗುತ್ತಿದೆ. ನಮ್ಮಲ್ಲಿ ಕಾಗದ ಆಯುವವರ ಮಕ್ಕಳು ಸಿಬ್ಬಂದಿಗಳಾಗಿ ಕಾರ್ಯನಿರ್ವಹಣೆಯನ್ನು ಇಲ್ಲಿ ನೋಡಬಹುದಾಗಿದೆ. ಹಸಿರು ದಳ ಸಂಸ್ಥೆಯು ವಿವಿಧ ವಿಭಾಗಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಸಾಮಾಜಿಕ ಭದ್ರತಾ ತಂಡ, ಒಣ ತ್ಯಾಜ್ಯ ಪುನರ್ ಸ್ಥಾಪನಾ ಘಟಕ ಮತ್ತು ವಸತಿಯೋಜನೆ, ಒಣತ್ಯಾಜ್ಯ ಸಂಗ್ರಹಣಾ ಕೇಂದ್ರಗಳ ತಂಡ ಈ ರೀತಿ ಹಸಿರು ದಳದ ವಿವಿಧ ವಿಭಾಗಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಇವರಿಗೆ ಉದ್ಯೋಗ ಒದಗಿಸುವಲ್ಲಿ ಹಸಿರು ದಳ ತೆರೆದ ಅವಕಾಶಗಳನ್ನು ನೀಡಿ ಸದಾ ಇವರ ಹಿತಕ್ಕಾಗಿ ಶ್ರಮಿಸುತ್ತದೆ.
ಬೆಂಗಳೂರು ಅಲ್ಲದೆ ಇತರೆ ಜಿಲ್ಲೆಗಳಲ್ಲೂ ಹಸಿರು ದಳ ಕಾರ್ಯನಿರ್ವಹಿಸುತ್ತಿದ್ದು, 2022 ರಲ್ಲಿ 10 ನೇ ತರಗತಿಯಲ್ಲಿ 61 ಮಕ್ಕಳು ತೇರ್ಗಡೆಯನ್ನು ಹೊಂದಿದ್ದಾರೆ ಇದು ನಮಗೆ ಹೆಮ್ಮೆಯ ವಿಷಯವಾಗಿದೆ. ಕಾಗದ ಆಯುವವರ ಸಮುದಾಯದ ಮಕ್ಕಳು 2011 ರಲ್ಲಿ ತಂದೆ ತಾಯಿ ಜೊತೆ ತ್ಯಾಜ್ಯ ನಿರ್ವಹಣೆ ಮಾಡುತ್ತಾ ಚೀಲ ಹಿಡಿದು ಓಡಾಡುತ್ತಾ ಹಸಿರು ದಳ ದ ಸಿಬ್ಬಂದಿಯನ್ನು ನೋಡಿ ನಮ್ಮನ್ನು ಶಾಲೆಗೆ ಕಳಿಸುತ್ತಾರೆ ಎಂದು ಕದ್ದು ಮುಚ್ಚಿ ಬಚ್ಚಿಟ್ಟುಕೊಳ್ಳುವಂತವರು, ವಿಧ್ಯಾಬ್ಯಾಸದಲ್ಲಿ ಆಸಕ್ತಿ ಇಲ್ಲದೆ ಮನೆಕೆಲಸಕ್ಕೆ ಹೋಗುತ್ತಿದ್ದ ಮಕ್ಕಳು ವಾಪಸ್ಸು ಬಂದು ಒಂದೆ ಬಾರಿಗೆ ಹತ್ತನೇ ತರಗತಿ ತೇರ್ಗಡೆ ಹೊಂದಿ ಕಾಲೇಜಿಗೆ ಹೋಗುತ್ತಿರುವುದು ಕಂಡಾಗ ನನಗೆ ತುಂಬಾ ಸಂತೋಷ ತಂದು ಕೊಡುವ ವಿಷಯವಾಗಿದೆ. ಮುಂದಿನ ದಿನಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಇನ್ನೂ ಹೆಚ್ಚಿನ ಭರವಸೆಯ ಬೆಳಕನ್ನು ಮೂಡಿಸಿರುತ್ತಾರೆ.
A bottom up, micro- entrepreneurship led approach to solution designing for post-consumer textile waste
Textile waste in India has been a growing problem that has been unfolding in scale and complexity over the past couple of years. While pre-consumer waste from factories and manufacturers is beginning to receive the much required attention due to latest EPR developments; post- consumer waste – a direct consequence of hyper fast fashion remains largely outside these conversations.
Indian cities increasingly are facing the challenges with regard to post-consumer waste. A problem in the waiting, textile waste comprises approximately 4-6 percent of municipal solid waste. In 2018 Hasiru Dala conducted a study, which showed that more than 80% of all textile waste given to the dry waste collection system can be repaired or reused if collected separately, preventing it from ending up in landfills and open dumpsites.
The problem here is two-fold: First, in the absence of a proper systematic collection mechanism, consumers face the dilemma of disposing of their clothes after use. Avenues such as donation and charity are most common, but are highly fragmented and ad hoc.
Second, without proper linkages to realise value from such waste, waste entrepreneurs or DWCC (Dry Waste Collection Centre) operators are not incentivised to collect and manage this waste as they do in the case of plastics or other dry waste categories. Unlike those waste streams, textile waste that comes through dry waste collection often finds place in the reject waste category that is typically sent off to landfills or used to soak up leachates in wet waste trucks. Neither of those uses help us with the circularity of textiles.
Karthik Natarajan, Recycling Program Manager at Hasiru Dala, says, “In Bangalore, with the decentralised waste collection system, informal waste pickers are the first line of contact in material recovery from domestic waste. They are the first ones to collect, segregate and recover as much material as possible. In the past, textile waste was given as part of domestic dry waste and it came to the facilities either soiled or contaminated with food and other impurities that are present in dry waste. Unlike plastics, where recyclers see value in the material in spite of contamination, textiles require larger facilities to process once contaminated. Even with elevated levels of segregation, when collected with regular dry waste, textiles almost always end up with stains and contamination.
With our 2018 project, ‘Hasiru Batte’ (Green Clothes, in Kannada), we demonstrated that if we collect clothes separately, they not only end up diverted from landfills, but can be a resource for waste workers to enhance their income as opposed to waste that needs to be discarded. The 2018 audit of incoming textiles also confirmed that there is a need to address textile waste independent of the Dry waste stream for it to be viable for the waste entrepreneurs to engage with it.”
“What happens to post-consumer waste is almost like a black hole. Clothes today are not designed to be recycled. Recycling involving the breaking down of clothes to fibre still is underdeveloped. Challenges with regard to material blends, pricing and higher costs, technology availability at scale, quality of fibres and a plethora of other challenges really makes it very difficult to bring it back into the manufacturing cycle. So, the questions that arise are – how do we manage all of this waste? Can extending their life be the most viable option for now? Where do we begin?” says Trina Roy, Senior Associate, Intellecap currently managing the “Closing the Loop on Textile Waste” project.
With this background Hasiru Dala and CAIF have recently launched a pilot to test a micro-entrepreneurship led approach for local collection and sorting of post-consumer textile waste. It leverages the existing Dry Waste Collection Centres, existing in Bangalore at a ward level, and their close interactions with residents; this pilot aims to establish a traceable textile waste stream from households.
What are we testing? How are we looking to solve this?
How might we establish an effective and regular collection system that consumers find convenient?
Modelled similar to daily dry waste collection, we are establishing a parallel textile waste door to door collection system that will regularly collect old garments and other textiles directly from households. Such a dedicated stream for textile will ensure that textile waste is not mixed and soiled with dry waste, allowing for better quality and condition of clothes to come through collection.
How might we enable entrepreneurs/ DWCC operators to realise the best value from such waste?
Once the collection is done, the waste is aggregated at DWCCs for sorting. Sorting is a critical step to ensure and enable value realisation of the clothes. Keeping in mind the forward market linkages, the waste is segregated and graded into different categories. While the repairable and reusable clothes and linens find a new life in resale; the poorest categories of waste are sent to innovators who can use them as input to create circular products such as bricks, lamps, table tops etc.
How might we improve the income and livelihood opportunities of the waste workers making up the backbone of the industry?
In our joint efforts to create a grassroots system for textile waste management, we are placing waste workers at the centre of the solution. The thrust of our model is in creation of green jobs across the value chain – in collection, sorting, repair and resale. Opening up livelihood opportunities for the existing waste worker community in this textile waste stream has been our first priority. Working in partnership with the DWCC operators the pilot’s focus is to establish a sustainable business case for these micro-enterprises and build evidence for the replication of this model across other wards in the city.
“The partnership helps us reinforce the role of the informal sector in creating a circular flow of materials. The idea seems scalable to other wards in Bangalore and can also be taken to other cities to extend life of usable clothes and aggregate and process the no-reusable textiles. Hasiru Dala has been working to maximise the capacity of DWCCs to generate income and inclusion of waste pickers and this pilot helps do just that.” says Karthik.
“What really has been special about bringing this solution to reality is how from the start it was conceptualised with the waste workers and entrepreneurs. We heavily relied on them to tell us how we should design this model – we got a seat at their table to co-design a solution bottom up that is informed by the pulse on the ground and accounted for the multiple underlying challenges that comes with it. The entire partnership is extremely exciting because of the amount we get to learn from every interaction with these incredible entrepreneurs,” adds Trina.
Sustainable living has taken a huge centre stage in global discourse, especially in the context of climate change. While reducing individual consumption is the key, the focus is more on systemic change to achieve a faster result.
Tony Mazzocchi, a labour and environmental activist from the United States, created the phrase “just transition” while advocating for a superfund that would reimburse employees who were exposed to hazardous substances during their employment. American environmental and organised labour organisations started promoting government policies that safeguarded both the environment and workers in the 1980s. Following the interplay between labour and environmental justice groups in the late 1990s, the new phrase “just transition” came to represent this stance (Energy and Climate Change Directorate, 2020).
Who is demanding Just Transition?
Numerous organisations, social justice and environmental movements have adopted the Just Transition slogan in recent years. These organisations have the same goal of ensuring justice during the transition to a greener economy, but they view the people who should be involved in the Just Transition discussion in a broader sense. For instance, Indigenous Climate Action advocates for a Just Transition that extends past the basic rights of workers to include a plan for inclusive social and economic development in Indigenous communities.
What will a Just transition look like?
According to an ILO document published in 2015 highlight several points which focus on the life of labour and how it will look like (Olsen & Hovary, 2015). ILO has published several articles and blogs to keep adding more and more information according to the fact that more people from different spheres of work are joining this movement. In a recent workshop led by Hasiru Dala, fifty waste pickers from around Karnataka gathered to learn, comprehend, and explain just transition. So that the waste pickers could become climate champions to represent themselves.
The programme gave participants the chance to talk to one another and bring up topics that would reflect their condition in Karnataka’s major, second-tier cities, which is similar to that of other states. They gained knowledge of the phenomenon of climate change, related their experiences with it, including high heat and flooding, and contributed to its mitigation by gathering raw materials for the recycling sector and learning how to battle inflation if they don’t have a living wage.
Just Transition and Hasiru Dala
We as a waste picker organisation must take the initiative and sit at the table to determine what is just transition for waste pickers. When the government and the international community suggested closing landfills and outlawing plastics. All our waste pickers brothers and sisters must join us as we stand in solidarity with those employed by the plastics industry.
Just transition has been discussed as a crucial component of the plastic treaty by the worldwide garbage picker coalition, which is now backed by Kenya and South Africa(Brandt, 2022). It has yet to specify what a Just Transition is that we seek. In several training sessions held in India, KKPKP Pune and Hasiru Dala defined the terms “just transition” and “climate champions.”
Just Transition and Waste pickers?
During our Climate Champions training, waste pickers gained knowledge of the worldwide debate on the green economy, circular economy, and environmental sustainability. They think that sustainable living is necessary, and from their perspective, closing landfill waste and plastic use will help create a more sustainable society. There should be a time for just transition, though. There were 6 Day workshops where 1 day was given for just transition and green jobs. During the sessions with activities and games, they understood the meaning of the term just transition. By the end of the session, our climate champions came up with 11 suggestions out of which 8 were already mentioned in the 2015 ILO user manual on Just Transition. The other three have also been included in several articles and blogs published by ILO. There will be more focus points in future as more spheres of work, jobs and material to save the climate comes up.
Pic1.1 Just transition according to ILO.
Waste Pickers suggested Three points for a smooth transition:
Time to Change: Any major policy change or ban on any material which is a waste picker’s source of Income cannot be a sudden decision but should come gradually into their system. They should also mention how much time they need for material transition.
They want to be part of the climate change discourse which affects their livelihoods. They need training, and workshops to understand the global phenomena of this change. They need the training to manage new material, and new working conditions.
They want to learn new technology, techniques and tools to understand the transition and reach out to waste pickers or labourers across the globe.
Conclusion:
Waste in climate change dialogue has gained attention as a cause of climate change but an essential component of the solution, waste pickers, are ignored in conversations about climate policy.
Indhumathi says, “the environmental organisations are talking about closing landfills, reducing hazardous chemicals used in plastic, we support it, we don’t want to continue working in landfill nor breathe poisonous chemicals, it’s not good for us or citizens or for mother earth. However when such a large paradigm shift is made, think about all the workers who engaged in the production of consumer goods to workers in the informal sector in post-consumer goods”. Further she says “Government should ban the non-recyclable, single-use plastic in packaging immediately and phaseout the rest, bring in more eco-friendly recyclable in packaging”
Last year in July, I received a phone call from Mr. Rajesh Kumar, Commissioner, Municipal Corporation, Panchkula. As much as I like to work with municipal officers, it is very rare for me to receive such phone calls. He informed me that they are preparing a delegation of wastepickers from their city. The wastepickers are were at that time picking waste at the dumping site. They wanted them to move out and have a better occupation. On their part, Panchkula Municipal Corporation had already issued the occupational identity card to most wastepickers working in the dumping site. To showcase that there are alternative vocations out there. They wanted the delegation to visit Bangalore and learn about the integration of wastepickers undertaken by Bangalore municipal corporation and Hasiru Dala. He told me that they can manage the travel (air travel in this case). Is it possible for us to host the wastepickers and show them the work done in Bangalore? No municipal corporation has reached out to the Alliance of Indian Wastepickers with such a request. We jumped at the opportunity and said yes. The wastepickers from Panchkula flew down to Bangalore. Learned about our work and went back. They wer
e enthusiastic. They wanted to do something similar in their own city.
More than half of the organic waste is managed scientifically. A substantial part of it is sent to a bio-methanization plant in Ambala. Around 10-15 tons of organic waste is composted within the city. Kailash and his colleagues are the composters of the city. They manage 3 composting plants. The oldest one is more than a year old. The compost is sent to the nurseries of the municipal corporation. The wastepickers are on the payroll of municipal corporation and receive a salary of INR 12727 per month. They contribute to Employee Social Insurance and Provident Fund. The municipal corporation provides the occupational safety gear. When I asked them: isn’t this safety gear a little uncomfortable? One of them responded saying ‘this our uniform, this our pride.’ The municipal authorities on their part have been very strict in enforcing that workers wear the gear and provide it on regular basis.
There are around 40-50 wastepickers still on the dumping site. The flow of organic waste to the dumping site has reduced. It is receiving dry and reject waste. The wastepickers at the dumpsite are retrieving dry waste from the arriving vehicles. After managing the organic waste, the corporation is planning to set up a material recovery facility (dry waste collection centre) and has a plan to involve wastepickers who have not yet been integrated into the system.
