Vishal Samjiskar dips a paintbrush into a palette and makes smooth strokes on a blank canvas with ease; almost as if he could do this blindfolded. Which is why it comes as a surprise that the 39-year-old, who has been painting for almost three decades and asserts that he is first and foremost an artist, isn’t pursuing it full time.
“I work as an artist at an advertising firm by day and a delivery executive with Swiggy at night. I took up the latter job about two years ago, as I would barely earn Rs 10,000 from the art orders I was receiving. It isn’t easy to sustain a family of five with that amount, so I had no other option but to juggle multiple jobs,” says the Mumbai resident.
Vishal paints at his work station.
An artist is born
Vishal still remembers the day he fell in love with painting. “I was in Class 5, and had participated in a drawing competition. The theme of the story was a dream sequence, so I visualised a fairy and drew something. I was surprised that I won first place, and this is what perhaps pushed me to pursue this career,” recalls Vishal nostalgically.
Luckily for him, his parents recognised his talent and did not stop him from pursuing it. His talent was undeniable, and he was only in Class 12 when he started taking orders, and eventually went on to acquire a Diploma in commercial art.
Vishal painting murals
“I would get orders to paint portraits, landscapes and even wallpapers. However, making a living just from art is a massive challenge. When I had just started taking orders, I would charge anywhere between Rs 500 to 1000, and the rates have increased only slightly. So, you can say that I became a delivery executive by compulsion,” says Vishal.
The Turning Point
While going about delivering food, Vishal would occasionally strike up conversations. This art of small talk is what worked in his favour when he met two customers—Chaarvi Golechha and Nikhil George—who would go on to change his life.
Photo to portrait painted by Vishal.
“Vishal was delivering my meal when he saw a painting in my hall and asked me if I was fond of art. The question led to a conversation, and eventually, he pulled out his phone and showed me pictures of his paintings. I was stunned, and right at that moment, felt like doing something for him,” recalls Chaarvi, a 21-year-old.
She went on to open an Instagram account for Vishal in June 2019 and ever since, has been handling all his posts and orders on the platform.
Pans transformed into pieces of art.
The meeting with Nikhil was more recent. On January 6 2020, the banker posted a tweet to spread the word about Vishal and his talent, and to his utter surprise, it went viral.
This is Vishal. He delivered my Swiggy order today. He’s an artist and he is looking for work. Do let me know if you would like to get a painting/wall art commissioned. I can put you in touch with him. Do spread the word and help him out! pic.twitter.com/3HCMaYSuRx
Speaking to a publication, Nikhil said, “The first night, there wasn’t much of a response—maybe 10 or 15 likes. But the next day, my phone blew up. By the third day, he’d been retweeted almost 6,000 times, with 12,000 likes!”
People haven’t stopped praising the artist for his incredible work, and what’s more, there has been a renewed interest in his Instagram account. Vishal claims that several people have contacted him and commissioned new artwork.
Social media catapults to popularity
Vishal is especially thrilled with the fact that apart from receiving orders from individuals, he has begun to receive institutional support, too.
If he is willing to come to Malda, which we will pay for, we are looking for an artist to paint an Aaganwadi Centre here. Might not get paid as much but would be great exposure for his work.
While Vishal is thrilled with the responses and looking forward to fulfilling them, his plans for the future are modest, and revolve around creating more art as that is his one true passion.
“While it would be nice to paint something challenging and I am hoping I get the opportunity to do that, I hope to focus more on my art, as that is what gives me true joy,” he says, signing off.
If you are interested in owning a piece or commissioning artwork, contact Vishal at vishart.world@gmail.com or message him on Instagram by following on this link to his account.
Tuesday, 28 January 2020: It was 12:30 pm. I was on the transit bridge that connects Ghatkopar metro station to its central railway counterpart. The Thane local arrived and I boarded it to head to the Central Mumbai suburb of Bhandup. Another 20 minutes of inhaling the local train air, I arrived at Bhandup. This was the first time I set my foot into the area. Walking out of the station, I hailed the first rickshaw that drove into my sight.
“Kidhar jaayega, Madam?” (Where do you want to go, Madam?) the driver asked nonchalantly. “Sonapur chaloge?” (Will you drop me to Sonapur?) I asked.
And there it was. The instant transformation in the way he looked at me.
I noticed and felt in just a microsecond. The indifferent expression in his eyes convoluted into something resembling horror and judgement. It was slightly unsettling as his gaze scanned me from top to bottom.
Churidar, kurta and dupatta. Triple-check.
By the time I looked up, he had scurried away. I garnered the same response from the next five rickshaw drivers who refused to ferry me to the location.
There was no way. I decided to take the 30-minute walk to Sonapur.
And just like that, I am in the heart of North Mumbai’s lesser-known red-light district where underworld crime syndicates run prostitution rings. This is where spine-chilling and heart-wrenching stories come alive.
“Ab toh buddhi ho gaya hun, toh mushkil hai kamaai,” says Farida. Meaning she’s older now, so it’s harder to make money.
While Roopmati, another woman I am speaking with, entered the sex trade only two years ago, Farida has been in the business for almost two decades. None of their family members know that they work as commercial sex workers. Except for Farida’s second husband, a rickshaw driver in the city, with whom she has a nine-year-old daughter.
The veteran of the two continues speaking about how the bazaar no longer runs the way it did ten years ago. The market that once fetched them almost a lakh a month, now has their earnings dwindling to less than Rs 10,000-15,000.
***
I entered Sonapur with the help of Purnata, an NGO that focuses on rehabilitating women involved in sex work. On reaching the area I call Anagha, who facilitated my visit to the Purnata’s established centre in the area. A lady called Sangeetha picks me up from the entrance of Sonapur. We walk and talk about how long she has worked with the organisation.
Four years, she says.
We walk for a few minutes and enter a narrow lane as she beckons me to turn left. It feels like the walls on either side will close on me anytime. But 15 steps later, the path expands into another cramped lane. This time, a broader one.
A gutter runs from the centre of the gully, parting the rows of homes on either side, which are painted in bright shades of blue. What grabs my attention aren’t the chipped walls or battered doors, but the women who sit on the verandahs.
One washes her face, three detangle their hair, laughing away to jokes privy only to them as older women look on. Dressed in low-neck nighties, decked in gold, with well-plucked eyebrows, a hint of blush on their cheeks and bright red lipstick adorning their lips, they wait for the first customers of the day.
Their eyes are fixed on me, the intruder. The gaze is piercing, and they do not try to hide it. It is intimidating and makes me uncomfortable. But I mask my expression and walk up the stairs to reach Purnata’s centre.
***
“The rules are clear. The sex worker cannot leave the brothel or refuse a customer.”
“I am pregnant and visited the local clinic here to take care of this, once and for all.” Why not a better hospital in the area? “Oh no, they will ask for my documents which could get me in trouble with my brothel keeper.” Source: For @purnataorg, by @diana.elsnr/Instagram
Farida gives me a sneak peek of her place of work.
Each room in a brothel, depending on its size, has space for three to eight sex workers. In contrast to other cramped rooms in the vicinity, she shows me a dormitory-like hall. It has wooden bunks rising to the ceiling.
She tells me that all the women who live in that particular dorm work there, and at the same time. While I digest this, she tells me that many of them are unwed mothers. Their children, who are too young to understand what is happening, sleep in the corner or under the bunks. Only a thin veil of a curtain separates them from their mothers who trade their bodies to give them a better life.
Like Farida, the stories of many others who work in red-light areas across Mumbai, including the oldest district at Kamathipura, are similar.
My journey to understand these places also leads me to the doorstep of Rescue Foundation, an anti-trafficking NGO. Operating for the last 30 years, the NGO comes full circle–rescuing trafficked women and girls and rehabilitating them. It has impacted more than 5,000 girls and women to date.
Girls as young as nine are sold for Rs 50,000 to Rs 3,00,000, while older women are sold for much less. They come from across the country and even beyond the borders, from Nepal and Bangladesh. Their abject poverty makes them and their families vulnerable to fake promises and hollow opportunities for big money in bigger cities.
And for some, the chance of finding love.
My conversation with Triveni Acharya brings to light many horrors. She’s the co-founder of Rescue Foundation.
When newly-trafficked girls are brought in, they are put in what is called a pinjra or a cage. Triveni adds how the pinjra still exists in Kamathipura. It is a wooden cell or bunk where the victim is kept until she is brainwashed into becoming a seasoned sex worker.
While underground elements benefit from a brothel, gharwalis or housekeepers run the place. Often, she’s an older woman who has been in the trade all her life.
“99 per cent of brothel keepers are women, who were trafficked at some stage in their lives. Unable to escape, they were brutalised and brainwashed into thinking that they were outcasts. And that their bodies were mere commodities. Because many of them were rejected by their families and societies at large, they became veteran sex workers. And as they grow older, they take up the reigns of the brothel,” says Triveni.
They are feared and keep the workers on a tight leash. They cook, wash, and keep the rooms clean, ensuring that the girls do not escape.
“Every day a bottle of liquor is forced onto me. Cigarettes are pushed into my fingers. The other ladies here tell me, that everyday living won’t be difficult if I just go with it. But when I refuse, they break the same bottle to hit me and scar me with the stubs.” Source: For @purnataorg, by @diana.elsnr/Instagram
“The gharwalis use different methods to make the newbies give in to the trade. From coaxing them with sweet, comforting words to pressuring them meanly. Statements like ‘We have paid so much money to buy you. How can you just leave?’ are common. If the girls don’t listen, they are intimidated, gang-raped, and emotionally traumatised. Women who are trafficked with their daughters are sexually abused in front of each other. They are starved, burned around their breast and genital areas with cigarette butts, chained with fetters, and forced to undergo sterilisation, so they don’t procreate. Many of them don’t even see sunlight for days.”
Despite the torture, some refuse to give up. They are told that if they work hard enough and recover the amount they were sold for, they will be free to go.
The ones who escape are transferred to other brothels where they are tortured further. They are put under bandhan, which is similar to what the corporate world calls a ‘probationary period’.
During this time, they work to recover the money which was spent to ‘buy’ them. They don’t earn a penny, just food, clothing and accommodation.
“The rules are clear. The sex worker cannot leave the brothel or refuse a customer. Once the principal sum of her karja or loan is recovered, she gets paid half the money. Healthcare is an additional expense.”
Though most women leave the brothel once they have paid off their loans, many can’t find employment elsewhere due to illiteracy. Being rejected by their own families makes things worse.
They return, this time for themselves, to make good money.
***
“Even if I have to sell my own blood, I will do it to educate my kids”: Roopmati
Back in Sonapur, a woman in her late 30s, Roopmati is dressed in a bright nightgown and an equally colourful dupatta. Not a hair peeks out of her tight bun. Her eyebrows are thick and well-brushed, the effort to maintain it visible. Her lips are lined with a subtle-shade of lipstick in stark contrast to the other women. A large bindi adorns her forehead. Her ears have multiple piercings, each adorned with a gold earring.
I cannot help but notice the mangalsutra underneath the dupatta.
She grew up in Khedegaon, in rural Maharashtra. Fourth of seven siblings, born to a homemaker and a marginal farmer, she never lived in a pucca home, just a shed with makeshift tin sheet walls.
When she was merely seven, her father passed away. It was the beginning of the worst.
She begins, “My mother was illiterate and couldn’t afford to send me to school. I envied the girls who went to school every day, while I toiled in the harsh sun from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. for a meagre wage of Rs 10. And yet, a square meal was a luxury. Sometimes when the flour was not enough for eight of us, my aai (mother) would add water and make transparent rotis. We’d joke that if we looked closely, we could see the silhouette of the person sitting on the opposite side. I thought marriage would relieve me of my poverty. But I was wrong.”
Her voice is husky and guarded. She was married at an early age to an older man, who worked as a driver.
“He was illiterate, with elderly parents to care for and no proper home. His monthly salary was Rs 10,000 for the longest time. So I did household chores for five years to earn a menial sum. While this sufficed to run the household and pay medical bills for his parents, it fell short of funding the education for my kids. I couldn’t bear to watch them live the same life as me.”
A neighbour told her about a work opportunity in Mumbai, and Roopmati set out for the city of dreams.
In retrospect, we all know how this goes. The neighbour had lied to her.
“I am sure he earned a commission in bringing me here. If I were educated, I could at least move a pen or do some work for a company to fund my children’s education. But what could an illiterate woman do? My husband and children would hate me if they ever find that I am doing sex work. But I have no other option. I will not let the lives of my children be ruined like mine. I won’t let my daughter be pushed to the extremes for being uneducated like I was.”
Her earnings have now helped her purchase a home in Pune.
Roopmati’s eyes well up as she tells me how she’s spent over Rs 3 lakh from the trade on the education of her two kids–a son and a daughter. While her daughter is now studying at a private-cum-NGO-run agricultural college in Pune, her son has returned from the residential school he was studying at to stay with her husband and in-laws.
She sounds troubled as she speaks about them. A little coaxing reveals that the partner NGO she entrusted the education of her children had conned her. Despite spending lakhs of rupees over the last three years, Roopmati was never given a receipt. The children were admitted as orphans to save the costs of education, food, and accommodation. The truth never came out because every time she spoke to her children, the warden at the hostel would put the phone on speaker. The administration there even put up a fight to send the children home during their Christmas vacation last year despite it being the first time they were returning home.
“They knew that I was working as a commercial sex worker to educate my children. When they refused to send the children, and referred to me as their relative and not as their mother, I was shocked. I had to pay an additional Rs 9,000 to bring them home,” she shares.
And that’s not all.
When Roopmati’s daughter finally came home that Christmas, she burst out crying, sharing the mean things the hostel staff kept telling her. They even made the children clean toilets, work in the fields, and fetch groceries from the market. Often, her son was bullied and beaten up, even being made to beg.
“Once when they refused to eat dinner, one of the staff told them, “‘Madam, yeh dhandewali ke bacchon ke bahut natak hai.’ (Madam, the kids of this prostitute are too fussy). I was aghast. My heart broke as my daughter kept asking me what a dhandewali meant. I told her it refers to vendors who sell goods. I don’t think she was convinced.”
I ask Roopmati, if she plans to leave the red-light area. She says, “I am adamant to clear my pending loan of Rs 30,000 and get out of here as soon as possible. I feel my husband and daughter suspect that I work here. But I just want my kids to get educated and never see the life that I have lived. Agar badan ka khoon bhi bechna pade, toh karunga. Lekin mere baccha log ko padhayega. Yeh line mein nahi aane dega. (Even if I have to sell my own blood to educate my daughter, I will. But I won’t let her step into my line of work).”
***
“My daughter is nine. She dreams of becoming a doctor or an IPS officer”: Farida
Painful stories dwelling in cramped lanes. Photograph Credit: Instagram/@purnataorg
I am overwhelmed. But before I wipe the tears that are flowing down my cheeks, I hear a sniffle. It’s Farida. Her reaction comes from a place of deep hurt, not just for her friend, Roopmati, but also her own life. Her lost dreams, her yearning for her daughter.
In her early 40s, Farida is one of the veteran sex workers in the area. Her face is devoid of any make up. Just a tiny bindi, her hair in a messy bun.
She isn’t willing to open up to me in the first few minutes, just offers me a few words here or a sentence there.
I stop trying and wait.
Slowly, she opens up. Her Hindi has a heavy Bengali accent.
I learned that Kolkata was anything but the city of joy for her. Her family was very poor. She was married and had three sons, but was soon abandoned by her husband.
In time, she grew estranged from her in-laws who took her sons away from her. She then came to the maximum city 20 years ago, and has spent most of those years in the sex trade.
“In the first few years, I did household chores at Sanpada. But the money was barely enough. I found love for the second time 13 years ago, and remarried.”
Farida’s husband is an autorickshaw driver and they have a nine-year-old daughter, who has been studying in a residential school in Pune. She tells me that her husband knows about her line of work.
I asked her if there was no other way of funding her daughter’s education. She answers, “Didi, bolna asaan hai. Jab zarurat tha tab kisine madat nahi ki. Toh mai haath kyun failau? Main apne paise ka kamata hun, khata hun, aur baccha ko padata hun.” (Sister, it is easy to tell someone not to do sex work. But when I was in dire need of money, nobody helped me. Now, why should I beg? I earn my money, fill my stomach, and fund my daughter’s education).
After spending two decades in the business as she approaches her 40s, she doesn’t have big dreams. But smaller ones. Not for her, but for her daughter.
“My husband stays in Uttar Pradesh. When the time is right, I will move there with my daughter. We’ll start a new life. For now, I just want her to complete her education.”
She tries to smile, but I can sense her masking her pain.
She tells me, “Choosing this life wasn’t easy. I may appear composed to you but I can’t sleep at night. Sometimes, I lay in bed awake until 4 a.m., thinking about what my life has become. But I wonder if it would have been different if I was born in a middle-class family, got an education, found love and raised my child differently. But when I look at the glint and delight in my daughter’s eyes every time I visit her, nothing else matters. What matters is that she is getting educated. She will never live the life that I did.”
Farida visits her daughter twice every month. She boards a bus late on Fridays so that they can spend the whole of Saturday together. Naturally, she looks forward to the visits.
“I stay up on Fridays cooking everything she likes. You should see the happiness on her face, as she devours everything. She is studying in Class 2 in an English-medium school and tells me that her dream is to become a doctor or an IPS officer. Every time I pay her fee, she signs for me. For the longest time, her teachers thought I couldn’t speak. So she told them, ‘My mummy finds it difficult to interact in English and Marathi. So please speak to her in Hindi.’ The teachers are all very fond of her. They say she is a bright girl and that she will achieve something big in life. And at times like these, I can’t stop the tears.”
Sangeetha brings us tea and that’s when I realise that I have been tearing up too.
But Farida smiles as she shows me pictures of her little girl. I admire the fondness in her eyes as she tells me about visits to her daughter in the last three years.
In that moment, she is not a sex worker, but a loving mother, working hard to provide for her daughter.
***
“Won’t lose my life to earn an extra buck, right?”
I ask the women how they protect themselves against HIV or other STDs.
Roopmati quips, “We place our safety before anything else. We have watched young women and girls suffer and die from unprotected sex. So our rules for our customers are clear. If someone asks for unsafe sex, we tell them to leave. We don’t engage in unprotected sex with any customer no matter where they come from or who they are.”
Who are their customers?
Farida answers that they come from all backgrounds. From a rickshaw driver to a cop. Some have families, others stay alone in the city to scrape a living.
“They reach our doorstep for their needs,” she says, adding, “For us, it isn’t about intimacy. Just a transaction. Some pay Rs 500, others Rs 1,000. Once a man tried to push me into having unprotected sex. He offered to pay Rs 5,000. I told him to either put on a condom and give me my regular rate, or leave, and that I wouldn’t consent even if he paid me a lakh. Do rupayee ke liye apni jaan thodi gavayega! (Won’t lose my life to earn an extra buck, right?). Only if we live, will we be able to help our children and work for a few more years.”
The red-light areas in Mumbai no longer make the business they once did.
This is changing with law enforcement striking down on brothels. While they continue in privacy, they have to protect themselves too.
And the attitudes of sex workers doesn’t aid their dwindling incomes.
Roopmati says, “Many of them transfer here from other brothels. Since this place is not as exploitative, their attitude changes. In the greed to gain more money, many of them loot customers and hit them. The gharwalis here also assist them. They abuse the customers and blackmail them. This inconveniences the rest of us who are working hard. But what can we do?”
Not much, and life goes on for many of them.
I revisit Triveni, who has worked in the anti-trafficking sector for the last 30 years to know more about the legal stand on commercial sex work.
“It is a grey area,” she says.
“There are several loopholes. While there are clear laws on the trafficking of humans for the sex trade, there is no clarity on the exploitation of women above 18 who are living and earning in prostitution. Besides, the social stigma from 30 years ago still exists. So, many of these women have nowhere to go. But with the new anti-trafficking law that is under consideration, rules on rescue, rehabilitate and compensation of trafficked individuals as well as exploited commercial sex workers will become clearer.”
***
Fear, risk, betrayal: the carousel keeps turning
Rescue Foundation also handles in-brothel counselling. Leveraging their pool of informers, investigators and spies, they conduct raids and rescue operations in red-light areas. The investigators put their lives on the line and disguise themselves as customers. They focus on minors, and once they are left alone in the room with the girl, they counsel her.
Sometimes it takes multiple visits to the brothels to build trust with the minors, who are scared for their lives and have already lived the worst form of betrayal. The interaction is risky–not only for the minor–but also the investigator whose identity is protected at all costs.
Triveni says, “Once the trust is built, the girls open up about their sorrows and insecurities. It is only when she gives us her consent and agrees to cooperate with us, do our informers report back to us. After a few days, we file an FIR and raid the brothel with the police. We do not enter the red light district without police protection.”
There have been attacks on investigators in the past. One of their investigators was stabbed five years ago. Triveni lost her husband, the leading founder of Rescue Foundation, 15 years ago. She suspects that his accident was framed, but that hasn’t stopped her from continuing her work.
Do women always cooperate or have there been instances where they backed out?
She answers, “Sometimes, girls change their statements, lie about their age or state that they are working out of choice. Even though they do this out of fear, there isn’t much we can do for them after this. Many are stuck in the cycle of prostitution because they are convinced there is no life for them in the outside world. But at other times, when we go to rescue one girl, several others step up.”
Once rescued, the girls move into the Foundation’s residential facility and go through a series of processes to regain stability and balance. Apart from legal proceedings to punish their perpetrators, the survivors also attend counselling sessions and therapy to deal with the trauma. They are enrolled in training courses, and provided with education and employment.
Like Rescue Foundation, Purnata too works with law enforcement agencies on prevention and rescue. As their website says, their mission is “Protecting the vulnerable. Restoring the stolen”. Their team does surveillance of major railway stations in the city and rescues children in transit at railway stations and other nodal points.
In five years, Purnata has rescued over 30 victims of trafficking, including 15 minors. It has rehabilitated and reintegrated 12 survivors into mainstream society. It supports them by helping them find love and get married. It has also ensured safe housing for 25 children who were at risk of being trafficked. Its awareness programmes have reached more than 50,000 people.
Purnata has a centre for women in Sonapur where they hold training, counselling sessions, and events. They also run a daycare centre for kids, providing quality education, nutritious meals, and activities to promote hygiene and good health.
As I leave Sonapur, my heart feels heavier than usual. But the smiles of Farida and Roopmati lighten the burden, even if by a feather’s weight. As they bid me goodbye, they tell me, “Didi, aap se baat karke mann halka ho gaya! (Sister, speaking to you has lightened our burden).“
It’s not often that they share their sorrows.
“Sometimes, we wish to share our stories with people who care. But nobody has time. In fact, they laugh and mock us. It’s easier to judge dhandewalis, no?” says Roopmati.
As I let their words sink in, I realise that these women are warriors in the true sense. I lament the thought that if they had better opportunities, they would perhaps not trade their bodies.
“Ab chalein, didi? Bohot kaam ruka pada hai,” (Should we leave now, Sister? A lot of work is pending)” they jolt me back from my thoughts to the daily grind.
I hug them tight as I leave, promising to drop by the next time I am around.
I leave the space. But I carry their stories in my heart.
Support Purnata’s work by sending your donations to the details below:
Name: Purnata Bank: Kotak Mahindra Bank Branch: Sher-E-Punjab, Andheri East Account no: 0011506058 IFSC code: KKBK0001363
While studying at an architecture college in Chennai, 23-year-old NG Arun Prabhu did some research on slum housing, and was struck by the poor utilisation of space in these structures. Residents would spend somewhere around Rs 4-5 lakh to build a house, but it would not have a toilet.
“I was researching slum housing in Chennai and Mumbai, and realised that these small spaces that could be improved by instituting a proper design, to create toilets, bedrooms, etc. and make the house more habitable,” says Arun, speaking to The Better India.
Arun graduated last year, and since then, has been raising awareness about small scale architecture that entails better utilisation of space and affordable housing by building a portable house on an autorickshaw.
He spent Rs 1 lakh (excluding the cost of auto-rickshaw) building this 36-sq ft portable house on wheels called ‘SOLO.O1’, which he believes can fulfil the needs of two adults.
“My objective is to use small scale architecture and show people what we can do with such tiny spaces. Also, portable housing can inspire better temporary housing for construction labourers and emergency housing during natural calamities,” he quips.
SOLO .01 (Source: Arun Prabhu)
Small is Beautiful
Born and raised in the Tamil Nadu town of Namakkal, which is known for its lorry body building industries and poultry farms, Arun grew up with a fascination of art and design. But why did he choose an auto-rickshaw as his platform to build a portable home?
“It is a practical design of a compact 6’x 6′ space into a portable/detachable housing at the back of a three-wheeler auto-rickshaw that can accommodate a solo individual like an artist, traveller, homeless people or even a small scale vendor. It has been designed keeping in mind the concept of affordability and lifestyle of nomads and societal groups under the poverty line. The three-wheeler structure is a space with dual functionality that includes a residence and commercial space,” says Arun, in a note addressed to The Better India.
A Home on Wheels. (Source: Arun Prabhu)
“Planning has been done with the kitchen, bathtub, toilet, foyer and living area on one level and sleeping space, workspace on the mezzanine level at 3.5 ft height. Also, there is the solar panel (600W), water tank (250 litres) and a lounge space with shade in the terrace. By incorporating all these features, the structure might be expected to be on the heavier side, but it is far from it. The weight is distributed equally,” he adds.
He started in August 2019, and it took him five months to construct the entire house using scrap materials.
What SOLO .01 does is extend the lifespan of discarded materials like metal scrap thrown away from old bus bodies and demolished structures. Nonetheless, Arun maintains that the house is durable regardless of the functions and renovations.
Interiors of SOLO.01 . (Source: Arun Prabhu)
Despite every space being efficiently utilised, the structure is adequately ventilated throughout. Meanwhile, the structure is attached to the auto-rickshaw with just six bolts which can be easily unscrewed and robust supportive stands.
“If it can fit on top of an auto-rickshaw, it can be fixed atop any vehicle,” says Arun. This structure can be utilised much as the temporary housing for people like construction labourers who work at a particular site for a few years or months only and nomads, besides emergency housing during any natural calamities.
NG Arun Prabhu
Today, Arun is working on four similar ideas with his architecture firm The Billboards Collective, which he started in 2018. He has also applied for a design patent on his portable house. With his patent and other potentially innovative designs, he could offer some real solutions to cities that are facing a housing crunch and struggling for space.
Savitha Rao is a woman with a clear, eco-conscious vision for the planet. Based out of Mumbai, she’s an entrepreneur who believes in bridging the gap between commerce and sustainability by making products that are both good for you and the planet. Since starting her brand, Clean Planet in 2013, she has come a long way in producing a huge variety of eco-friendly textile products that are mostly available on e-commerce sites.
Rao candidly shares, “I read an article on the North Pole melting a few years ago, and that inspired me to do something that wouldn’t degrade the environment further. At that point, I was all set to launch a range of men’s accessories like cufflinks, ties etcetera. However, the article made me take a completely different route.”
Clean Planet is the pioneer in introducing the concept of vegetable and grocery cotton bags in India. “Over the last several years, lakhs of plastic bags have been saved from being used and disposed of. We’re supremely proud of the product because it has not only enabled employment for women’s groups and generated livelihood for them, but also is a godsend for the environment,” she adds.
Mumbai Lady Leads The Way in Upcycling Old Clothes
What’s most interesting is that they also upcycle old clothes and fabrics into cool and stylish bags. Rao shares that those who donate clothes sometimes receive a product made from it. But that’s not always the case; most people donate just to support the cause.
“Our community of enthusiastic donors keeps growing. People hand over used sarees, dupattas, bedsheets and even vintage fabrics to us that we then convert into unique products. Most of our gift bags, clutches, pouches, sling bags and totes are one-of-a-kind. We have made and sold more than 6000-7000 products from upcycled materials in the last couple of years,” says the entrepreneur from Mumbai.
Other bags at the Clean Planet include those made using India’s heritage, hand-crafted textiles such as ikat, khadi, kantha and block print. “When we use our handcrafted materials the end product is a classic that stands the test of time,” she reasons.
She also adds that the products made using vintage fabrics are the most creatively challenging because one has to work with quality and quantity constraints. Sometimes the only good part of a saree is the border and at times the border and the main body are utilised in two different products. They also embellish some of their upcycled products with hand embroidery or beads which adds to the overall appeal.
One of the most iconic products of Clean Planet are their signature patchwork tote where the patchwork is done in rural Maharashtra, the hand embroidery on it is done in Mumbai by a different group, and the final stitching by a third group altogether. “The end product turned out to be so cool that we even have men using those totes!” quips Rao.
“Our customers are from all over the world – India , USA, Europe and Japan. It makes us immensely happy when we see a customer from Netherlands buy our cotton gift bags. That makes us a cool ambassador for both the Indian culture and the environment,” she concludes.
Nothing gives Sneha Sharma, a professional Formula 4 race car driver and commercial pilot flying with IndiGo Airlines, a better adrenaline rush than speed.
“I was 14 when I discovered my irresistible passion for speed at a now defunct go-karting track in Powai. I had never experienced such a rush before; I felt one with the car. That is when I decided that racing is what I wanted to do with my life,” says Sneha, in a conversation with The Better India.
During her off days at school, she would spend her time at the track. However, she didn’t have access to professional training and would initially take on odd mechanic jobs and watching professional race car drivers compete.
“By the end of each day, I would see these mechanics racing with these tattered karts. I approached them to train me. They were kind enough to teach me the basics of steering, cornering, overtaking and breaking. Look, you don’t need fancy degrees or equipment to make it in life. Since racing is an expensive sport, I saved up my pocket money and whatever else I could to get some training and race a few laps on the track,” she recalls.
Sneha Sharma
Soon, she began competing in city-level races, which she won or finished on the podium. Her desire to compete professionally was ignited one fine day during practice when she saw two racing drivers.
“When I asked who they were, I was told they were national racing drivers. Seeing their poise and how they expertly maneuvered around the track inspired me. As my journey continued, I drove many races, a lot of which I would win. In one such race organized by the Times of India, I defeated many professionally trained and seasoned drivers, and also caught the eye of many important people. When I won the race, I got picked up by a national racing team, and got to compete in the national championships,” she recalls.
By the time she was 16, Sneha was studying in junior college, doing pilot ground classes and competing in races. She was obese too. To fulfil her dreams of racing, she had to reduce her weight from 90 kg to 60 kg within months because racing is an extremely demanding sport.
“The hardest part was managing my time from racing, college to flying lessons and fitness work. But I did it. My family didn’t support my dreams because they thought it was a dangerous sport and a big hindrance to my studies. Initially, they thought it was just a passing fad, but I kept at it. Sometimes I would leave my helmet outside the house, lie to my parents about where I was going and race. While sneaking out to race, I ensured that I carried my books to the track, studied between practice sessions and races,” she says.
Sneha Sharma addressing a private gathering.
Fortunately, she graduated from school with flying colours and even competed at the MRF National Karting Championship and was also the only girl to qualify for the KCT category, where only ten drivers across the country would be selected to race.
But just as she was finding her feet in the professional race car driving scene, Sneha had the chance to fulfil another long-standing passion of hers, which is flying.
At the age of 17 in 2007, she had to put down her racing helmet and put on a flying headset for her commercial pilot licence. Her family had taken loans to make this happen. It was a difficult time, and she didn’t know whether she would ever see the inside of a race car again. When she came back from the States after more than a year later, her passion for racing had not diminished in any way. In fact, she came back hungry as ever.
Until she converted her US flying licence into an Indian one in 2011, she continued to do part-time jobs at racing tracks as a mechanic, working on engines, training, maintaining accounts and loading/unloading equipment. This was rather exhausting because she had to work on other cars till the wee hours so that she could wake up the next day and race.
But 2009 turned out to be a breakthrough year for Sneha as she came back better than ever and earned a podium finish in the National Karting Championship.
Her objective has always been to venture into single-seating racing, but in 2010 she raced in the Volkswagen Polo Cup (a touring car series), followed by a stint in the Toyota Etios series before earning a top-five finish in the Mercedes young driver star programme. There, she drove her car at an astounding 270 kmph at the Buddh International Circuit, Greater Noida.
Meanwhile, by 2011 she had found a job as a commercial pilot for IndiGo airlines. Once she had a steady source of income, she decided to invest her own money into her racing career, because professional racing is a costly sport.
Sneha Sharma, the commercial pilot.
For a while, she did race under closed roofs, but the attraction of formula cars was too much to resist. Finally, she made it in the JK Tyre’s LGB category—the first step to the single-seater racing—in 2013. In her very first formula race, she finished in fourth place.
Despite her long-standing dream to drive Formula 1, she did sponsored racing events for a while and joined IndiGo as a commercial pilot. Fortunately, JK Tyres came calling, and even IndiGo came on-board, and they have been sponsoring her ever since. Today, she competes in international Formula 4 championships around the world, while as a pilot, she flies the Airbus 320 for six days a month.
“When I started racing and sometimes even today, I was the only girl on track among 22 guys. Most would hate losing to a fellow male competitor, but if they lost to me, they would add a lot of harsh statements like ‘women don’t know how to drive’. It was rough, particularly early on, but I made sure it never slowed me down. I would channel all that anger into my performance. When the helmet is on, I am not a man or woman, but a race car driver. This aggression is reflected in my driving. I am a fast driver who isn’t afraid to exploit any opening my competitors give. If I see an opportunity to race ahead, I dive in. Yes, I have had my share of injuries like hairline fractures, spinal injuries, shattered knees and even petrol burns, but that has never deterred me,” she says while describing her outlook to racing.
Sneha Sharma is breaking barriers.
It’s the same outlook that gave her a leg up in life at a time when no one gave her a chance.
On 11 March 2020, the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the Covid-19 outbreak to be a pandemic, which is defined as “the worldwide spread of a new disease.”
Since it was first detected in December, the virus has spread to every continent except Antarctica and infected more than 121,000 people, causing 4,300 deaths.
As of now, in India, there are 75 reported cases of Covid-19 and the country has suspended all tourist visas until 15 April. Additionally, all travellers arriving from the seven virus-hit countries, which include China, Italy, Iran, South Korea, France, Spain, and Germany will be quarantined. Only diplomatic visas and visas for international organisations, employment and projects will be exempt.
While the number of cases in India seem to be low, we must bear in mind that the virus takes up to 2 weeks to show symptoms and in this scenario, it is imperative that we do our bit to curtail its spread. One such measure is a self—or home quarantine—which is is applicable to all ‘contacts’ of a suspect—or confirmed—case of the coronavirus.
Representational image
Who should be home quarantined?
A ‘contact’ is a healthy person who has been in such association with an infected person or a contaminated environment. The person may have been exposed to the disease and is, therefore, at a higher risk of developing the disease.
A contact could be one of the following:
Any person living in the same household as the person effected with Covid-19.
Any person having direct physical contact with a Covid-19 victim without wearing the necessary protective gear.
Any person who was in a closed environment with someone who has tested posted for Covid-19.
If you have had direct face-to-face contact with a Covid-19 patient at a distance of within 1 meter, including air travel.
How long should one stay in quarantine?
The home quarantine period is for 14 days from contact with a confirmed case or earlier if a suspect case turns out negative upon laboratory testing.
What does home quarantine mean?
Keep cleaning your hands.
One should be in a well-ventilated single-room with an attached toilet, to minimise contact with other rooms in the house.
If the room necessarily has to be shared with another person, it is advisable to maintain a distance of at least one meter between the two.
If there are older people, pregnant women or children within the household, then one must maintain a safe distance from them.
Ensure that the movement of the person who is under quarantine is restricted within the house.
Do not attend any social gathering or call people home until you are out of quarantine.
You must wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water as much as possible. According to this viral Twitter thread by Palli Thordarson, a professor of Chemistry at the University of New South Wales, while alcohol-based disinfectants are useful, soap is the most effective way of killing the virus when it’s on your skin.
During the time you are under quarantine do not share any household items like drinking cups, glasses, cutlery etc. Doing so will increase the chances of the virus spreading.
Even if you are at home under quarantine, ensure that you wear a surgical mask to minimise the risk of spreading the virus.
Do note that every 6 to 8 hours, the mask must be disposed of. Once disposed of safely, wash your hands and only then put on the new mask.
Do not, under any circumstance, reuse the disposable mask. Do not leave the used mask out in the open.
If you are using tissues, ensure that you discard them immediately after use, do not reuse or keep it around.
Do not share towels or clothes with any other member of the household.
If you have to see a doctor and need to step out, try and do so in your vehicle. Do not take public transport as that will put at risk several others whom you may come in contact with.
If you find it difficult to breath or the symptoms seem to be severe, contact your nearest health care provider or visit one of the authorised centres, the list of which you can find here.
General instructions for care-givers
When you are around the patient, always wear a face mask, and gloves if there are chances that you will come in contact with the patient’s bodily fluids.
Ensure that you throw these away immediately after use and do not under any circumstance reuse them. Even if they have been used only for a few seconds
Do not touch soiled clothes worn by the patients directly. The clothes must be dipped in disinfectant before they can be washed. Also, these clothes must be washed separately.
Do not allow any visitors until the time the patient is under home quarantine.
Clean and disinfect all surfaces that the patient might have touched or frequently touches, with one per cent sodium hypochlorite solution.
Toilet surfaces must also be disinfected with a good cleaning agent.
To read about some of the myths that surround the spread of the Covid-19, click here and read what Dr Vivek Nangia, HOD & Director, Pulmonology, Fortis Hospital, Vasant Kunj, has to say.
This article here will also give you the complete list of 52 centres across India where you can get tested for the Covid-19.
Do follow all the protocols that the government is putting in place to ensure that you do your bit to curtail the spread of this pandemic.
With the World Health Organization recently declaring the deadly Coronavirus a global pandemic, many historians have harked back to the year 1918. It was a time when an influenza virus devastated vast swathes of the country resulting in the death of an estimated 10-20 million Indians and have spoken about the lessons we can learn from it.
But few have spoken about the Bombay Bubonic Plague in the late 19th century, which killed thousands in present-day Mumbai and resulted in a drastic drop of its population with many residents fleeing. Nonetheless, standing in the frontlines against these deadly diseases are doctors and health workers who risk their own lives to save others.
One such medical practitioner during the Bubonic Plague in Mumbai, who risked his life was Dr Acacio Gabriel Viegas, who is not only credited with the discovery of the outbreak in the city which helped save many lives, but also the inoculation of nearly 18,000 residents despite serious risks to his own health.
Born on 1 April 1856, in the village of Arpora, Goa, Dr Viegas left for Mumbai after completing his primary education. Following his matriculation, which he passed with distinction, he enrolled with the Grant Medical College.
“In the course of a few years after graduating as a medico, Dr Viegas developed a lucrative practice at Mandvi, Bombay, gaining considerable popularity with his large clientele, and in 1888 was elected to the Bombay Municipal Corporation for five consecutive years. He was the first Goan to be so elected,” writes J Clement Vaz in his book titled ‘Profiles of Eminent Goans, Past and Present’.
Statue of Acacio Gabriel Viegas in Mumbai. (Source: Wikimedia Commons)
It was in September 1896, when Dr Viegas detected the first case of Bubonic Plague.
“Dr Viegas’s dispensary was located in Mandvi in the Port Trust Estate. It was a poor neighborhood of narrow and overcrowded streets, with buildings piled atop each other and filth accumulating in its sewers. The drains were silted and blocked up with buckets of night soil that were routinely emptied into the nearby gullies. The night soil found its way into the blocked drains, along with urine and sewage from the privies and sullage water. The worried doctor raised his concerns about these conditions at the Municipal Corporation meetings. Then, at noon on September 18, 1896, he was asked to see a patient, Lukmibai. He learned that she had not slept for three days. She was comatose and yet could be roused easily. Her eyes were bloodshot, and she had a glandular swelling the size of an orange in her femoral region. Her temperature was 104.2 with a pulse rate of 140. There was nothing to explain the femoral bubo. He prescribed diaphoretics, salicylate of soda, and quinine, but her condition worsened in the evening. When he went to see her the next day, she was dead. Surprised by the rapidity of her death, he suspected that this might be a case of Bubonic Plague,” writes noted historian Gyan Prakash.
After seeing another patient showing similar symptoms, and reports of 50-60 such deaths, he was convinced of his diagnosis. By the end of 1896, reports from the time estimate that at least 1,900 people died per week. Many naturally fled the city and the city’s population had dropped from 820,000 in the 1891 Census to 780,000 according to the 1901 Census.
“The administration was baffled by the swiftness with which the [highly contagious] disease spread could not cope. Dr Viegas researched and identified the disease as bubonic plague, and worked tirelessly to fight the epidemic. Identifying rats as carriers, [he] helped combat the spread as well,” says Dr Fleur D’souza, former head of department of history at St Xavier’s College, speaking to Mid-Day earlier this year.
To confirm Dr Viegas’ findings, the local administration enlisted four teams of independent experts. “Official investigations reported armies of rats infected with the disease moving from area to area, spreading the epidemic,” adds Prakash.
Once his diagnosis was proven correct, the Governor of Bombay invited WM Haffkine, the Jewish-Russian bacteriologist who had developed the anti-cholera vaccine, to develop a vaccine for the Bubonic Plague. The challenge before him was rather daunting.
Working three months non-stop at a makeshift laboratory, he soon developed a vaccine ready for human trials. In fact, he reportedly tested the vaccine on himself.
“On the 10 January 1897, Dr. Haffkine caused himself to be inoculated with 10 cc of a similar preparation, thus proving in his own person the harmlessness of the fluid. A form useful enough for human trials was ready by January 1897, and tested on volunteers at the Byculla jail the next month. Use of the vaccine in the field started immediately,” says this profile on the Haffkine Institute.
While 7 members of the control groupin the Byculla Jail died, the vaccine reduced the risk of death by upto 50 per cent, although it had some nasty side effects. Armed with Haffkine’s vaccine, Viegas personally inoculated nearly 18,000 residents.
Besides discovering the plague and inoculating patients, he also launched an intense and widespread campaign to clean up the slums and exterminate the rats responsible for carrying the plague. However, the campaign to eradicate the plague also witnessed severe misery and deprivation of the poor. Hundreds of slum dwellings were destroyed by the municipal authorities, while other measures included strict segregation of suspected plague cases, large scale evacuation of people, ban on all mass gatherings like fairs and close examination of people entering the city through rail and ship.
Sadly, mistakes were also made in terms of letting some of the victims slip through the cracks and thus spread the disease to other parts of the country.
“Plague ravaged India seriously for two decades and sporadically thereafter from its outbreak in Bombay city in August 1896, took at least twelve million lives and probably many more, ran up terrible death rates of over 100 per thousands in a season in some towns, created panic and flight, and brought great cities like Bombay and whole provinces, like the hard-hit Punjab, within compass of social disorganization and collapse,” writes scholar Ira Kelin in a journal article titled ‘Plague, Policy and Popular Unrest in British India’.
Nonetheless, Dr Viegas continued to make efforts towards improving living conditions in the city, particularly for the poor. In 1906, he was elected President of the Bombay Municipal Corporation.
“During his long career as an elected city father, Dr Viegas served as a watchdog of the city’s interests in matters of sanitation and public health in particular, making untiring efforts to secure drainage for north Bombay,” writes Clement Vaz.
Meanwhile, he also advocated for the reduction in public transport fares, electricity costs, midwife services free of cost to the poor, and finally free and compulsory primary education.
After an incredible life of public service, he passed away on 21 February, 1933. Mumbai still remembers this remarkable public servant thanks to a life-size statue of him that was erected in the Cowasji Jehangir Hall opposite what is today Metro INOX Cinemas.
With his tremendous will power, courage and perseverance, Dr Viegas helped the city of Mumbai tide through one of its most difficult moments in history. For his invaluable service and thousands of other doctors, nurses and health workers who are currently risking their own lives to save others, it’s imperative we remember such stories.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has invited applications from eligible students for its internship scheme for the month of April 2020.
Interested applicants can apply online for the April 2020 internship program. During this stint, students will be provided with an opportunity to learn and understand the workings of the FSSAI through a well-designed training plan.
Who is Eligible to Apply?
• Students who are pursuing a regular postgraduate degree or diploma or higher degree from a recognised university/institute within India or abroad in one of the following fields:
a. Life Sciences, Chemical Sciences, Veterinary Sciences, Agricultural Sciences, Food Technology, Microbiology or any other related field.
b. Business administration and management including policy regulation and related fields
c. Media and communications
• Students in their third and fourth year of Bachelor’s programme in food technology or related fields are also eligible to apply for the internship.
Things To Note:
New Course
1. The internship will be offered at various time periods through the year.
2. Internships will be for a duration of six weeks which can be extended to a maximum of six months.
3. Interns are required to bring their own laptop to work.
4. FSSAI will provide internet connection and a work space for the interns.
5. Students will have to make their own travel and accommodation arrangements.
6. Students can be deputed to any of the following places for the internship – Delhi, Ghaziabad, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata.
7. Stipend to be given to 10 best performing interns on a quarterly basis. The students will be judged on the basis of their attendance, participation, and an assessment by officers.
8. Students will be awarded a certificate upon the successful completion of the internship.
Important Dates
Application process begins – 9 March 2020
Last date for submission of application – 20 March 2020
Announcement of shortlisted candidates – 27 March 2020
Date of joining – 1 April 2020
How to Apply?
• Students who wish to apply for the internship can do so by logging into the official FSSAI website here
• Click on the link which says ‘Apply Online’ and you will be redirected to this page here
• Once here, fill out all the details, which includes personal details, educational qualification, and questions on the kind of projects you have undertaken so far
• Students will have to upload a recent photograph and their resume before clicking on ‘Submit’
For more details you can click here, to access the circular issued by FSSAI.
The COVID-19 cases in India now stand at 125, with three patients having lost their lives to the deadly virus. Over the last forty-eight hours, several new cases have been reported and according to Balram Bhargava, the Director-General of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), India is currently in Stage 2 or the local transmission stage.
What Do The Stages Indicate?
Coronavirus
Stage 1 is the phase where those with a travel history to affected countries are at risk.
Stage 2 is best described as the stage where those travellers transmit it to their family and friends. This is also called local transmission.
Stage 3 or the community transmission is when the entire community is impacted by the virus.
And Stage 4 is the epidemic stage.
Many states in India have declared the Covid-19 to be an epidemic and have taken certain steps, which may seem drastic, but it is perhaps a wise step, says Dr Bhargava.
With the government urging people to stay at home and practise social distancing as much as possible, the fallout of this is the panic of buying of supplies by people. We have seen news of the injudicious hoarding rampant in other countries with shops running out of stocks.
While being prepared is important, there is no need to cause a run on the supermarkets. We need to understand what and how much of supplies (groceries and medical) we must have in reserve for an effective social distancing mechanism.
The Better India (TBI) got in touch with Dr Rifa Tazyeem Khan, Clinical Epidemiologist, Y R Gaitonde Center for AIDS Research and Education, to understand the dos and don’ts of buying during an emergency.
“For coronavirus, per se, no one needs to stock up on any sort of medication. If you start to display any of the symptoms then make sure you get yourself tested at one of the centers that the government has set up.”
Symptoms for Coronavirus may include runny nose, sore throat, cough, fever, difficulty breathing in severe cases, diarrhea in some cases.
On reserving supplies, Dr Khan says, “Stock, but do not hoard. Those who are on regular medication for any condition should have medicines to last them about two months. That is what we tell our patients.”
Groceries And Other Essentials
Be mindful when you shop.
· Make a list of all the things that you use regularly and have enough stock for 14 days. Please take into account the size of the household while deciding this amount.
· If you have access to fresh fruits and vegetables, buy them as and when you need them. Else you may stock up on vegetables that are likely to last longer, like potatoes, onions, peas, and other root vegetables. Make a list of non-perishable food items like sugar, rice, flour, oils, tea, coffee, cereals, biscuits etc. and stock up on these.
· If you have children at home then stock up on diapers and any baby food that you might require. Be mindful of getting milk cartons as well that you can use in case of non-availability at a later stage.
· Similarly with senior citizens or ailing members of the family, all necessary medicines, and other essentials must be stocked up for a period of two weeks.
· You might want to consider withdrawing some amount of cash and keeping it handy. This can be used in case the card machine at a particular place does not work.
· You should also restock the first aid box that you may have at home. Ensure that it has the basics like bandage, cotton, antiseptic cream, antiseptic powder, sanitiser, antiseptic cleaning liquid, antacids, and essential medicines which can include paracetamol and other over the counter available drugs.
· You can also stock up on the cleaning products that you need for your household given that we are being urged to sanitise and clean all surfaces frequently.
1. Talk to family members who need to be included in your plan and ensure that you are all on the same page. Draw up a system for the eventuality that one amongst you might test positive for Covid-19. Be clear on what the course of action should be in such a scenario. If you are advised to be home quarantined, plan in advance for which room that might be in.
2. Take special care of those who are at a higher risk of getting infected like children, the elderly and people with medical conditions. Keep them away from people coming from outside.
3. Identify and keep handy the phone numbers of those in your locality who could provide immediate medical care if the need arises. Also, make a note of the closest healthcare center where you can go to get tested. Read about the 52 government approved centers here.
4. Put together an emergency contact list and circulate the same amongst your family members.
There is a clear difference between panic purchases and preparing for an emergency. You could ensure that you step out to shop when you are in a calm frame of mind to avoid falling prey to panic purchases.
The bottom line is to not panic and hoard supplies but to be selective and keep adequate supplies (14 days) of some essentials. Remember, panic spreads faster than the virus.
In 2017, the Terminal 2 (T2) of Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport hired a unique set of cleaners to clean urinals. Bacteria was now responsible to clean men’s washrooms in one of the largest and busiest airports in the country. The Mumbai airport receives an average footfall of 90,000 men every day. With about 1.5 litres of water getting flushed after every use of the toilet, one can calculate how much water is used on a daily basis.
Bacteria was their answer to save water used in the toilets at the station and keep them clean without increasing the efforts of the staff. At first glance, bacteria doesn’t seem like the most obvious solution to a problem as common as stinking toilets. But T2 showed the way. If you flushed, a green chemical would be released in the toilets instead of water. This green chemical, the bacteria in action, cleans the toilets without the use of water.
Odour & Toxin-free Toilets, Thanks to Bacteria Cleaners:
The experiment started with the use of green cleaning bacteria in 200 toilets and to clean 4 lakh square metres of surface area.
Speaking to the Times of India, a spokesperson for the Mumbai airport said, “We found that the urinals and commodes aren’t used the way they are supposed to be. It leaves them dirty and frequent cleaning wasn’t the solution… Our prime concern was whether the green chemicals would be effective given the scale of the job at hand and the large number of passengers that the airport handles.”
But their worries were soon put to rest since the ammonia-feeding bacteria consumed organic waste quickly and left the urinals clean. Unlike conventional acidic cleaners, they did not simply burn the solids. And they work 24*7. “Cleaning compounds that contain ammonia-feeding bacillus spores are instead used in toilets. Lab tests have confirmed that the toilets are cleaner now. We don’t use lemongrass or lavender or other such essential oils to mask the smells. The bacteria convert the ammonia generated due to uric acid accumulation to nitrogen, as soon as the toilet is used,” the spokesperson further added.
Needless to say, the bacteria became a hit with the staff as well as the passengers, who may have been confused at the release of a chemical when they flushed but at least the toilets were spotless and did not have a super strong smell.
The Mumbai Airport Initiative Has a Lesson for Us All:
The airport authorities have to keep in mind the convenience and expectations of thousands of passengers visiting their toilets daily. If green cleaning bacteria could work effectively in such a busy environment, why shouldn’t they work for your home too?
A toilet cleaner made with bacteria that deep cleans toilet bowls can be your answer to stinking toilets and stained bowls. Use it in place of regular acid cleaners and see the difference within days of use! The initiative by the Mumbai airport has already shown that toxic chemicals are not always the answer. Sometimes, bacteria can do the job even better.
While many of us have the option of working from home during the COVID-19 outbreak, medical and health care professionals do not. A group of physicians led by Dr Tushar Shah in Mumbai have come together to set up a telephonic helpline to assuage people’s fears. Doctors are available on call from 8 am to 11 pm.
The Better India spoke to Dr S Pandit, one of the doctors of this initiative. He begins, “We started sometime in March, and the response has been overwhelming, given that all of us [doctors] are available at various time slots to help people. Our phones have been buzzing continuously.”
When asked what kind of queries they receive, he says, “There is such a panic among people regarding COVID-19 that they want to be reassured, more than anything else. They discuss their symptoms and ask us what they should be doing. Depending on the case, we guide them on what to do.”
Few points to note:
This is a free service and people are urged to send in their name and age via WhatsApp to the doctor they wish to speak to. If the query can be solved via WhatsApp, the doctors are happy to do so.
One of the reasons for doing this is to reduce the strain on hospitals so that those in need get priority to be treated.
It is also to guide you to the nearest medical facility if the need for testing arises.
The doctors will also help you with instructions regarding hygiene, self-isolation, and other safety procedures.
Here are the numbers of the doctors and their available time slots:
Coronavirus
From 8 am to noon
Dr Tushar Shah 9321469911
Dr M Bhatt 9320407074
Dr D Doshi 9820237951
Dr D Rathod 8879148679
Dr R Gwalani 8779835257
Dr D Kansara 8369846412
From noon to 4 pm
Dr G Kamath 9136575405
Dr S Manglik 9820222384
Dr J Jain 7021092685
Dr A Thakkar 9321470745
Dr L Bhagat 9820732570
Dr N Shah 9821140656
Dr S Phanse 8779328220
Dr J Shah 9869031354
From 4 pm to 8 pm
Dr N Zaveri 9321489748
Dr S Ansari 7045720278
Dr L Kedia 9321470560
Dr B Shukla 9321489060
Dr S Halwai 9867379346
Dr M Kotian 8928650290
From 8 pm to 11 pm
Dr N Kumar 8104605550
Dr P Bhargav 9833887603
Dr R Chauhan 9892135010
Dr B Kharat 9969471815
Dr S Dhulekar 9892139027
Dr S Pandit 9422473277
Dr Pandit also urges that the following guidelines to curb the spread of COVID-19
1) Regularly and thoroughly clean your hands with an alcohol-based hand sanitiser or wash them with soap and water. Do note that using soap and water should be your first option. Spend at least 20 seconds washing your hands. Keep a hand sanitiser with you when out of home. Since many of these are out of stock, consider making one for yourself at home.
2) Maintain at least one metre (or 3 feet) distance between yourself and anyone who is coughing or sneezing.
3) Cover your mouth and nose with your bent elbow or tissue when you cough or sneeze and dispose of the used tissue immediately. Do not keep it lying on a table-top. It should go straight in a dustbin.
4) Avoid touching your face.
5) As far as possible, avoid touching surfaces and objects, especially with your hand. Here are some examples. Avoid elevators and use the stairs instead. Don’t touch railings while using the stairs. Carry exact change for rickshaws.
6) Don’t use masks unless you are coughing or if you are with someone who is.
“I realised that while the planet was going to hell, I was working on making ties and cufflinks,” states Savitha Rao, the founder of Clean Planet, a Mumbai-based small business that manufactures 100 per cent biodegradable bags using India’s rich textiles.
The journey for Savitha began when she heard change knocking at her door, loud and clear, and had the courage to embrace it. All after she read an article on the melting North Pole in 2010.
At the time, Savitha ran Soul Quest, an independent brand functioning mostly in the apparel space and catering to an international market. It was at the same time when she was on her way to launch a men’s wear and accessories brand. However, after having spent money and resources on designing the collections, and registering for trademarks, she decided to shelve the entire project.
Clean Planet started out by making tote bags and further epanded their line of products.
She realised that she wanted to have a more sustainable business and what better way than to make conscious products that can last longer. She also wanted to highlight the country’s rich textile heritage through her work while supporting local artisans from across the length and breadth of the country.
Thus, Savitha officially founded ‘Clean Planet’ in 2013. Under Clean Planet, the entrepreneur launched a line of biodegradable products like tote and sling bags. She gradually added products like laptop bags, laptop sleeves and grocery bags, among others made from cloth in a bid to prevent environmental degradation.
Through their operations, Clean Planet now supports over 500 livelihoods. They have also developed about 150 different products and sell over 10,000 units in a month!
To own Clean Planet’s beautiful and environement friendly products, click here.
Journey Toward Eco-Entrepreneurship
Savitha, the founder of Clean Planet
Savitha studied her Bachelor’s in Chemistry, and Master’s in Management Studies (MMS) from the Bombay University.
After finishing her studies in 1995, she joined the textile industry and started working with an Indian joint venture company. During this time, she worked a lot with the Japanese market.
“Their approach towards quality and attention to detail is something that truly inspired me. These values have helped me a lot in my work,” says Savitha. She quit the company after working for 10 years to start something on her own.
“At this point, I realised that India had a lot to offer to the international market. Be it in terms of embroidery or the fabrics. These indegenous crafts were actually India’s strength. I also saw that India was either catering to very high-end segments like red carpet looks or something completely unconventional, when it came to international markets. There was nothing in-between these two extremes,” she states.
She then started her fashion brand – ‘Soul Quest’ in 2005. Through Soul Quest, Savitha wanted to promote the concept of handcrafted products. She worked with artisans from Lucknow, West Bengal, and Hyderabad, promoting textiles and embroideries like Khadi, Ikkat, Kantha, and Chikankari among others.
Her brand was well-received by many and Savitha steadily built her client base.
Aspiring for a ‘Clean Planet’
Happy with the success of her brand Soul Quest, Savitha started planning for other avenues she could explore.
It was here that providence intervened.
Women working in the stitching units.
Savitha chanced upon an article on the melting North Pole which left a lasting impression on her. She knew clearly then that sustainability would have to be the peg on which all her business plans would hinge from then on. She started thinking of creating an eco-conscious brand that wouldn’t compromise on the needs of the planet.
And that is how the idea of her brand, ‘Clean Planet’ came about.
She soon started looking and researching on the kind of products she could develop and manufacture under ‘Clean Planet’.
“I decided we could start out by making tote bags but I wanted to ensure that the product is made to last. These bags were also designed in a way that they could be mixed and matched with different outfits and used over a period of time,” explains Savitha. They also introduced pouches and sling bags.
The fabrics are sourced from artisans across Lucknow, West Bengal, and Gujarat. Other than working with freelance designers for different projects, Savitha has herself been very involved in the design process. Products that require a good finish like the laptop bags are stitched at professional tailoring units. While others are stitched by women’s groups within Mumbai and some based out of Raigad.
The laptop bags and sleeves that they make is 100 percent biodegradable and use fabric scraps as padding instead of foam.
To bring sustainability into everyday lives, Savitha also introduced cloth grocery bags that one can use to buy and store their vegetables in the refrigerator.
To check if her products were completely biodegradable, Savita even conducted a simple experiment.
She put a few of these samples in an earthen pot and buried it under the ground. Next to it, she planted a sapling to see if it would sustain and grow. Not only was the sapling growing well, Savitha found that six months later, only one strip of the fabric was left, while everything had decomposed.
Furthermore, in keeping with their goal to reduce waste, Clean planet started providing ‘upcycling services’, where they give your old clothes a new lease with their creativity. So, if you own a precious item made from fabric, handed down to you over years, you can simply take it to Clean Planet and they will breathe new life into it.
Consciousness is Contagious
Clean Planet’s values and concept quickly caught on with customers. Madhu Sagar, 63-year-old retired Chief General Manager of Bharat Petroleum discovered Clean Planet’s when they launched their tote bags back in 2013.
Formerly based out of Mumbai, she entered Clean Planet’s shop near VT station in South Bombay and immediately fell in love with their products.
Laptop sleeves which are 100% biodegradable.
“The design of the tote bags were so unique and I ended up buying one for myself,” says Madhu who now buys these bags in bulk not just for herself but also for her close friends and relatives.
Clean Planet also does its bit when it comes to reducing waste by reusing the fabric scraps in novel ways. They use these and make patchwork bags and wall hangings with beautiful embroidery. An old sari of Madhu’s has also been upcycled and transformed into beautiful bags by them.
“They reduce waste and promote values like recycling. I feel like their products will last 10 more years and I can continue using them,” she says.
Overcoming hurdles for a ‘green’ goal
Savitha faced a lot of operational challenges when she embraced sustainable products.
The first was to do with environmental consciousness among the consumers and their unwillingness to make small lifestyle changes.
Patchwork tote and sling
“I feel like there needs to be better collaboration between different stakeholders like the government, the education system and media to make people aware about the sustainable choices available,” she says.
Savitha mentions that since they heavily focus on the quality of products, the skill-sets available often don’t meet their set standards. But to overcome this, Savitha’s team visits the tailoring units, teaching the workers how to improve the finishing of each product.
After dealing with her own set of challenges, Savitha has a few pointers for other budding entrepreneurs.
“There are always going to be challenges but there are a lot more solutions. Always be authentic and stay true to your values. Don’t focus on peripheral goals because they only last a short while. And most importantly, be environmentally mindful of what you do because no one can do business on a dead planet,” she says.
So, what is Clean Planet working on now?
Clean Planet veggie and fruit bags that can be stored in the fridge.
Savitha informs that they plan on launching a fushion collection of products using natural fabrics. “The collection will combine sustainability with the best of India’s rich textile heritage,” she says.
This collection, which is slated to be launched towards the end of this year, will also cater to international markets.
“We must remember that environmental change cannot be brought about by civic or government bodies alone. For a macro level change, it must begin at home. We hope to catalyze a more sustainable, joyous and equitable world through our brand. We want to become India’s most loved eco-brand one day,” she says signing off.
Rapid fire: *An entrepreneur you admire.
Ans: Yvon Chouinard, the founder of Patagonia
*New tech that can transform the future of small businesses
Ans: I think the internet will have a greater role to play in the future.
*One value that can help small businesses thrive
Ans: Authenticity and blending purpose with passion
*Your favourite book
Ans: Business As Unusual by Anita Roddick
*In my free time I ____…
Ans: medidate and work on writing a book.
* Before this interview I was ____…
Ans: Speaking to customers
*Something they don’t teach in college but is important to run a business is
Ans: Critical life skills like environmental literacy and meditation.
*One question I always ask people while hiring is ____…
Ans: What was a challenge they faced at work and how they handled it.
*Best advice you ever got is to ____…
Ans: Follow my own passion and persevere.
The year 2016 was a especially hard one for Shruti Sethi. Her demanding job was stressing her out and things were not very pleasant at home either. The Mumbai resident was coming to terms with a troubled marriage. She knew she was clinically depressed but what added to the burden was the pressure to show a calm and happy face to the world.
And then, she was diagnosed with cancer.
“My body had started showing symptoms for a few months. I craved sugar more than ever, I got sick more often and my energy was at an all-time low. I blamed all of this on my lifestyle. But then a lump on my throat signalled towards something more serious. It wasn’t painful but it was unusual and I got tests done. I had Hodgkin’s lymphoma,” Shruti shares with The Better India (TBI).
Naturally, Shruti found it hard to process the news. She was just 34 and didn’t think she had the strength to face such a horrible truth. She retreated further into her shell, refusing to talk to even close friends.
“By then, I had separated from my husband. My parents lived in the USA and I had to go for chemotherapy all on my own. The only thought running in my head was, why me? I already had so much on my plate to deal with. Wasn’t that enough?” she shares.
Though she didn’t know it at the time, Shruti would go on to not only overcome a potentially deadly disease and also guide people to lead healthier lives. You can join her online workshop by clicking here.
Hodgkin’s lymphoma affects over two in 100,000 people in India. Early diagnosis can help one battle it but once it reaches a higher stage, it becomes increasingly difficult to triumph over it. By the time Shruti woke up to the very real possibility of the disease becoming fatal, she had already reached stage 3. She also knew it was still not too late to get serious about her treatment.
“Initially, it was difficult for me to accept the situation and I was in denial for a long time. A few lifestyle changes were inevitable but I started coughing abnormally in November of 2016. I couldn’t move my arm or neck. That’s when I snapped back to reality. I had reached the third stage of cancer and now, I had no choice but to accept it. Chemotherapies began and I had begun researching on how I could alter my lifestyle to deal with the aftermath of the chemo sessions,” she says.
Several doctors had suggested she switch to a plant-based diet. A vegetarian throughout her life, Shruti had to give up her favourite butter and cheese. But these were small prices to pay for her health. At the same time, she began practising yoga because chemotherapies were going to have a huge toll on her physical and mental health.
Speaking about her recovery, Shruti says, “Nutritionists had recommended a whole grain plant-based diet to me and an inclusion of anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer foods. A combination of effective chemo sessions and a vegan diet really helped me. I was cancer-free in four chemo sessions. During recovery, I could feel higher energy levels and although I was never a morning person, I could now wake up around 5 am for my yoga sessions. I lost my hair to chemotherapy but a high nutrition vegan diet brought them back!”
Shruti is happy to share that she has completely recovered from the lymphoma today and all of her medical reports since 2017 have been normal. She shifted to Jaipur a couple of years ago to start afresh and as she shared her story in her social circle, people encouraged her to become a life coach. A change she happily embraced.
“People battling diabetes, PCOS and other lifestyle diseases come to me seeking guidance on how to give up dairy. I walk them through the process and share recipes and tricks to incorporate a vegan diet in their lives. When you make a lifestyle change as huge as this, you need constant guidance and encouragement, at least in the initial stages. Through my social media groups, I provide them that,” says the cancer-survivor.
She has conducted successful sessions in Jaipur, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Dubai and other parts of the world. If you are on the brink of becoming vegan but just need the right push, then Shruti’s online workshop is the encouragement you need. She will give a demo showing how to prepare various dairy-and-preservative-free recipes and also show how to make almond milk, dairy-free curd, dairy-free buttermilk, peanut butter and vegan mayonnaise. You can learn all of this at the comfort of your home.
The Covid-19 pandemic has created a state of panic across the country. Especially in Maharashtra, as the state tops the list with the most number of confirmed positive coronavirus cases at 52 (as of 20 March 2020).
The state government has urged people to continue to self-quarantine and work from home. Yet, in these deeply testing times, several citizens have found themselves at the shorter end of the stick. Especially vulnerable senior citizens and people who have been stamped or issued letters to ‘self-quarantine’ to ensure safety but have no one to help them.
Several people have come forward to share their grievances about running out of essential groceries and vital medication. Many have been unable to step out to buy them, fearing the risk of infecting others or getting infected themselves.
In a heartwarming gesture that reinstates the spirit of Mumbai, city-based NGO, Project Mumbai has reached out to create an army of volunteers to deliver groceries and medicines to people in need.
Speaking to The Better India (TBI), CEO and founder of PROJECT MUMBAI, Shishir Joshi says, “I have been an active part of the process of looking at what can be done during this critical time. And though the Municipal Commissioner’s task force is already working in several areas, I felt that we as citizens have to step up and plug the gaps. Several people have returned to the city from different countries, tested negative but placed under mandatory home-quarantine.
“Also, senior citizens living alone are the most vulnerable of the lot, even if they do not have a history of travel. And for most, the question is, if they do not step out, where will the basic groceries and important medication come from? We want to plug this gap. Our effort will ensure those under home quarantine do not feel compelled to venture out to obtain essential supplies, thereby reducing the risk of infection to others.”
Explaining the initiative in detail, Joshi highlights the following points:
-The volunteers will not charge a penny for the delivery. It is free of cost.
-No request will be accepted without verification.
How will they validate genuine cases in need?
People under mandatory self-quarantine have to send a picture of their stamp and their letter over WhatsApp. When the case is verified, they process the request further. In instances where the person may not have an MCGM or municipal certificate, the team asks for boarding cards as evidence.
The volunteers extending their support will be given masks to ensure their safety.
There will be no physical contact at the time of delivery. To avoid contact, exchange of cash will be avoided, so the person in need has to make the payment online to Project Mumbai, who will then settle it with the retailers who supply the requirements.
Requests raised for medicines:
The delivery of the medicine will happen between 24-48 hours of the person raising the request. Ever since the social media post highlighting the campaign has gone live, an e-pharma retailer has come forward to aid Project Mumbai.
The person in need will have to submit their request, a photograph of their quarantine letter/stamp and the prescription. The Project Mumbai team will then get in touch with the e-pharma facilitator and ensure the medicine reaches the address.
“The E-pharma company that we are in talks with currently, has a large network not only in Mumbai but also in India. So this will help us scale the initiative to provide medicines anywhere in India.”
Requests raised for groceries:
“Considering that those under home quarantine will start running out of groceries in a few days and will be under isolation for no more than 14 days, we are working with retailers who have shown interest in making sealed food packages. These packages will come in two sizes – serving two and four people. These will contain essentials like wheat flour, rice, dal, soap, toothbrush, toothpaste, biscuits, oil, salt, sugar, spices etc. Our volunteers will deliver them to the homes of the verified individuals and vulnerable senior citizens”
How can you help?
Project Mumbai is looking for foot soldiers who can become a part of their army of volunteers to help people. If you are in Mumbai and willing to help, write to Shishir at shishir@projectmumbai.org. Don’t forget to add your full name, contact number and your location.
“For initiatives like these we owe a lot to the fantastic champion volunteers who have supported Project Mumbai always. It’s been less than 24 hours since our campaign went live and it has received an exceptional response. I urge volunteers to please come forward and join us to help Mumbai in these critical times. Your help will ensure that we reach out to those in need as soon and as effectively as possible, while not posing a risk to those around them,” appeals Joshi
With over 512 active Covid-19 cases and 10 deaths as of March 25, India has entered a 21-day lockdown to battle the deadly coronavirus.
As I sit before the computer, typing this story in the comfort of my home, I cannot help but acknowledge the privilege that working from home policy brings to people like me.
But what happens to those who do not have this option? The worst-affected are daily wage earners like domestic help, security guards, rickshaw drivers, handcart pullers, and waste pickers.
With their work and mode of income disrupted, the coming weeks look bleak for them, as their families run out of supplies.
In these testing times, a few heroes have stepped up to extend a helping hand. Here are six initiatives in four cities, ensuring that the needy do not go to bed hungry.
1. Hasiru Dala, Bengaluru
Bengaluru-based social impact organisation Hasiru Dala which works for the rights of waste pickers has identified more than 1,000 vulnerable waste picker families struggling with Below Poverty Line/ration cards, public housing and unpredictable income in over six cities and towns of Karnataka like Bengaluru, Mysuru, Tumakuru, Davanagere, Hubli and Dharwad.
Speaking to The Better India, founder Nalini Shekar says, “While most people have the privilege to work from home, waste picker families are struggling to make ends meet. The waste on the street that they pick has reduced, and their children are out of school without mid-day meals. More than 3,000 people are jobless with no source of income. Those who lack public housing and live in slums don’t have space or money to store food in large quantities. We are seeking funding and volunteers to provide care kits to these families.”
One care kit consists of 5 kg rice/wheat, 2 kg lentils and two bars of soap costing Rs 550, including transportation to their homes. Starting today, Hasiru Dala is distributing food to over 500 families.
Presently, the organisation is using its funds. But if the lockdown continues, the sustenance of the initiative seems complicated. You can help them by donating at
Account name: Hasiru Dala
Savings Account no: 64132965349
State Bank of India, Cauvery Bhavan Branch, Bengaluru
IFSC code: SBIN0003182
2. Youth for Unity and Voluntary Action (YUVA), Mumbai
Mumbai-based NGO Youth for Unity and Voluntary Action (YUVA) conducted an early assessment in 20+ settlements across four locations in the Greater Mumbai area —Vasai Virar, Mumbai, Navi Mumbai and Panvel where they work. They identified over 1,500 low-income and vulnerable families in dire need of support, in the wake of COVID-19.
YUVA launched its campaign ‘Together We Can’ to raise funds to offer emergency relief in the form of food kits to these marginalised families. The kit consists of rice, wheat, pulses, and oil, to last a week and costs Rs 600 per package.
In the last three days, the NGO’s volunteers have distributed these to 688 marginalised families comprising 3,440+ individuals.
Speaking to The Better India, Doel Jaikishen, a member of the organisation, said, “We are also desperately seeking recommended personal protective equipment (full body suits, gloves, masks) to increase the safety for our distribution team, and contacts of truck/tempo operators who can help us transport the food and speed up the process of distribution.”
Want to help YUVA? Donate here to help them arrange for more kits. Contact YUVA on 9830795695 or 9167723237.
3. Adhikar Foundation, Delhi
After the recent lockdown in Delhi, founder of Adhikar Foundation, Mohd Anas, started reaching out to daily wage earners, rickshaw pullers and drivers in Jamia Nagar, Okhla.
“The lockdown has left daily wage earners stranded. Many of these rickshaw pullers who live in cramped rooms with 10-12 members are largely dependent on small hotels and food joints for their supper. With the shutdown of those services and the lack of space to cook their food, we decided to deliver cooked food packets to them,” Anas told The Better India.
The food distribution drive started yesterday and will continue until 31 March 2020. It is providing meals twice a day to 400 people. The Foundation is working with a restaurant to cook this food.
“We deliver these packets at people’s doorsteps to avoid any mass gathering and are using safety measures like sanitisers and masks,” he adds.
People in need can place an order for lunch before noon, and for dinner before 7 pm. While a veg lunch/dinner plate costs Rs 90, a non-veg lunch/dinner plate will cost Rs 100. The funds required to cook food for 400 people come up to Rs 15,200 per day.
You can help Adhikar Foundation by donating at:
Adhikar Foundation
A/C- 430501000334
IFSC CODE- ICIC0004305
Branch: SAINI ENCLAVE
Phone Pay/Paytm- +91-8287059359
Contact Anas to know more about the initiative on +916397804723.
4. Palghar’s Lynette D’Souza
Borivali-based wildlife rescuer Lynette D’Souza who is currently living in her hometown in Palghar has also taken up the cause of supporting daily wage workers.
In a telephonic call with The Better India, Lynette shares, “I am a wildlife rescuer and an animal rights activist. When I decided to move to my Palghar home for the lockdown period, I took special permission from the Superintendent of Police to feed the strays here in the night. It was on one such visit five days ago that I met a few daily wage workers. My interaction pushed me to think about their plight. I have helped 30 people so far. I contacted my grocery seller to deliver the food kits to my home, which I now give to people in need.”
The food kit comprises rice, dal, oil and basic cooking spices.
D’Souza has shelled money from her pocket to fund the initiative. “We are financially comfortable. My husband is a gynaecologist; we run a hospital and a blood bank. So I am happy to help people.”
Those in need can collect the food kits from her for free from near Kanta Hospital, Palghar. You can contact her on 9765472264.
5. Roti Ghar, Mumbai
City-based social activist, Chinu Kwatra’s Roti Ghar, has opened its kitchen to cook food for daily wage earners.
Speaking to The Better India, Kwatra shared that the food distribution will start today where 1,000 freshly-cooked meals will be delivered to security guards, labourers, and rag pickers in Mumbai, Thane, Airoli, Bhiwandi.
He adds, “I am glad to inform you that seven of our members have received ‘essential service pass’ from Mumbai Police by DCP Zone – 9 to conduct Roti Ghar smoothly in this lockdown.”
To ensure the safety of the volunteers, there will be no mass gatherings. The food will be distributed in packets using vans. Also, the volunteers will wear protective equipment such as masks, goggles, gloves, caps and use sanitisers.
Roti Ghar will provide these meals twice a day. Each meal costs Rs 25. You can support this initiative by donating on:
Paytm/Google Pay on 9769181218
For Neft/Imps transfers:
Account holder’s name: Khushiyaan Foundation
A/c no: 919010011925633
IFSC code- UTIB0000772
Bank: Axis Bank
Branch – Ghodbunder Road, Thane
A/c type – Savings
6. Residents of Chennai unite to help conservancy workers
Not all superheroes wear capes. Many wear masks, hold brooms and carry barrels of piling garbage. Floods or crises like COVID-19, don’t stop conservancy workers. These foot soldiers of Chennai get down to the streets every day to ensure basic hygiene.
To support these workers, the civic body of Chennai is taking measures to provide them with sanitisers, gloves and disposable masks.
But with the situation on high alert, residents of Zone 13 Chennai have come forward to start a fundraiser. The conservancy workers work for menial salaries and have a hand-to-mouth existence with no pension or additional savings. Your contribution will help them build a supporting fund if (hopefully not) they fall ill.
The amount raised will be sent directly to their bank accounts.
Ever since the 21-day nationwide lockdown was announced, the lack of food supply is a common fear that has united people and sent them into a collective tizzy.
Due to restrictions in movement and transportation, food supply chains across India were disrupted. This led to a wave of worry on both sides, i.e., vendors and customers–especially in the case of fresh vegetables and fruits, that are a vital part of any healthy diet but are also perishable.
In Maharashtra, while the state government announced that vegetable markets could remain open 24/7 to meet the demands, Agrify Organic Solutions, a Mumbai-based startup has volunteered to home deliver fresh vegetables and fruits and has been working round the clock with 500 farmers in Nashik to ensure the same.
The 11-kilo box priced at Rs 650 contains vegetables like onion, tomato, potato, beetroot, ladyfingers, carrots, green peas, cabbage, cucumber, coriander, lemon and fruits such as oranges, papaya, grapes and guava and so on. The second box contains only vegetables and is priced at Rs 550, while the third box (Rs 600) comes without onions and potatoes.
Agrify also supplies vegetables and fruits to supermarkets like Star Bazaar.
“I was struck by the repercussions of a complete lockdown, and realised that the demand-supply equation could be balanced by connecting rural farmers with urban consumers. Once the logistics were figured out, we circulated a message on WhatsApp asking people to place their orders, says ” Urvish Bhaide, one of the three founders of Agrify, to The Better India.
Maintaining Hygiene & Social Distancing
Urvish had not anticipated the power of social media, and within the first 24 hours, they received around 15,000 inquiries from people. So far, they have accepted 10,000 orders, the delivery of which will take place from 28 March. Here’s how:
All the farmers engaged with the startup pack the vegetables and in clean warehouses from where it goes to Mumbai.
A 6-tonne capacity truck travels to the metro city every day carrying 2500 boxes from where it is distributed to the societies.
All the payments are made via digital modes like GPay, Paytm, and so on, and a customer is expected to pay only after the delivery.\
The boxes are delivered at one point of contact in the society, and every customer is expected to open the box in their house for hygiene purposes.
In uncertain times like these, individuals and organisations like Agrify Organic Solutions are restoring everyone’s faith in humanity and assuring that no challenging situation is big enough to tackle.
Please Note: With a call every minute and a flood of messages, the startup is unable to accept every order on the spot or answer each query due to insufficient staff. The startup is sorry for the same and will make up for each order.
Currently, it has stopped taking orders till 31 March and will resume from 1 April
Are you someone who loves make-up? Do you like looking at your most prized collection of lipsticks with pride and constantly see yourself browsing online for the right shade to go with the right outfits? Well, you’re not alone. Make-up can make or break any look and thus, is an inseparable aspect of how one presents themselves. And most of us do not really think of words like ‘animal cruelty’ or ‘vegan product’ while making purchases.
But, these words speak of the dark, ugly truth of the make brands we so love. Research conducted by Humane Society International, an animal welfare organisation, estimates that about 500,000 animals die across the world due to the tests conducted on them by the beauty industry.
Kajol is 23-years-old and founded Boss Lady- her vegan beauty brand, when she was only 21.
It’s also true that the cosmetics giants earn profits off the insecurities people about the way they look. Thus, humane and responsible beauty brands are the need of the hour.
While working as a make-up artist two years ago, Mumbai-based entrepreneur Kajol Mahendra Basna, had the same epiphany which unfolded new avenues for her.
“I found that most of these brands focus on telling people how their make-up can allow them to look like a completely new person. However, the whole idea of make-up is to help you embrace yourself by enhancing your own beauty,” says the 23-year-old. Furthermore, Kajol realised that using such brands was clashing with her ethics too. “I follow the ideals of not harming any other being. So, I knew that I wanted products that are cruelty-free,” she says.
This is the point where Kajol decided to start her own make-up brand and she was very clear about the value system based on which her company would be founded.
Thus, Kajol founded ‘Boss Lady’, a vegan, natural and cruelty-free cosmetics brand in February 2019. Her products are made using ingredients like jojoba oil, sunflower wax, almond oil, calendula wax among others.
Since they began their operations, Boss Lady has launched about 15 products that comprise different shades of lipsticks, eyeliners, and highlighters.
Forging her Own Path with Vegan Beauty Products
Boss Lady’s products are vegan, cruelty-free and natural.
Although Kajol had always been interested in make-up, the decision to take it up as a career came much later.
She graduated from Jai Hind College in 2017 with a Bachelor’s degree in History and Political Science. In the same year, she enrolled for a Master’s degree in Political Science from Shreemati Nathibai Damodar Thackersey (SNDT) Women’s University. But, just after a year’s time, she realised this is not where her passion lay.
“I knew that I wasn’t doing something I loved and as I loved make-up, I knew that is the path I should be embarking on,” says Kajol. So, with a clear vision in her mind to become a make-up artist, she enrolled for a Make-up artistry course spanning five years from Mumbai Fashion (MUF) Academy in 2018.
Once she finished the course, she started freelancing as a professional make-up artist with a studio in Mumbai. She would occasionally visit MUF as a makeup instructor while taking up small gigs on the side for events like weddings and editorial shoots.
“The weddings and the editorial shoots in itself had so many different kinds and styles that I could experiment with which depended on if it was a day look or a night-time look,” she says.
Kajol adds that this experience was very instrumental as it helped her learn about different skin tones and skin types which furthered her understanding of make-up and the needs of various skin tones and facial structures.
“However, there was no stable income in this as it solely depended on the number of clients I would get. So, I started applying for different online make-up e-commerce companies which were offering positions for a make-up artist who could create web content for them,” she says.
While waiting to hear back from these companies, she started her research on cosmetic companies. This research is what led to the founding of ‘Boss Lady’.
Starting from Scratch
Although the company began its operations in February 2019, it was registered in August 2018. Building a make-up business without knowing how to prepare the formulations was a big challenge for Kajol. So, she started looking at manufacturing units that were already producing makeup that matched her values of vegan, cruelty-free and all-natural products.
For this, she traveled all the way to Delhi and later Tamil Nadu to meet with such manufacturers but these earnest attempts did not bear any fruit.
“These manufacturers wanted larger orders and when I would calculate how much they’d charge per unit, the costs would shoot off the roof,” recalls Kajol. Disheartened, Kajol came back home, decided to take a step back and think about how she would manage the manufacturing bit of the operations in a feasible manner.
The first batch of vegan lipsticks made by Kajol in her kitchen
“Someone from MUF Academy was conducting a workshop on how to make cosmetics at home. I was immediately interested in that and there I learnt how to make lipsticks,” recalls Kajol.
“I realised I had been going about it all wrong by looking for manufacturers elsewhere when I could actually make it from my kitchen. I started experimenting with ingredients like almond oil, natural pigments, sunflower wax among others,” she says.
Kajol says that it took her months to perfect the formulations but she finally came up with a usable batch in early 2019. Since it was a small business at the time, she had to figure out the logistics and find manufacturers of packaging. She also had to get her products tested at a private laboratory for safety measures.
For the first few months, she took orders on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram. She gradually launched her website in May 2019 when the orders started flooding in.
“We organised a special Mother’s Day sale on the website and I launched some new colors at the time. Some of these shades were named after famous women like Frida Kahlo, Rosa Park, and one shade, I named after my mother, Dimple,” she says.
The different shades of Boss Lady’s vegan lipsticks
The response to her vegan products during that period was phenomenal and that gave her the confidence to stick to business ideas and improve her products even more.
Scaling the Business like a Boss
Although her small business was doing really well, Kajol knew that she wanted to scale her operations. To do that, she would need to get an FDA license which she did not possess at the time.
“Also, making the lipsticks at home wasn’t feasible anymore if I wanted to scale up. Thus, my search for the right manufacturers began again,” she says.
She found the perfect manufacturers in Belleza Italia, a manufacturer based out of Mumbai. These people not only possessed an FDA license for large scale manufacturing, but they also followed her ideals of veganism and chemical-free make-up, with all ingredients being ethically sourced.
“They were so helpful when I got in touch with them. Once it was finalised that they would do the manufacturing, we discussed the shades, the ingredients to use and even the packaging,” she says.
The different vegan highlighters being tested.
It was only in December last year when she relaunched her lipsticks with help from the manufacturers. Deciding to seek help from experienced manufacturers gave Boss Lady’s vegan products a new twist and also helped them garner customers.
Devashree Nampurkar for instance, first discovered Boss Lady’s products through an influencer online in January this year. What really attracted her to the product range were the colors and the packaging of the lipsticks.
“The shape of the lipstick cover is so interesting. It was almost like a locket that you can wear with a tiny metal plate attached to it that had the company’s name,” she says.
She also fell in love with the unique shades and ended by buying the ‘OMG OMG OMG’ lipstick and the ‘Hug all Day’ waterproof eyeliner. “Both of these products are really amazing. The vegan lipstick is a mix of wine and the mauve shade and you just need to apply one stroke and it will last you all day. I am looking forward to trying out more of their products,” she says.
Challenges of a Young Entrepreneur
Products being tested by focus groups
Kajol runs a one-woman show and hence, her day is jam-packed with things to do. She starts her day by going to the temple and once she is back she helps with the household chores. Once she is done with her breakfast, she goes to her small studio where she ships orders, plans meetings and marketing strategies. The journey this far hasn’t been a piece of cake for the young entrepreneur.
Kajol adds that since she is young, people often do not take her seriously. “People would constantly keep asking me in meetings if I knew what I am doing, what would be my contingency plan when this failed, how do I know if my idea is going to work. But, I have always believed in myself and that has helped me until now,” she says.
She also has a few words of encouragement for small business owners like herself.
“Becoming an entrepreneur is fun and exciting but it ain’t easy. However, you should never give up. Put in all your creativity, skills, passion and hard work in what you do. Make sure what you are doing is to create an impact and always be mindful of the environment while doing your business,” she says
So, what lies ahead for Boss Lady?
Kajol informs that she is currently working on developing and launching a summer collection that would comprise beautiful shades. “I have always believed that makeup should be inclusive and it’s for all genders. So, in our focus group who try our products, we have most women and men,” she says. She’s confident that it would be well received by people.
“Becoming a billion-dollar company is not really my vision. In the long-run, I want to become a household name without having to compromise on my values. What I really hope for is that Boss Lady’s products become a part of everyone’s vanity bags,” she says signing off.
Rapid-fire: *An entrepreneur you admire.
Ans: Kari Mehta, founder – CEO, Humans Of Bombay.
*New tech that can transform the future of small businesses
Ans: Plastic-free sustainable packaging materials.
*One value that can help small businesses thrive
Ans: Being true to yourself about your brand values.
*Any app/software that helps you manage your work Ans: PlannerPro
*Your favourite book
Ans: Kite Runner by Khalid Hosseini
*In my free time I ____…
Ans: Watch films, spend time with my family & organise/ clean my home/studio
* Before this interview I was ____…
Ans: Working in my studio
*Something they don’t teach in college but is important to run a business is
Ans: How to do taxes, negotiate, and deal with failures
*One question I always ask people while hiring is ____…
Ans: What is their biggest failure
*Best advice you ever got is to ____…
Ans: If you ever cry, stand up while you do it.
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought the world to its knees. And in the line of fire are doctors, nurses, healthcare workers passionately and devotedly racing against time, trying to help those infected by the virus.
Fortunately, they are not alone in this war. Many individuals, groups, and corporate houses from a range of fields are extending a hand of help to all those working at the frontlines.
One such group is Boson Machines, a 3D printing start-up based in Mumbai. It was when Arjun and Parth Panchal, brothers, engineers and co-founders of the start-up, were thinking of ways their expertise could help during the COVID-19 crisis that Dr Swapneil Parikh, an alumnus of Jaslok Hospital, approached them.
The Boson Team. Image Courtesy: Arjun Panchal
“I am an Internal Medicine Specialist and have been studying Coronavirus since January this year. As a medical professional, it was clear to me that the disease is going to spread quickly across the world and so, contingency plans were necessary,” Dr Parikh shares with The Better India (TBI).
In his search for Mumbai-based multidisciplinary professionals willing to contribute to the society by fighting the virus, Dr Parikh came in touch with the brothers at Boson Machines.
“Using 3D printing technology, we, together with Dr Parikh, decided to make face shields for the use of doctors and nurses,” Arjun tells TBI. Within a week, Boson Machines supplied nearly 5,000 shields to Mumbai hospitals.
Frontline Soldiers without Adequate Equipment:
The face shield as used by a medical professional. Image Courtesy: Arjun Panchal
The utility of face shields is high considering that an N95 mask covers the nose, mouth and chin, with large parts of the face uncovered.
Boson’s plastic face shield can protect the wearer if an infected person sneezes, or coughs near them. Speaking to the Indian Express, Parth said, “We went to the hospital for three days, worked on three to four iterations of the design and sat with a panel of five to eight doctors to finalise the design of face shields as recommended by them. Once that was done, we started production of 20 to 30 3D printed face shields.”
“The safety gear is not just limited to doctors. Everyone from the doctor to sweepers needs what we call the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). These include masks for protection of nose and mouth, face shields to protect eyes and other parts, cap to protect hair as well as a gown. Complete external protection is crucial when it comes to a disease as contagious as COVID-19,” says Dr Parikh.
He also informs how the entire process from the first design, prototype to final design and production was done in just under 7 days.
“The mask is made of PVC and is designed to cover the face, earlobes and extend beyond the chin and up to the chest. This is to provide extra protection to the user. The plastic needs to be discarded after use but when it comes to healthcare professionals who are not in direct contact with COVID-19 patients, the plastic can be sterilised and reused,” adds Arjun.
Cost & Production of the COVID-19 Face Shields:
Face shields in the making. Image Courtesy: Arjun Panchal
Boson Machines is a small team and currently, about 14 people are operating machines to make as many face shields as possible. “The start-up is about three years old but this is the first time we have entered the medical field. Keeping in mind how delicate the COVID-19 situation is, we need to be very careful. We have 60-70 automated machines operating and each machine takes up to two hours to make one face shield. Our current capacity is between 500-800 pieces a day,” Arjun tells TBI.
But the clock is ticking and thousands of doctors and nurses are in need of such equipment every day. As of now, 1,251 Coronavirus cases have been confirmed in India and unfortunately, the disease shows no sign of slowing down currently. Sadly, medical professionals in Mumbai hospitals, and across India, are facing a shortage of N95 and surgical masks.
India cannot afford to have her health professionals contracting the virus during this critical time.
“Jaslok hospital, where I underwent training, had approached me to get 2000 face shields. Later, Kasturba hospital had the same requirement and Boson has been doing the job well,” says Dr Parikh.
The Municipal Corporation of Mumbai has also backed the project and soon, a bigger factory for Boson Machines may open where more machines and manpower could operate.
“They want us to make 8000 pieces a day. We mandate all our machines to be sanitised and operators to wear gloves and masks at all times. These precautions will continue in the bigger production set up too,” Arjun clarifies.
When asked about the cost, the engineer tells us that they are currently selling the shields to private hospitals at a rate of Rs 150-200 per sheet subject to the quantity ordered. Separate plastic sheets are sold at Rs 40. However, they are providing the shields to government hospitals free of charge.
“We all need to be safe or no one is safe. And this is the time for action. With people like Arjun and Parth who don’t come from the medical field but are happy to help, we can do this together,” says Dr Pareikh, and we could not agree more. Only united efforts can help India tackle COVID-19.
As a mum, entrepreneur Monisha Narke started becoming environmentally concerned when she noticed its impact on her child about ten years back. “My daughter would constantly get coughing fits and I started becoming very worried. She was only four years old at the time and I did not want to put her on any kind of medication. Instead, I wanted to fix the problem once and for all,” recalls the 45-year-old.
Knowing that air pollution and at times, allergens are the primary reasons for coughing bouts, the concerned mother began reading up on both. She realised that out of the many contributors, the problem of dumping and burning garbage could be fixed at home fronts.
RUR’s awareness workshops in schools
“Burning of garbage leads to emission of greenhouse gases and an increase in the levels of particulate matter in the air which is a big hazard to people’s health. This, I realised, could definitely be managed and I knew that change must start at home,” she says.
Thus, at home, she diligently started segregating her waste and learnt how to prepare compost by getting in touch with people/organisations offering such knowledge and those who were practicing it.
“Turns out, I could grow a muskmelon in my very own window grill from my first compost! I was excited to see the magic of nature. It then struck me that if recycling such little waste at home can give such massive gains, imagine what the results if recycling was adopted by several households,” says an excited Monisha.
She then spoke to a group of moms from her daughter’s school and they too echoed similar concerns. All these moms joined hands and formed a volunteer group in mid-2009 called, RUR or ‘Are you Reducing, Reusing, Recycling?’
Bio-degradable waste being collected for composting
In these 10 years of operations, the impact has been tremendous. RUR recycles over 750 tonnes of waste annually, mitigating over 80 tonnes of CO2 annually, informs Monisha.
They have educated over 30 lakh people through their workshops and set up their bio-composters in about 100 sites and sold over 200+ units!
From a Volunteer’s Initiative to a Social Enterprise
RUR members explored all avenues to take their crusade against environmental pollution to people. They routinely conducted eco-bazaars, eco-awareness workshops on composting and other green practices that one could adopt at home. They would also look at how waste was being managed in the city and would inspect landfill sites.
One such site was Asia’s largest dumping ground situated in Mumbai – the Deonar landfill. “Trekking up the piles of waste, I realised that we needed simple, innovative, attractive solutions to recycle biodegradable waste at source to reduce the waste being dumped,” she says.
Monisha, the founder of RUR
Thus in 2010, Monisha decided to convert her awareness initiative into a social enterprise and founded RUR Greenlife in 2010. Under this, she started working on decentralised and sustainable waste management solutions. Her group members happily continue to associate as volunteers once in a while with Monisha’s company.
The enterprise started conducting awareness and waste management workshops in housing communities, schools, and offices in Mumbai.
They also collaborated with Tetra Pak India and launched the, ‘Go Green with Tetra Pak’. Under this flagship program, RUR set up collection centres out of major retail stores across Mumbai like Sahakari Bhandar and Reliance Fresh, where one could drop off their used Tetra Pak cartons. These cartons are later recycled into composite sheets which are again transformed into useful products like school desks, garden benches, pen stands, coasters, trays among others.
Additionally, she innovated aerobic bio-composters that they designed and developed in-house which were later set up in individual homes, housing communities, offices, and other institutions.
Engineer, Mum and Eco-warrior
Since childhood, Monisha always wanted to become an engineer. “My father was an engineer-entrepreneur running his own company and my brother too was an engineer. I would often visit my father’s factory and learn about how different machines worked. I was so fascinated and inspired,” recalls Monisha.
In 1992, she joined Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute (VJTI) in Mumbai to pursue Bachelor degree in Engineering in Electronics. After getting her degree in 1996, she decided to get a Master’s in Industrial Engineering and Engineering Management from Stanford University in the US.
Used Tetra Pak cartons flattened and ready to be recycled
In 1998, she landed a job in Sun Microsystem, an IT company based out of California in Supply Chain Management and worked there for two years.
Thereafter, she returned to Mumbai and joined Klenzaids Contamination Controls, a company her father founded in 1979. This company produced equipment for other companies in the pharmaceutical and biotech sector. Here, Monisha was responsible for managing the technology development sector. Once she had fully immersed herself in RUR’s activities, she left her job and worked to take RUR’s operations and reach farther.
‘Cartons Le Aao, Classroom Banao’
When Monisha first decided to start operations for RUR after it was re-invented as a social enterprise, she knew this was something she couldn’t do alone. So, she started out by hiring two people, one responsible for managing different projects that came their way and the other who would help her with product design.
Used Tetra Pak cartons are recycled to make beautiful products like penstands and coasters
Her team also helped her with conducting workshops for corporates, educational institutions, and housing complexes. This was a crucial source of revenue for her at the time.
During this time, Monisha did a lot of groundwork to understand how recycling worked at large and visited a lot of conferences to connect with people working in this sector. She also conducted research on different kinds of recycling units and was particularly intrigued by how Tetra Pak cartons were recycled.
“I learnt about how recycled Tetra Pak cartons could be recycled to produce composite sheets. These composite sheets I found were used to make the seats inside autos and could be used in many other ways,” she recalls
To quell her curiosity, she decided to visit a recycling facility in Vapi that recycled these Tetra Pak cartons. She met the Tetra Pak team there and realised that they were keen on scaling up recycling of their cartons. Their objectives aligned – to reduce climate impact.
An array of RUR’s products made from reycled Tetra Pak cartons
This chance discussion and a vision to maximise recycling led to a unique collaboration. “We realised that one way to spread awareness about the recyclability of Tetra Pak cartons was to set up collection centres that were frequented by people. ‘Go Green with Tetra Pak’ program was launched in 2010 and it is a collaborative partnership with Tetra Pak, RUR Greenlife, Sahakari Bhandar and Reliance Fresh,” she says.
In Mumbai, they currently have 44 such public collection centres at stores and 180 private collection centres in societies, schools, offices and other institutions. They have also set up five such centres at Reliance Fresh stores in Pune. Once these cartons are sent to the recycling units and converted to composite sheets, RUR buys back some of it depending on their requirement.
In their Umbergaon facility in Gujarat, these sheets are converted into small products like pen stands, coasters, photo frames and even benches!
Desks made by recycling used Tetra Pak cartons have been donated to schools
In 2012, under the ‘Go Green with Tetra Pak’, the ‘Cartons Le Aao, Classroom Banao’ campaign was launched where used Tetra Pak cartons were recycled to make benches which would be donated in government schools.
Similarly, they also launched the ‘Bin Se Bench Tak’ campaign that used the same composite sheets to make garden benches. This initiative has gained a lot of momentum and its popularity among the masses helped the collaborative donate about 150+ garden benches and 260+ school desks until now.
One of these schools was the Supari Tank Municipal School in Bandra, Mumbai. Madhuri Francis D’Souza, the Headmaster at the school, informs that they received 10 desks in 2018.
The 54-year-old says that seeing what recycling Tetra Paks can do, the children have been driven to be more active in the collection drives. “The children were so driven and inspired. Each student makes sure they get at least one or two used Tetra Pak cartons. The children’s mindsets have completely changed from the awareness they created,” she says.
We Drive Change Together
RUR’s bio-composters that has been developed by founder Monisha
An Engineer and innovator at heart, Monisha also wanted to develop a bio-composter and worked on perfecting it from 2014 to 2016.
“From my own experience with composting, I knew what issues people were facing. The conventional systems that are available right now are labour intensive, messy and generate a lot of odour. I realised people needed technology that was easy to use,” she says
RUR launched their first model of the bio-composter in 2016 and has been certified by Indian Green Building Council and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). The Aerobic RUR Greengold Bio-composter (RGGC), as it is called, composts biodegradable wet kitchen waste between 800 gms per day to 200 kg per day with the XS, S, M, L models that it is available.
The RGGC-XS model costs about Rs. 15,000 while the RGGC-L model costs Rs. 62,000 per unit. They currently have it installed in 100 sites and offer annual maintenance services as well.
A customer using RUR’s biocomposter
Rukimini Datta, 46, a Mumbai based social service sector consultant, has RUR’s bio-composter systems installed in her apartment complex. There are about 21 households living in the complex and they have been using that since October last year.
“People think that there must be an immediate problem at hand to take action and maybe that is why people don’t proactively care about environmental issues. But, I am happy that RUR has been able to bring awareness about composting,” says the believer of a zero-waste lifestyle.
The compost they generate is used for gardening in their complex and is also used by home-owners with green fingers.
Overcoming Hurdles for a Greener Future
Monisha believes that to power through a busy day, one needs to keep fit and start their day on an energetic note. So, she plays tennis every morning, after which she eats a sumptuous breakfast and prepares her kids’ lunchboxes.
The compost that is ready to be used in the gardens
She then plans the agenda for the day and prioritises tasks for herself and her team. On some days, she visits the composting sites or conducts workshops to raise awareness. She also regularly visits the factory to oversee the operations.
However, it hasn’t been a bed of roses for the entrepreneur and she has faced her own set of challenges.
“People do not realise that even if municipal bodies collect your waste, you cannot be sure that the waste is easily disposed of. But since, since waste is collected right at their doorstep it’s sort of an easy way out for them to centralised waste management model. They don’t want to go that extra mile to manage their own waste,” she explains.
But to tackle this challenge, Monisha formed a troop of ‘green champions’, who are basically people she meets through her workshops “They raise awareness on issues like the importance of segregating your waste, reusing, composting and recycling,” she says.
Veggies grown using compost prepare by RUR’s bio-composter
She also has a few words to offer advice to owners of small businesses.
“Small businesses can play a pivotal role in protecting our planet. It’s important to imbibe sustainable practices in business practices. Look at eco-packaging for example to ensure minimal carbon footprint. Founders can also encourage their employees to become eco-conscious and minimise waste. Grow green plants in and around their offices and start segregation of waste and its management in their offices,” she says.
So, after an impactful decade what lies in store for RUR?
Monisha informs that they are currently working on designing and developing a model for large scale composting. They are also working on harnessing technology to make it easier for citizens to compost at source to minimise waste.
The used Tetra Pak cartons are collected to be recyled
“Our vision is to be a one-stop solution for decentralised waste management solutions. We want to have over 200 composting projects across India to mitigate waste from going into landfills. We hope the compost produced is used to increase green cover and improve air quality in cities. We are keen to develop environmental solutions through our projects,” says Monisha signing off.
Rapid-fire: *An entrepreneur you admire.
Ans: Nina Lekhi, founder of Baggit
*New tech that can transform the future of small businesses
Ans: Data Analytics
*One value that can help small businesses thrive
Ans: Sustainability
*Your favourite book
Ans: Siddhartha by Herman Hesse
*In my free time I ____…
Ans: Play tennis, swim, practice yoga, do gardening, and trek
* Before this interview I was ____…
Ans: Excited!
*Something they don’t teach in college but is important to run a business is
Ans: Passion
*One question I always ask people while hiring is ____…
Ans: The three green practices they follow in their lives
*Best advice you ever got is to ____…
Ans: “Trivia maketh the masterpiece,” meaning look into minute details
“Kitchens should never stop functioning. Even at our homes, the only time the kitchen stops working is if something is seriously wrong. If I feel that way about my home’s kitchen, why should my company’s kitchen be any different?” says Dev Amritesh, Managing Director of Compass Group, one of the largest contract food service providers. Under its initiative Let’s Feed Together, Compass Group has served more than 6.7 lakh meals to the needy since the lockdown across Delhi/NCR, Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad.
In this article, Amritesh explains to us how the idea germinated, what the group is currently doing, how they manage the logistics and the impact of their initiative.
How the Images of Migrant Workers Led to The Initiative
At the food distribution site.
“As news of the spread of COVID-19 started trickling in, many large corporations we were serving started asking their employees to work from home. This, followed by the national lockdown, meant that all our kitchens were effectively shut for operations,” says Amritesh.
At the same time, the images of the migrant workers left a deep imprint on Amritesh. “All the pictures we saw of people walking without any access to food was one of the triggers that led us to brainstorm on how we can help.”
“Our group has formidable infrastructure with industrial scale kitchens and my colleagues have a high degree of expertise in feeding thousands of people every day. I felt that if we do not use it now, then when?” he adds.
When Compass Group India tweeted about the initiative, it started the snowballing of support, and Amritesh says that soon enough state governments also started approaching them for help.
Swiggy and Compass Group, India got together and did amazing today. We cooked and delivered close to 20K meals to support Govt. of Delhi’s efforts to feed the needy. Teams worked all night and day, tirelessly. Salute to their Heroism #CompassStrong#COVID19#Swiggy@harshamjtypic.twitter.com/faN3GeHTwJ
Amritesh’s plan needed three key ingredients to be successful – cooking infrastructure, ability to distribute, and access to funds. “We had the first part, and we tied up with partners on ground who were capable of distributing food to the right group of people. What we needed was access to funds. We felt the best way to raise funds was to invite everyone to come on board and purchase meals for those who cannot afford it through an online portal called – Let’s Feed Together,” he explains.
Let’s Feed Together enables us to sponsor meals to those in need. It tracks the number of meals ordered, meals served, and also lists the beneficiaries who get the food. The food is cooked in the Compass kitchens and with the help of government agencies and NGO partners, the food is distributed amongst the right people.
Busy kitchen
Amritesh tells us more about the meals served to the people.
“We prepare fresh food each day. Each meal weighs about 450 gms and is wholesome and nutritious. Some of the things that are prepared include – Achari dal khichdi with vegetables, vegetable Sambar rice, tomato khichdi with vegetables, among others.”
Additionally, the Group also uploads a timely report of the number of beneficiaries served, their details and the meals they are being served to help donors feel an active part of the process.
Building Team Spirit
Team members
Amritesh is especially proud of how the entire Compass team has come together in making this possible. People are donning unfamiliar roles to contribute for this cause.
Citing an example, Amritesh says, “Siddharth Nair, who usually heads HR Operations has been busy taking on the role of the staff driver during this period, ferrying staff to the kitchens, while the National head for Mobilisations – Kumar Shaswat has taken over the role of a packaging supervisor.”
“Often, I get messages from our delivery partners and team on-ground about those who are served and it is these messages that keep us going,” says Amritesh.
This, at a time when their primary source of revenues – of catering to corporations – has literally come to a standstill. Yet, the fact that the staff feels so passionately about this cause is inspirational.
“This is not just a job for us anymore – it’s our way of contributing and doing our bit during these tough times,” concludes Amritesh.
You Can Help!
Support this cause.
You can choose to order meals to the needy. All you have to do is log on to the website Let’s Feed Together and click on the number of meals you would like to order. Each meal costs Rs 30 to prepare and deliver. You can choose to sponsor between 50 – 5,000 meals per day, or even higher if you like.
You can also reach out to them via e-mail – compass@letsfeedtogether.com
