pourakarmikas

The EMPRI office at Doresanipalya Forest Campus was abuzz from 8 a.m. on Tuesday, 14th March 2017. EMPRI staff, researchers, citizen activists, representatives from BBMP, Hasiru Dala,  workers and rag pickers, all wearing black Tee shirts waited for the signal to start off a procession. The message was simple but vital -  Say no to Plastic.    Roping in a few residents from the area, we from PNLIT were also a part of the procession shouting slogans and walking from EMPRI Office towards our Puttenahalli Lake. It drizzled. People on the road took shelter and listened to our slogans as…

The EMPRI office at Doresanipalya Forest Campus was abuzz from 8 a.m. on Tuesday, 14th March 2017. EMPRI staff, researchers, citizen activists, representatives from BBMP, Hasiru Dala,  workers and rag pickers, all wearing black Tee shirts waited for the signal to start off a procession. The message was simple but vital -  Say no to Plastic.    Roping in a few residents from the area, we from PNLIT were also a part of the procession shouting slogans and walking from EMPRI Office towards our Puttenahalli Lake. It drizzled. People on the road took shelter and listened to our slogans as…

Volunteers from Kasa Muktha Bellandur presented a small token of appreciation to the invisible & often neglected workforce of our society by distiributing cloth bags & sweets to the Pourkarmikas by the volunteers at various muster points (Doddakaneli, Panathur Bridge and Sarjapura Total mall) on the occasion of Ganesha Festival. Every morning even before we have our first cuppa tea, all these workers are out there on the ground, sweeping streets, picking up our garbage & keeping our surroundings a little more cleaner (to be dirtied by the citizens once again - day after day!). We understand that a lot needs…

Volunteers from Kasa Muktha Bellandur presented a small token of appreciation to the invisible & often neglected workforce of our society by distiributing cloth bags & sweets to the Pourkarmikas by the volunteers at various muster points (Doddakaneli, Panathur Bridge and Sarjapura Total mall) on the occasion of Ganesha Festival. Every morning even before we have our first cuppa tea, all these workers are out there on the ground, sweeping streets, picking up our garbage & keeping our surroundings a little more cleaner (to be dirtied by the citizens once again - day after day!). We understand that a lot needs…

Monday, May 9th brought us a surprise - the Commissioner for SWM Bangalore, Subodh Yadav was coming to Ward 80 for an interaction with RWA’s, residents and civic officials. I say surprise, because we were told at 7.30 am on Monday that we had to be present at 9 am. However, Yadav’s office had informed BBMP officials three days earlier! It was an interesting event - many of us were meeting him for the first time. Unfortunately it was a meeting without a preset agenda, perhaps the whole plan of local officials. The menace of Indira Nagar’s garbage was discussed,…

Monday, May 9th brought us a surprise - the Commissioner for SWM Bangalore, Subodh Yadav was coming to Ward 80 for an interaction with RWA’s, residents and civic officials. I say surprise, because we were told at 7.30 am on Monday that we had to be present at 9 am. However, Yadav’s office had informed BBMP officials three days earlier! It was an interesting event - many of us were meeting him for the first time. Unfortunately it was a meeting without a preset agenda, perhaps the whole plan of local officials. The menace of Indira Nagar’s garbage was discussed,…

People from very different walks of life gathered on a sidewalk today. The common thread linking them all was "dignity" and an inexplicable oneness. A cleaner street and gifts for people were mere by products. Over a month, led by Anjali Saini and her team, well heeled residents of communities worked side by side with BBMP garbage collectors, children, housewives, small shopkeepers and villagers. They took former black spots aka garbage heaps and open sewers and transformed them. Then they took pride in it and kept it that way. Today they came together to honour those that either made it…

People from very different walks of life gathered on a sidewalk today. The common thread linking them all was "dignity" and an inexplicable oneness. A cleaner street and gifts for people were mere by products. Over a month, led by Anjali Saini and her team, well heeled residents of communities worked side by side with BBMP garbage collectors, children, housewives, small shopkeepers and villagers. They took former black spots aka garbage heaps and open sewers and transformed them. Then they took pride in it and kept it that way. Today they came together to honour those that either made it…