Feb 22 Museum clean up: report
– by Cris
Another Sunday and another clean up. We made a second go at museum today. This time, we literally became an international association!! Merle who joined us hails from US and shes been the most punctual of us all!
Progress: museum premises were amazingly cleaner than how we found it four weeks ago, for our first clean up. I don’t know if it was a result of our work or if something else is going on. Anyhow, it was a pleasure to see it.
We used more placards this time. Aravind brought professional placards, and people stopped to read it and ask us about it. This time a few showed interest to join the campaign. I wouldn’t say it’s a remarkable leap but it was still a step forward and any change at all is encouraging.
Merle had also brought a friend with her – Rakhi. Shes promised to spread this further. Hopefully we can start our campaign in different parts of India, this week! I will update about this, once I have more information.
Ashith and Anju were two other new volunteers while Meenakshi brought 3 more with her.
Ajai, another new member came with a number of black trash bags for all of us!
The main trouble as usual was in finding space in the limited number of trash cans they had there. We squeezed in as much as we could.
Post clean-up discussions were as fruitful as always. We had a round of cool drinks/ coffee at the Museum canteen 
Bringing in more trash cans and arranging a proper disposal system in as many locations as we can is our next big challenge. Hope we overcome it soon enough
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Encounter with a Stranger
– by Srijith V
I was having some snacks with a cup of coffee at a stall near Technopark. It is my usual place for morning coffee and I know the regulars there. But I was late that day, and there were only a few North Indians there. Just then, Anjali – the RJ from ClubFm who hosted the interview with TidyCity last Tuesday, called me to ask about the program. I had a short chat with her and thanked her for the support they gave for TidyCity.
Meanwhile I finished my plate of snacks, and ofcourse my ever-unsatisfied stomach wanted more. I went over to the trash bin to drop my napkins and biscuit wrapper (well not exactly a bin; its a plain packing box which you understand as a this-is-where-trash-goes-in only after seeing the amount of trash inside it (talk about re-use! )).
“Nice! TidyCity??”, said a voice and I turned back.
One of the North Indians I saw eating there was standing behind me with a grin on his face.
Stranger : “TidyCity right? ”
Me : “Yes!! ”
Stranger : “You seemed to be familiar. I heard ‘TidyCity’ from your phone conversation . I think I have seen you in The Hindu”
Me : “Ofcourse. We were featured last week. TidyCity is a group for people working…”
Stranger(Interrupts) : ” I know! I was watching you to see whether you actually do what you preach! Nice work. I would like to join you guys.”
Me : “Well, you are welcome! ”
And I explained to him how to join us. His ID told me that he was working in UST.
I grabbed another set of snacks and went back to my table. By the time I finished half of it, the stranger got up from his seat which was opposite to mine and prepared to leave the place. His table proved that he was just like me (in that we had similar kind of appetite); but then a couple of more guys were there with him. The table was a mess with biscuit wrappers, napkins and Frooti packs. He took his bag from the table in a sweep and most of the leftovers that he collected on the table were thrown to the floor. He turned back and passed a warm goodbye smile to me. “I’ll be there with you guys on next Sunday!!”
With a perplexed expression on my face I looked at him and then at the mess he was leaving behind. Seems like he got the point. “I am sorry Srijith. Didnt see it “. He went on to pick it up and dump it in the trash box.
I hope he will join will us . It’s a pleasure to see people appreciating our actions and showing genuine interest to join us.
And now I know that people will be watching us to see whether we are doing it right. So guys, remember our first and foremost objective: set an example. Never let any one question you for littering around! Show by example and they are sure to follow you!
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Meeting Kanakunnu officials
– by Sreenath N
Yesterday (Wednesday), Dr. Swapin and I had a meeting with the Kanakakunnu Palace authorities. The 2 of us met at the palace entrance at 12.00 PM. Earlier in the morning, Cris had called the palace office and obtained permission for our visit.
We were not the only ones who had come to meet the Superintendent. A group of students from Lourdes Matha Engineering College had arrived before us and they were let in first. While we waited for the students to finish, we enjoyed the grandeur of the palace.
We happened to overhear some part of the conversation the students were having with the Superintendent. They had come to book the palace grounds for their college function. The Superintendent was explaining the do’s and don’ts to them. He was particularly stressing on the trash disposal system. Previously, it seems, some college students, had not cleaned up the premises as promised and the authorities had to employ other people to do that. Incidentally, we, from TidyCity had our Kanakakunnu clean up on that very day…
“Look, it even came in the papers…Kanakakunnu officers and Superintendent must reply for the garbage heaps that are piling up in the Palace grounds”, the Superintendent quoted from a newspaper. He told them that the corporation should be paid an amount of Rs 500 for trash clearance during such events. He said that he would not allow any food stalls – citing that paper napkins will make a large portion of the trash they leave behind, if he did. He winded up their conversation and gave them the details of the amount to be paid for booking the auditorium.
We were called in next. Dr. Swapin introduced TidyCity to the Superintendent. As soon as he mentioned the Right to Information petition we took with us, the Superintendent called back the college students.
“Did I not tell you that these are serious things….See this…These people have come up with an RTI. Well, we will have to revise the rates that I mentioned earlier. You will have to pay the full caution deposit, and only then, you can book this place for your function….”, he said.
The students had no choice but to agree. Before they left, I just gave a small outline about TidyCity and collected the phone number from one of them. I told that we will contact them in two days time.
Dr. Swapin had brought the printouts of the online edition of The Hindu Metro Plus that featured our Veli clean up. He also had with him, a few printouts with some details about TidyCity and the Right to Information petition. He handed these to the Superintendent.
The Superintendent glanced through all these and then read the petition, taking time. Settling down, he started talking. Few excerpts from his talk are as follows:
“The palace grounds cover an area of 33.5 acres. There are three entrances and the whole area is patrolled by just 4 security guards. Entry into the premises is not restricted during any time of the day.
Majority of the people who visit this place, carry food items and plastic bottles with them. The authorities usually warn these people whenever they see them littering, but they would not be able to cover the entire area. The only help they get is from the Tourism Police, who pay occasional visits. These visits prove quite effective.”
To our query about the palace not having any waste bins, he replied that the usual practice is to collect all the trash and burn it. During functions, the ground is given for rent on the condition that all trash would be cleared by the organizers.
Trash collection is usually taken care of by Kudumbashree units and the collected trash is taken away by the corporation. But this system is not followed here as the corporation has to be paid an amount of Rs.500 each time.
A ban on plastic would be nice but would be hard to enforce, as it would require at least one security guard at the gate, solely for this purpose.
Our petition had two questions. The first one was whether we are allowed to install waste bins. The second one was on whom to be contacted regarding the same.
The Superintendent said that we were welcome to install our bins in the palace grounds. He said that if we can supply our boards or signs, he would happily display them.
He asked us to contact Mr. P G Sivan, Deputy Director of the Department of Public Information as he is the one who should be officially accepting the petition.
He also asked us to get in touch with Mr. K A Aurangazeb, Additional Director of Hospitality, for further guidance.
The Superintendent then made a call to Mr. P G Sivan and told him about our petition. “The questions they have asked are simple ones, but what they have written above that (our details including our last week’s clean up), will definitely give you a shock”, he told the Deputy Director.
Before we took our leave, he extended his complete support for our activities. He asked us whether we could come and talk to the students during the next few weekends, when college functions would be held there.
Our next destination was the Department of Public Information, located opposite to the Museum. The receptionist there directed us towards Mr Sivan. We handed over the petition to him. Dr.Swapin briefed him about our activities and on why we were there.
After reading the petition, the Deputy Director asked us how many bins were we planning to install and how big those bins were. We replied that we have not designed any bins as such and that we were enquiring about how we could be of help to keep the palace grounds clean. He also asked us how we are planning to get the bins emptied.
Dr.Swapin stressed on the point that we are not aiming to clean up a whole city, but to spread awareness among people against littering.
The Deputy Director was of the opinion that we could have just taken permission from the Superintendent regarding the installation of bins and that there really was no need of the petition. But he assured us that the petition would be followed up in the right procedure.
We thanked him and winded up our meeting.
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Adopting a technique for the entire museum campus that already exists for zoo maintenance
– by Mohideen
In the Trivandrum museum compound, there is a zoo. At the entry point of the zoo, there are security guards who check any one going inside the zoo with plastic, food and other items which maybe littered later ( after use ). They ask people to keep it in a locker, available near the premises, at a charge of Rs.2 per locker. Why don’t they adopt the same system for the entire museum compound except maybe the cafeteria.
Adopting this system would be better for the following reasons.
1) System can be implemented thoroughly.
2) Security guards need to make the necessary inquiries only once at entry point.
3) Also, a locker system will help to increase revenues.
4) Slowly, people will adopt this technique.
5) Easy disposal of trash ( because, the concerned person has to collect trash only from the cafeteria. )Simple Pleasures album download
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When the Dhaba owner tried
– by Sreenath N
Two days after I talked to the Dhaba owner
download Heart and Souls dvd , I decided to go check on them. I went there in the afternoon. Surprisingly, the road side was cleared of all the trash. The plan is working, I thought. But to my dismay, there was no waste box…
I approached the owner and asked him why they have not put up a waste box. He replied that they did keep a waste box, a wooden carton, the same day. But somebody flicked it down during the scheduled evening power cut. “The locals in these areas are really uneducated, the only good thing about this place is the Technopark”, he said.
They used a tomato carton as the waste box. He said that they are ready to keep a new box every day as they buy atleast one carton a day.
They have kept a waste basket inside, to dispose the paper napkins they supply at the billing counter. But only very few deposit the used napkins inside the basket.
I told him about Tidycity and our activities and what we are aiming at.. I also told him about
our plan to put up a waste box with our label and message. He said that we could use our trash cans there, but pointed out that our box may also not survive the power cuts! I told him that we will think of what can be done and let him know.
So, friends…What can be done ? Ideas invited…
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3rd week – Kanakakunnu clean up!
–Cris
Third week pulled off great. The number was 9, lesser than last time but that didn’t matter. We have new people coming to join us every week and with the Metro Plus article TidyCity is really getting popular! This is how today turned up -
I will skip the details of how and when we all met – lets say 8 of us were there to start our Sunday work. One of us – Siva – was there an hour early! The venue was Kanakakunnu, the premises outside of the Nishagandhi auditorium where the GEC college fest was happening. We decided not to go in there and disturb them. So our activities were aimed at the people* outside (people because this is an awareness campaign and we needed people to spread the awareness to!)
We didn’t have any difficulty looking for littered trash! The place was full of it! Photographs should be coming soon! As usual we went around with our trash bags and started picking trash. Placards were read, again as usual. This time I pinned an extra paper on Sreenath’s shirt which said “You can join us too. Visit tidycity.org”. that must have been quite inviting. We had a few coming and asking us about it.
Few remembered us from the Metro Plus article. Sreenath said someone actually joined in trash picking for a short while, after enquiring. That was one big dream come true! People recognizing the message we are trying to send across and joining us in our endeavor!
Our trash bags were soon full and we had a new problem. No trash cans to dump them! We searched the whole place before asking the security staff there. They told us that there were unfortunately no trash cans and what they did was burn all the trash they collect – everything including plastic! Cant we change the system? Can we bring trash cans in there? We have to talk to the officer there before proceeding – he will be available on Wednesdays.
A fellow talked enthusiastically about how they have a strict garbage disposal system in Sikkim and how we could contact the Sikkim Government and urge the implementation of the same in Kerala. After having a good chat with all of them (partly on account of the Metro Plus recogntion again!), in which they fully sympathized with our cause and helped us with their big trash bags, we thought of other plans. One was to keep the trash bags outside the gate so the corporation folks would come and get it. But that didn’t fit into our objective.
So we went to the museum (the nearest campus with trash cans) and got permission from the curator (over phone) to use their cans. (Even this proved hard because the security guard tried to dissuade the curator saying “they have brought a huge trash packet” – here I pleaded “Brother please, we have no place to dump it – let us use just one can”. Not his fault really, they have got restrictions on the maximum amount of trash that can be cleared from the bins).
By then Srijith had also joined us and we were 9 in number.
We had a short post-discussion in which many useful points came out. The mailing list will be loaded this week too I expect .
While heated talks were going on, we still had our placards hanging on us, so an older gentleman came to us and appreciated us many times about our endeavor. We felt ever so pleased and thanked him. When older folks take an interest and take the trouble to come and clap our shoulders, it somehow equals a lot of recognition and applause.
Hope our actions will bring out the right message and there will be more coming to join us to work towards making our world a better place. If the whole world is on this side, the rest of the world has got no other choice but to remain neat and tidy!
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TidyCity in Club FM Radio Talk Show
–Cris
Happy Valentine’s Day !!!
Today three of us went to Club FM to have a small talk show about TidyCity. Three of us being me (Cris), Srijith and Vids. The first thing the host asked us was who talks more – we all pointed to each other 
Anyway we were seated under mikes (gulp) and our voices tested. My voice was dry with a cough, Srijith said he had no water all day, and Vids was born with a tongue that more than often says “No I refuse to work today”. Doubtless, we’d all be disqualified if this was an RJ audition. Fortunately we were at the other end, so the show proceeded!
Srijith started it and then I too joined him. Finally Vids too contributed. All 3 of us, ahem, may not qualify to be RJs in the near future, but we hope we conveyed the message and the listeners would get it right.
It will be aired on Tuesday.
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I should have put this here before – the article that came in Metro Plus yesterday
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Approaching a neighbor, cleaning their house – Bindu writes
– by Bindu Philip
I have been worried about something since the time they came to my neighborhood .They were more than 10, a group of young Tamilians who were recruited in connection with the airport terminal work. They were here for the past 2- 3months. Since they came I was worried about the waste removal in that house since they were new to this place and may not be aware of the trash disposal system. I was wondering how to tell them that plastic covers and paper bits must not be thrown about in the open .I waited for a few weeks to see what they were doing. They did as I expected! They threw plastic, paper, and all sorts of wastage around their backyard and front yard! This time I decided to speak. I saw one boy and since he didn’t know English I had to use the little Tamil I knew. I somehow I conveyed the message and said please don’t feel bad because I spoke like that. He said it is ok.
Next day I saw their leader – someone from Andhra; I explained the same to him. Yet, for the next one week they were doing the same! Throwing their garbage all around the house. I was furious but kept silent. On the next day, to my surprise, I found the entire front yard cleaned and the garbage collected in a bucket to be given away to trash clearance. I was so happy. I saw that they had their front yard cleaned almost everyday after that. But recently I noticed the back of their house is full of rubbish. At first, I thought to just ignore it and that there was no use in telling them. But since yesterday, after the news of tidycity came in The Hindu I decided to try.
Today morning since I got up much earlier than usual, by 5 am, I decided today was the day. I just went to their house and rang the front-bell. A boy opened the door. I was holding The Hindu of Feb. 11th in which was a news about the dengue outbreak in Trivandrum.
I asked the whether anybody in house knew English and he went inside to call the supervisor. He was sleeping. But he came out and since he was a Malayali, I explained to him by showing the news piece which said about one person who died of dengue fever in Trivandrum. I requested him to explain to others also that plastics should not be carelessly thrown around; I told that I just wanted to pass this message and that I was going to clear out the plastic trash with his permission He agreed.
I collected all kinds of plastic junk, and bottles; some bottles were full of rotten milk! It was all over the house. How they were living there amidst this rotten jungle I have no clue! I collected everything in a big sack and went through the road carrying the sack on my back to a place near the poultry farm in Pettah where the corporation vehicle usually comes to collect the trash. I looked like a trash collector but I never felt ashamed to carry that sack through the whole stretch of the main road from my house to the poultry farm neighborhood. I feel a little satisfied now because at least for the time being there will be lesser number of mosquitoes.
Hope they understood what I did.
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Talking to a Dhaba about bringing bins
– by Sreenath N
Location: Sharma Dhaba, a pretty famous North Indian food corner, situated on the Link Road opposite Technopark front gate. A place where Northies swarm in a lot. I stay in a hostel close to this place. I usually go there at night, with my friends. But today afternoon, after a good day’s sleep (doing night shift this month…), I went there for lunch. I wonder why I did not notice this the last so many times I went there. But the road outside the Dhaba was strewn with Chocobar covers and sticks. In front of the Dhaba, along the road, everywhere. I stood there for a minute weighing my options. Finally I made up my mind to go and talk to the owner after lunch.
I found him at the counter. As I am a regular there, he knew me. I had already paid the bill, so he knew it was something else that I was standing there for. He asked me what the matter was. I told him about the sorry state of the road and Dhaba premises. I asked him why they have not kept a waste basket for collecting the wastes. They used to have a cardboard box on the veranda he said, but since people seldom used it to drop their ice cream sticks and packets, they removed it.
I asked him if he could put another box there, this time with a sign requesting people to make use of that box. He replied positively. He agreed it was really bad that people litter the roads.
I did not get time in the evening to check if the box has been put up. I will do that tomorrow. If they havent, I was thinking if we could provide them with a waste box, with a sign and our TidyCity logo (link or whatever…) pasted. Maybe people will start using it if
they see that some organisation is behind that. And we might get more members too.
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