CHENNAI: As nighttime closes in on the city, pockets of black emptiness congregate around worn-out public libraries, government hospitals and schools in Chennai. With only street dogs to keep the locations company at night, a bunch of youngsters have taken up cleaning these spaces that are often neglected and remain unkempt, away from the public eye.
“We conduct clean-up activities at night,” says 29-year-old Krishna Kumar, dismissing accusations that the endeavour is a publicity stunt. For Krishna, the trailblazer behind ‘Clean-up After Dark’, life revolves around ‘Thuvakkam’, an NGO signifying a ‘beginning’ in Tamil.
The initiative was born nine years ago on the shores of the Marina when a handful of angsty 20-year-olds, Krishna and his friends, were engaged in a frustrated debate on whether society could truly change based on individual efforts alone.
As he watched the waves gently crash on the shore, it dawned on Krishna, “The mass of society is made up of individuals like us, and we all bear the responsibility for its state.” The cohort of students from SRM then decided to turn their discontent into action. Armed with a master’s degree in social work, Krishna dedicated himself to Thuvakkam, viewing the organisation to be his life’s mission.
Thuvakkam’s first mission was a tree-planting initiative on their college campus in 2014. Shortly after, they conducted a mass painting activity at Tirusulam Railway, Chengalpattu section. With support from Southern Railway, they revitalised the station’s lacklustre spaces.
In 2016, Thuvakkam identified the strong correlation between education and environmental conservation and introduced the Karka Kasadara programme. Under which, children from government schools and low-income families are provided training in various disciplines, with an emphasis on practical learning.
“There is a misconception that government school students are not as capable as private school students. Every student is talented in a specific way. We only need to ignite their skills,” says 24-year-old Rajalakshmi S, a Thuvakkam volunteer who aims to reduce the number of high school dropouts by helping students crack the test for the National Means-cum-merit Scholarship Scheme.
Another significant initiative by Thuvakkam was the ‘Urban Reforestation’ programme or the Miyawaki programme in 2018. Pioneered by Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki, this technique facilitates the development of dense, native forests and enables plant growth that is 10 times faster and results in forest growth that is 30 times more dense than usual. Thuvakkam has successfully established 42 urban forests in locations such as Hyderabad, Chennai, Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram, Thoothukudi and Chengalpattu. Krishna added that Thuvakkam has reclaimed five ponds in Tiruvallur (2) and Kancheepuram (3).
Former municipality commissioner of Kundrathur, N Damodar, says, “Over 40,000 saplings were planted here last year by Thuvakkam along with the HCI foundation, which will be maintained by the NGO for the next three years. We expect a fully grown forest soon. It is truly a blessing to the municipality’s green cover.”
To date, Thuvakkam has planted 1.8 lakh trees in Tamil Nadu. When inquired regarding the sustainability of their activities, Krishna responds, “Out of 1.8 lakh trees, Thuvakkam maintains 95% of them. We could offer more trees to plant, but maintaining them matters.” In the future, Thuvakkam aims to spread awareness across rural areas, aspiring to increase their strength from 2,000 floating volunteers to 10,000, Krishna adds. For further information, Thuvakkam can be reached at 94448 88937.
(Edited by Mary Catherene)