Bengaluru: Heroes don’t always wear badges; some prefer anonymity and even zealously guard it. The volunteers of The Ugly Indian perfectly fit this description. They pick up brooms, wear yellow protective gloves and ‘spot fix’ eyesores beyond recognition.
They completely transformed an approximately sixty-metre long pathway that used to be an eyesore, covered with layers of plastic waste accumulated over the years, into a beautiful area and also brought closer the two communities living on either sides.
The stretch adjoining Palm Springs Apartment that ends in front of Mistry Village in Koramangala, witnessed a pleasant change on Sunday morning after a spot fix by Ugly Indian. It also ushered in a positive bonding session between the two different communities. No one was ‘rich’ or ‘poor’; they joined the volunteers to clean the pathway.
“I live on the top floor,” said Shwetha, a resident of Palm Springs, pointing to her window that faces the pathway, “Every time I open my window, I had to see that sight. We had wanted to clean it for a long time and now it’s finally happening.”
The pathways is now good enough for an evening stroll. Earlier nobody wanted to use the stretch and the few who did had to pinch their nose, said Dhanush, a resident of the village. “We had to take a longer detour which was also very inconvenient. Even though it took a long time to change, it is worth it as looks so beautiful,” he added.
Over 23 residents from Palm Springs and about a dozen from Mistry Village along with the Ugly Indian volunteers also planted several saplings, painted the two walls nearby in bright geometric designs and installed stone steps on the uneven terrain for the convenience of the elderly.
“The garbage was about four truckloads. That went on over two weekends. After the cleaning, comes the beautification. We usually pick simple shapes so that everyone can participate, and this has been like a community development exercise. People from both ends are participating wholeheartedly” said Sunil, a volunteer of Ugly Indian.
Potted cactus plants have also been installed at the end of the stretch to keep prevent public urination. “The area is in the shadows as the streetlight doesn’t reach that spot, so the plants will keep men away from relieving themselves, or else this whole clean up exercise would be futile.” said Swetha; while putting final touches on her geometric flower on the wall.
The Ugly Indian has fixed over 400 spots in Bengaluru alone and is also operational in many cities all over India. They choose to stay anonymous as they believe it brings about a sense of equal responsibility amongst all the volunteers and averts situations that could affect their work, staying true to their motto “Kaam Chaalu Mooh Bandh!” (Only Work, No Talk!)
