Chop and kick for garbage, this teacher is a ‘litter warrior’

Bengaluru: He’s a martial arts expert by day and a civic warrior by night. Robin Raj, who has taken on the cause of garbage with all his guns blazing, is not satisfied with simply cleaning up a spot. Instead, he’s always on the lookout for the compulsive litterbugs, whether they’re the sort who throw a banana peel or a cigarette butt on the side of the road or leave bulging bags of rubbish in dumpyards of their own making. Today, all people have to do is call him and he will be there to solve their civic woes.

“I call the BBMP, have the place cleaned, put up my banners against littering, install lights if necessary and ensure that saplings are planted to prevent further dumping,” said Raj, who also works as a bouncer at a star hotel in the city. “When I’m on my way home to Kammanahalli in the nights, I keep a lookout for trouble spots,” said Raj. “Even if I see someone throw something out of a bus, I make it a point to pick up the litter, follow them and point out the error of their ways in public.”

Social work has always been part of Raj’s life. In 2000, he contested the BBMP elections and that’s when things were set into motion. “I was doing a lot for poor children and even adults, but it wasn’t anything official. Nobody really recognised my work,” said Raj. “My martial arts master visited from Korea in 2008 and he told me to start a trust. At that point, I didn’t know the first thing about it.” WeCan Trust was formed five years ago and Raj continues to run it by putting savings from his salary. “The customers who come to the hotel I work at also help out with donations, so I have made things work.”

The earliest focus was working with underprivileged children. They distribute notebooks and stationery for kids on Rajyotsava Day each year. “A lot of the students who came to me for martial arts training were also interested in sports, so on their request, I began organising local football and cricket matches,” Raj explained. The winners would get a cash prize and the losers would get a smaller sum or a football. Nobody went home empty handed.”

On Christmas Eve, Raj distributes sarees, rice and chicken to the underprivileged in his area. He also uses the interest from the trust fund to help people pay their medical bills, if they come to him for help. “We also organise medical camps,” he said. “My master helps me with this, sometimes, doctors come down from Korea as well, to participate. “They don’t prescribe tablets, but they do check for things like vitamin deficiencies,” said Raj. “Also, if anybody has wounds, those are treated.”

The solid waste management battle began in April this year, when Raj heard of a big dumping ground in Kammanahalli which was being cleaned regularly, but in vain.

“A friend told me that people continued dumping garbage there even after it had been cleaned by the authorities,” said Raj. “So I went there with a couple of volunteers and manually cleaned up the area, put up banners and then lights.”

That got the proverbial ball rolling and before long, Raj received calls from citizens everywhere, either to say that their neighbours littered the area or that the authorities were nowhere in sight. “If the BBMP has not responded, we get in touch with them. Now, we work regularly with the Palike,” he explained.

The recurring problem was what he wanted to solve. “When I’m on my way home at night, I keep a lookout for people throwing their garbage on the road. Usually, those who work night shifts tend to throw out their rubbish after midnight – this happens with people who throw parties as well.” When he does see people do this at around 9 or 10 pm, Raj picks up the garbage bag, walks up to the concerned person’s house and returns it!

“If I see cigarette butts or banana peels and ask the person who threw it away, they say that there is no other place to leave it. In cases like these, I put it in a cover and take it back to my own house!”

Raj discovered that the best way to keep an area clean is to make it look good. Now, they ensure that saplings are planted in trouble areas, which works like a charm.

“Pourakarmikas also don’t come every day, which is a problem,” he said. “We are now talking to the BBMP and asking them to introduce shifts for them, which should effectively take care of the matter.”

Raj, surprisingly, says he does no background verifications on the people who come to him for help. Everybody is welcome. “It’s impossible for me to conduct a check on everyone who approaches me,” he said. “I just trust them. My belief is that even if I do get cheated, then God will take care of me.”