Kavita Carneiro

Sanviti Iyer

Text Editor

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“If you are generating waste, how are we ‘kachrewali’ [garbage woman]? In fact, we are the ones making the city clean. Aren’t citizens the ‘kachrewale’?” points out Suman More, a waste collector from Pune. Suman is one of the 800 original waste pickers organised under the Kagad Kach Patra Kashtakari Panchayat 1993; the number of women has now grown to many many more. Their demands to the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) were official identity cards that formalise their work. They received them in 1996.The women now work with the PMC to collect waste from people’s homes. They belong to Mahar and Matang communities, listed as Scheduled Castes in Maharashtra. “We segregate the dry and wet waste, and give the wet waste to the garbage truck,” says Suman and adds, “we take what we want from the dry waste and give that to the garbage truck too.”The women are worried that the PMC will outsource their work to private contractors and companies. And they are ready to fight – “We won’t let anyone take our work from us,” says Asha Kamble. This film, मोल (Worth) explores the history of the women waste collector’s movement in Pune through their own voices.

‘I collect garbage. It doesn’t mean I am garbage’

’میں کچرے اٹھاتی ہوں۔ مجھے کچرا مت سمجھو‘

'నేను చెత్తను సేకరిస్తానంటే అర్థం నేనే చెత్తనని కాదు'

’குப்பை சேகரிப்பதால், நான் குப்பை என அர்த்தம் கிடையாது’

'ਮੈਂ ਕੂੜਾ ਚੁੱਕਦੀ ਹਾਂ, ਪਰ ਮੈਨੂੰ ਹੀ ਕੂੜਾ ਨਾ ਸਮਝੋ'

‘ମୁଁ ଅଳିଆ ସଂଗ୍ରହ କରେ। ତା’ର ମାନେ ନୁହେଁ ଯେ ମୁଁ ଅଳିଆ’

‘ഞാൻ മാലിന്യം പെറുക്കാറുണ്ട്, ഞാൻ മാലിന്യമാണ് എന്നല്ല അതിനർത്ഥം’

'ಕಸ ತೆಗೆದುಕೊಂಡು ಹೋಗುತ್ತೇನೆ ಎನ್ನುವ ಕಾರಣಕ್ಕೆ ನನ್ನನ್ನೇ ಕಸದಂತೆ ನೋಡಬೇಡಿ'

‘कचरा तो लोग फैलाते हैं, फिर हम ‘कचरेवाली’ कैसे?’

‘હું કચરો વીણું છું એનો અર્થ એ નથી કે હું કચરો છું’

‘मंय कचरा संकेलथों, मोला कचरा झन समझव’

‘हम कूड़ा उठाइले, हमरा कूड़ा मत समझीं’

‘আমি জঞ্জাল কুড়োই বটে, তা বলে জঞ্জাল নই আমি’

‘জাবৰ সংগ্ৰহ কৰিলো বুলিয়েই মোক জাবৰ জ্ঞান নকৰিব’

‘मी कचरा उचलते म्हणून मला कचरा समजू नका’

Pune

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हमारी दुनिया की झलक

पारी पर आपका स्वागत है

पाठकों के लिए हमारा सभी कॉन्टेंट मुफ़्त उपलब्ध है. अगर आपको हमारा काम पसंद है, तो आप हमारे लिए वालंटियर कर सकते हैं या हमारी आर्थिक मदद कर सकते हैं, ताकि हम अपना काम जारी रख सकें.

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‘I collect garbage. It doesn’t mean I am garbage’

On October 2, Swachh Bharat Diwas, a film on women waste collectors in Pune

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