One good turn deserves another

S. Ravi: the bond got stronger

Even after scraping the bottom of his savings, S. Ravi found himself distressingly short of what it took to keep his grandson in college. The college fees had to be arranged; and it was, in the nick of time, with help pouring in from expected quarters. Residents of Mandaveli Raja Street stepped in with financial support towards payment of the grandson’s fees.

Why would these residents be so generous in their offer of support to Ravi? 

Let us set the clock back by 11 months, and replay a scene from Mandaveli Raja Street. 

A late breakfast following an early shift has the desirability of an oasis discovered after a long trudge through a desert. S. Ravi, was settling in for that kind of a breakfast, when his hand was “stayed” mid-air between the plate and the palate. Homemakers from a nearby household had searched high and low for a five-sovereign gold chain in vain, and as a last resort, were now turning to the only place they had not brought under their dragnet — the garbage bin — and the only man who can turn hope into reality. Without a second thought, Ravi put his meal aside. Calmly and carefully, he began sorting through the waste pile he had just collected.

Bit by bit, layer by layer, he shifted through the mess — until a soft glint of gold shone from beneath the rubbish. He handed it to the family, their relief and gratitude knowing no bounds. 

Moved by Ravi’s honesty and effort, residents of Mandaveli Raja Street passed the hat around, collecting ₹8,000 to give away to Ravi as a token of appreciation. 

“It is not just about the money,” Ravi says. “When people care, you feel like you belong. That is what matters. If I ever go hungry or need anything, I know they would be there for me.”

Bomma Devi: ‘adopted’ by a neighbourhood

The day dawned in drab, customary colours for this conservancy worker, but ended with a lustre that has not dimmed to this day. Bomma Devi, posted at Srinivasapuram in Foreshore Estate, found herself face-to-face with a resident — a differently-abled woman beside herself with anxiety as only someone who has lost a one-sovereign gold chain can be. The resident surmised the chain got inadvertently swept into the garbage.

“We had just started our work,” recalls Devi, “but I promised her I would keep an eye out for the chain.” Devi went beyond the promise: she sorted out the garbage thoroughly, and found the valuable piece of yellow metal. When Devi took the one-sovereign gold chain to the resident, the latter was overwhelmed with gratitude and she could not stop proclaiming Devi’s honesty to anyone with ears that crossed her path. As the day ended, Devi had a sense of being accepted by the residents as their own; she felt belonged. Displays of gratitude and admiration have not ceased: many a morning, after sweeping the streets near the beach, she would be greeted not with an empty hand, but one holding a warm cup of tea or a refreshing glass of juice. These gestures, though small, speak volumes of the bond she has forged with the community.

Antony Samy: being of help to someone brings joy

One morning in September 2024, while Antony Samy was at his stomping ground in KK Nagar, he found himself having to accommodate a special, unusual request in his workaday duties. A security guard from Windsor Park Apartments brought him news of a lost diamond necklace, worth ₹5 lakh, mistakenly thrown away with the trash. The owner, distraught, had turned to the guard for help, who in turn sought Antony’s assistance.

With permission from his supervisor, Antony sifted through the discarded rubbish. And after a few minutes, his efforts fructified — there was the unmistakable glint of diamonds in the refuse. Antony says the act of retrieving the diamond necklace and giving it to the resident filled him with immese joy. 

Antony, a BOV operator and on Urbaser Summet’s payrolls for the last five years, notes that the episode remains one of his cherished memories.

A street that adds invisible homes to its address book

Charity begins at home. And charity has an added, glittering ring of meaning to it when it is practised in the extended home, rewarding those one might be excused for not recognising, let alone rewarding. Acting on this thinking, Mandaveli Raja Street has ended up with more homes than are registered with a door number. These are the homes of the foot soldiers — the workers and their families — that keep residents’ lives running smoothly like a well-oiled machine. These homes might be physically scattered, located across the metro, but have a soulful connection with Mandaveli Raja Street. Every Labour Day, says Ganga Sridhar (a committee member of Mandaveli Raja Street Residents Welfare Association), a gratitude that residents feel through the year is expressed in the full glare of public attention. This year, the association invited 50 workers — including conservancy staff, auto drivers, vendors, and household helpers—for a special Labour Day lunch. Buttermilk was served to anyone who dropped in at the event, even passersby.

“It is not just about conservancy workers,” Ganga adds. “It is about every person who makes this community work — be it the Istri Kadai lady, the postwoman, or the street’s regular auto driver. These are the people who make our lives tension-free.” Over the years, the Association has built meaningful relationships with many of these workers. When Ravi, their door-to-door waste collector, returned a resident’s lost gold chain, he was honoured during their Independence Day celebration. Later, when his grandson needed financial help for his education, the residents helped with the fees. And during a cyclone, when the Istri Kadai woman’s shop was damaged, the community rebuilt her shop, buying her a new ironing machine, and offering support through the Lions Club.

“Our efforts go beyond Labour Day,” says Ganga. “We try to help whenever there is a need. We even conduct a free Women’s Day health check-up in collaboration with Spectrum Clinic, where our conservancy workers receive full blood tests and consultations with a gynaecologist.”

While the association dreams of organising tuition classes and skill development programmes for workers’ children, space and funding act as limiting factors. But through their personal philanthropic efforts, many residents continue to offer help where they can.

Brand ambassadors: unappointed but unrivalled

Brand ambassadors: unappointed but unrivalled

Urbaser Sumeet, employed by Greater Chennai Corporation to handle solid waste management operations in seven of its zones, has a list to flaunt: one that reels off the names of conservancy workers whose acts of honesty upended what seemed “loss”, in some cases a huge loss, to residents.

The list spanning the period from October 2020 to now includes diamond necklaces, gold chains, smartphones, wallets filled with cash and so on that were lost is the garbage pile by residents, and then retrieved and returned by conservancy workers . 

Valuables: retrieved and returned

● Cash & cheques: ₹1,40,500

● Gold items: ₹19,63,802.40

● Mobile phones: ₹5,73,000

● Bags: ₹70,600

● Wallets: ₹1,200

● Other electronics: ₹8,000

Final Total = ₹27,56,102.40

As these workers earn far less than the value of what they return, these acts are a reminder that honesty can grow in the harshest of soils. Such commendable acts by individuals has won respect for the entire community of conservancy workers. Urbaser Sumeet views these conservancy workers as brand ambassadors, un-appointed to that role but equal to what it demands. 

Hari Balaji, senior manager, communications, Urbaser Sumeet notes that these acts have brought residents and conservancy workers closer in many neighbourhoods. There is many an instance of how residents — particularly, in areas such as Adyar and T. Nagar — offer tea and refreshments to these workers, allow them to use their restrooms and even invite them to dine at restaurants such as Adyar Anand Bhavan and Geetham with their families.

In Adyar, the residents’ association invited a conservancy worker to hoist the national flag on Independence Day. “When RWAs do that – that is a revolution.” says C. Namachivayam, a resident of Adyar.

Urbaser Sumeet runs internal recognition programmes such as “Everyday Heroes (honouring two workers per ward monthly with a dinner at a resort in ECR) and “Emerging Leaders” (identifies and places mid-level staff in management pipelines). It also bolsters the educational aspirations of workers’ children. 

“Many workers’ children drop out after Class 12 due to financial constraints” says Hari Balaji, adding that the organisation steps in with counselling, admission support and help in exam preparation Their annual talent show, judged by panels from Vijay TV and Adithya TV, showcases performances by conservancy workers’ children.

Thinking out of the box

A reel shared on Urbaser Sumeet’s official Instagram page discusses how the conservancy staff attached to Urbaser Sumeet’s Zone 11 (Valasaravakkam) operations thought out of box while planning this year’s Labour Day celebration. The team comprising BOV (Battery-Operated Vehicle) operators deflected attention from themselves and made a cause the central theme of Labour Day. They donated a 43-inch Android television to the Adyar Cancer Hospital. Over time, the workers had been setting aside money earned from selling recyclable scrap they collected during their daily rounds.

When the idea first came up, the team approached their Zonal Manager, Mohanakrishnan Ethiraj, who offered guidance and support. With his help, the workers coordinated the purchase and planned the donation as a Labour Day contribution.

Around ten staff members visited the hospital in person to hand over the television. 

A local scrap dealer, hearing about the initiative, offered his support too, donating two 240-litre and two 120-litre waste bins to the hospital.