By Mihir Srivastava
This is odd but true. A man devotes his youth to cleaning garbage from the higher reaches of the Himalayas. Pradeep Sangwan, native of rural Haryana, son of a Khap Pradhan, alumnus of a Military school, roamed for years in the mountains and got to know the ways of nature and started to clean the Himalayas for no good logical reason.
So I pose to him this existential question, why do you pick garbage? “I can for argument's sake say because someone put it there. The real reason is that it brings me joy (to restore the mountain's dignity).” And he pursued joy relentlessly and his life has been joyous. He founded Healing Himalayas–an organisation that is working selflessly for the protection and preservation of the Himalayas. Since then hundreds have joined the movement and they have collectively cleared 800 tonnes of non-biodegradable garbage from the face of the Himalayas. And have established ‘material recovery facilities’ at various tourist hotspots.
Pradeep is a silent worker. But his efforts came to the limelight when Prime Minister Narendra Modi mentioned him twice in his Mann Ki Baat, the second time they had a conversation. He now enjoys celebrity status in Himachal and people, institutions, schools and business establishments want to associate with him to clean their neighbourhood. He’s a change agent. Modi's acknowledgement gave wings to his vision, not just directly by encouraging his efforts, but also indirectly: The Swachh Bharat Mission has given impetus to his work.
There’s an old saying in Haryana, Pradeep reminds, “jangal mein mor nacha kisne dekha!” referring to his effort. And adds in a lighter vein, “pradhan mantri ne dekha.”
Pradeep has a rustic appeal. And he’s proud of his rural upbringing and carries it as a batch of honour. He likes desi khana, and doesn’t drink tea. He has a strong will, manifests it by his actions, and the cosmos helps him realise his vision. His support system is God's affirmation that he’s on the right path. Luck favours the brave.
I decided to drive with him to Shimla to participate in the cleaning drive under his vigil organised by the local police in collaboration with the pupils of the prestigious Bishop Cotton School; dozens of students participated enthusiastically.
It felt good to undo a wrong done by others. And it is not a one-off act of goodness. Pradeep explained that if you pick up garbage strewn by others, you will learn never to chuck waste out in the open. About a hundred people picked up 3 tonnes of garbage in a couple of hours. And it was pure joy. This has to be said, women were far more enthusiastic than men. And cleaning mountains has the same effect on the soul, purging negativity is joyous. I now understand Pradeep’s motivation.
It is nice to know Pradeep. A vagabond by heart, the family keeps him anchored. Father being a Khap Pradhan, he understands the importance of ground level movements particularly in the rural areas to bring about social change. He is attached to his mother, and they often travel together. She gives his life a sense of stability. As “my mother is like the Himalayas: Isthir or very stable. She has followed the same routine for 40 years,” Pradeep describes with emotive adulation. He’s the youngest of four siblings and his only regret of following his heart is that he couldn’t do as much as he wanted for his family, and wants to build a house for his parents. I add, “so far.”
He likes his company and can stay for long durations on his own, and is also a minimalist. His friends give him things he may need, big and small, and support his initiative. He wears light-coloured linen clothes and can pack his stuff in a bag and head out to new locations. And he treats the comfort of a luxurious attic he lives in Shimla courtesy to a friend and the subsistence living in a one-room-accommodation near Parvati valley with equanimity. He keeps his surrounding clutter free--is a reflection of the man he is. He is happy when he’s on the move, trekking and rag picking along with his team. He sometimes walks the whole day with sacks of garbage on his back, weighing in excess of 30 kilograms, to one of the five segregation and waste management sites Healing Himalayas has set up.
Many people helped him and joined hands with him. He’s grateful. “I never have and will never take people for granted (those who support him),” he says. And they trust him and his vision, for what he does is not merely out of passion, but is a manifestation of his inner calling. As if he’s born to undo the wrongs of others. “I will keep picking garbage till I’m sixty,” he asserts.
Pradeep’s needs are limited, but you get this feeling by being with him; he is a man with Gandhian ambition. A harbinger of change. And his life is his message. His purpose in life dawned on him, like many of the great people in history, during the protracted period of being alone and trekking the Himachal region, meeting up with locals, building a bond, helping them, doing odd jobs to subsist while being on the move. This was an “educational phase for me” as he learned the ways of nature from nature.
Malana village in Himachal has created a hill of filth. “People here walk on the garbage as they don’t dispose of it. It is the most polluted village in the world,” says Pradeep. It’s a little sovereign village with its own rules and regulations. But thanks to his affable persona, he could convince the village elders to let him clean. While negotiating the heaps of garbage, he came across carcasses of cows. There is no way he could deal with a mountain of filth leading a handful of volunteers. The impossibility of the task motivates him. And the support of the people is growing all the time.
The way I look at it is that cleaning trash from the mountains is a never-ending process, for people continue to dump more garbage than Pradeep and his supporters would ever be able to cleanthe unless there’s a social awakening. But he’s unperturbed in the face of this daunting challenge. And does his bit, relentlessly, with joy and compassion. He never gets discouraged collecting garbage, sack by sack, day after day. The journey is the destination.
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