On September 10, 2017, Malhar Kalmbe headed out with a group of friends to make Dadar beach waste-free. The initiative which began as a weekend drive gained momentum to become a mass-movement with over 20,000 Mumbaikars participating in it gradually. Result?
Malhar successfully accomplished his mission of having a trash-free Dadar beach. United Nations has recently honored him with the V-award.
Supported by UNICEF the V-award is an initiative by the United Nations Volunteers India who aims at celebrating the efforts of youngsters who are doing their bit to make the world a better place to live.
The drive has been going on for 87 weeks now. Also, Malhar with all his friends and group members has managed to clean 1000 tonnes of waste like plastic, stale food, and religious offerings from the beach.
“This is the first award I have ever received, so it is very special for me. This award is a reminder that there is a lot to be done, and my cause is not limited to a beach. I am humbled and overjoyed to get recognition from such a prestigious organization,” Malhar told The Better India.
Apart from honoring him with the award, the UN also conducted a workshop to help him and his organization to expand and involve more people. “They taught us about how to retain volunteers, and at the same time, engage new people. It is, by far, my biggest challenge. The same volunteers do not come every weekend. So, now my team and I have started to approach different colleges and corporates every week,” he said.
Under Malhar’s ‘Beach Please’ initiative, all the volunteers dedicated their Saturdays and Sundays to clean the Dadar beach and Mithi river respectively.
“Until now we have conducted 70-weekend activities with help from several volunteers. It all started on a very casual note as I witnessed the condition of the Dadar beach deteriorating over the years. The situation got me thinking, and I realized that we cannot blame only the civic body for it. Even we are responsible for the poor condition of the beach,” he told Mid-Day.
“The first-ever activity under ‘Beach Please’ was a school reunion of our batch. People started supporting the initiative and it slowly became a movement,” the aspiring Chartered Accountant said.
What began as a school reunion is now a full-fledged movement honored by the United Nations. Malhar is certainly inspiring the youth to contribute their bit in the well-being of our planet. Well done, Malhar!