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AUTHORSPEAK
Plastic
Panache
By
Bharati Chaturvedi
Shocking
pink walls, red cement fireplaces and mauve cupboards are not the usual
decor of a government house in Delhi. But Bharati Chaturvedi, 31, is no
ordinary lady. Art critic-cum-environmentalist, intense but good humoured,
the lady defies definition. She blends panache with passion as she talks
about her campaign against plastic bags led by her NGO Chintan and the
National Foundation of India. "We're not saying 'don't use plastic
bags'," says Chaturvedi, "We're saying 'here are the options,
here's what it does, and how toxic it is', so you then have an option."
The options,
and much more on polybags, are detailed clearly and comprehensively in
Chaturvedi's book, Polybags, the Enemy Within (Oxford and IBH).
Thanks to the Say no to Polybags campaign we now know plastic bags are
harmful. But the book takes us a step further. It tells us what polybags
are and how they affect the soil, poison animals and release toxic waste.
And Chaturvedi's a preacher with a point: she suggests alternatives-the
use of strong paper bags, cloth bags and nylon bags. "Our measure
of success," she says, "is who else decides to take it up."
By that yardstick the campaign has been very successful. It has been adopted
by the Delhi Government, the Pune army cantonment and the Sabarimala temple.
Chaturvedi's
interest in the environment began with curiosity about the politics of
ragpickers in the early 1990s. The result was a year-long study on solid
waste, three books, and a mission against plastics. But her approach is
pragmatic. She says reasonably, "We can't totally get rid of plastics,
we have to decide where they're critical." When not travelling to
promote awareness, Chaturvedi admits to a soft spot for cartoons, particularly
Calvin and Hobbes. But work is obviously her mainstay-even cartoons are
viewed as much as an effective means of communication in her book and
campaign as for her amusement and relaxation. This air force officer's
daughter certainly intends to fly high-with her feet solidly planted on
the (plastic-free) ground.
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