A Couple Who Started Cleaning Plastics to Get a Clear View of Sea-Beach

Many of us wish for having a dream home of our choice. And, many nature lovers want near a garden or park, some near the beaches, some near river-side view while some people prefer near to the main roads or markets. It all varies as per the preferences.

About the Couple:

Like many, one of the Mumbai couples decided to buy a home which has a sea-facing house. Just imagine how beautiful it would be. In 2017, Indranil Sengupta and Rabia Tewari finally shifted to their new sea-facing house in Mahim with a hope of getting a beautiful sunrise and sunset view and morning walks which would add a touch of tranquillity to their busy lives.

But crashing their big expectations, the seashore was piled up with the garbage full of plastics which was as high as four to five feet. They were worried and disappointed for a time initially but then started approaching for the solutions.  They made calls to BMC helpline which was vain. Then the couple decided to take the charge of cleaning the beach on their own.

Since they both were the corporate folks so they did not have any idea about beach cleaning. Mr. Sengupta runs his own design firm after coming out as a Vice President in Viacom18, while Rabia is a merchandiser who moved to Mumbai in 2011 after being in New York for 12 years.

The Journey:

They started cleaning the beach with gloves in their hand with a stretch from Mahim Dargah Lane to Hinduja Hospital every weekend between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. What they usually found was tonnes and tonnes of plastic buried deep in the sand which left the couple in shock so much that they decided to never use plastic again. 

Initially, two volunteers from the same building joined them and slowly, a few people from the nearby Koli village joined. The volunteers' number is increased to 20 but are not constant now. They have a WhatsApp group and a Facebook page now, where they update the drive to spread the awareness about the same. They also organize to reach nearby schools and colleges to get the help and support for their big social task. 

Present Scenario:

Continuing their amazing efforts, for the 35th week of the Mahim Beach Clean-up, they are still going on with the help of a handful of volunteers and locals. From the time they started till now, they have collected nearly 500 tonnes of garbage of plastics, and most of it buried deep in the sand and water near to this.  According to them, there are a lot more remaining on the beach,  but the progress is motivating for them. 

By doing all this tremendous work, they just want people to participate on their own by understanding the responsibility of being a dutiful citizen.