Worth the waste
Sir — Who knew that plastic bottles could buy a piping hot meal in Mumbai? Shakti Yadav, the city’s ‘Plastic Man’, offers a plate of food to the residents of Bhandup in exchange for 20 empty bottles through his brilliant civic initiative. He is tackling two major challenges at once: clearing toxic street litter and filling hungry stomachs. Keeping the streets clean and feeding the needy are fundamental duties of any government. Yet ordinary citizens are left to roll up their sleeves and address these systemic failures themselves. Politicians promise action but it is people like Yadav who actually do the work.
Shilpa Singh,
Mumbai
Literary legacy
Sir — The report, “Translation opens Rassundari’s world” (Oct 10), celebrates the 150th anniversary of Amar Jiban (My Life) and the revised edition of Rassundari Devi’s autobiography, translated from Bengali by Enakshi Chatterjee and published, revised, and annotated by Ananda Lal. It is, however, surprising that the piece does not mention Tanika Sarkar’s translation of the same text in Words to Win: The Making of Amar Jiban — a volume that made Devi’s book available to English readers and which remains the key scholarly point of reference for much of the subsequent work on the text. A discussion on the autobiography’s reception in translation that overlooks this landmark volume gives readers an incomplete and misleading picture of the work’s afterlife in English.
Jayanta Sengupta,
Calcutta
Sir — It is heartening that Rassundari Devi’s autobiography, Amar Jiban (My Life), which was first printed in 1876, received a fitting tribute on International Translation Day. She was honoured at the conference, “Linguistic Diversity and Language Rights”, organised by the International Society for Intercultural Studies and Research and Virasat Art Publication.
Born in 1810, Devi wrote about her life shaped by the harsh constraints of a patriarchal society which she stoically accepted as part of god’s design. This book throws light on how the cultural history of Bengal was impacted by the turbulent interplay of tradition and modernity. One hopes that a new generation of readers will revisit the book afresh and assess its significance, thereby ensuring Devi’s voice will not be lost to
time.
Jahar Saha,
Calcutta
Deadly litter
Sir — As one of the world’s largest producers of plastic waste, India can no longer afford to treat plastic pollution as merely a waste-management problem. Plastic has permeated almost every aspect of modern life; its environmental and economic costs continue to mount. Recycling alone cannot provide a lasting solution. The priority must shift from managing plastic waste to preventing its generation.
The government must introduce stringent measures to drastically reduce unnecessary plastic production, promote reusable and refillable alternatives, and ensure that packaging is designed for reuse and recovery. Waste collection and disposal systems, particularly in urban and rural areas, must be strengthened. Producers must also be held accountable for the entire life cycle of the plastic products they introduce into the market. India needs decisive action now to protect its environment and future generations.
M. Jeyaram,
Sholavandan, Tamil Nadu
Sir — India generates more than 9.3 million tonnes of plastic waste annually, out of which only about 60% is successfully collected and recycled. Improperly disposed plastic bags are frequently ingested by stray cattle and marine life, leading to internal blockages, suffocation, and painful deaths. A strict ban on all single-use plastic items, mandatory household waste segregation, and expansion of waste collection infrastructure are a must.
Anand Roy,
Patna