From sifting through garbage to survive to standing tall today as a waste entrepreneur employing 15 people, Krishna’s story is nothing short of extraordinary. Over 80 years ago, his forefathers moved from Kallakurichi in Tamil Nadu to Bengaluru in search of a better life. In the city, the traditional bone pickers became part of an informal community of in a job that did not bring in a stable income much less offer them dignity or respect.
Tears well up in Krishna’s eyes more than once during our conversation as he recounts his harrowing journey as a third-generation waste picker. According to him, there are more than 4.25 lakh waste pickers in Karnataka, with 25,000 families in Bengaluru depending on dry waste collection alone.
Krishna has tirelessly rallied his community in the city and the state, fighting for their rights and dignity, in an attempt to break generational cycles of discrimination. Fighting for dignity and rights Krishna’s mission goes beyond personal success as he champions through innovative waste management, lending a powerful voice for his community’s fight for dignity and rights. “I had to drop out of school after seventh standard because a classmate told everyone I was from the waste picker community.
They treated me like an outcast and asked me to sit on the last bench. Humiliated, I decided not to go back,” he tells Krishna joined his mother to pick waste, starting from JC Road, going all the way to Majestic in Bengaluru, walking 6-7 km eve.
