Renewal and Preservation in a Sustainable Global Environment

Recycling of souls in Hindu philosophy

The Greeks’ believe that you live only once- one life for each individual. After death they cross the river
Styx and move to the after-life. Their philosophy states that each life is unique and new.
In India, the Hindu concept of life is very different from that of the Western world. Here, one individual life
is one among infinite. They too cross a river after death, but it isn’t crossed just once. It is crossed to and fro
infinite times. The souls never die, they are immortal, only the individual body decays, the souls get reborn
again and again. The same soul is lived by countless individuals, countless number of times.
This can best be explained with a simple comparison. In a room full of earthen pots, the vast sea of lives can
be related to the air present in the room. Each pot is one being and the air in each pot denotes one individual
soul. The air it contains is its own, while simultaneously being connected to the whole. This is the concept
of the Hindu soul. Every soul is a part of the one eternal supreme soul. Just like the air in a pot returns to the
whole when it breaks, souls return to the infinite plasma of souls in the universe until it is born again. The
same soul passes from one body to another for eternity.
India is thus a country with a belief that even souls are recycled. One life may be ephemeral but the concept
of life is eternal. It is perhaps this belief that echoes through the customs and traditions in our country and
creates a firm necessity to renew and preserve.

The recycling wonder in every family

When I was growing up, my sister and I were gifted some money, every month when the “newspaper-wala”
came to our doorstep. I looked forward to this day tremendously, when his call to the homes echoed from
street to street. A man with a set of scales and weights and large bag would squat at our doorstep and weigh
all the newspapers and magazines that were of no further use, and buy them for a nominal rate. Similarly
there was another man called the “kabadi-wala” (scrap-dealer) who came door to door buying domestic
waste. I watched him segregate the waste carefully according to the material- the plastics went aside, the
fabrics made a heap. Even the metals were further categorized into iron, copper, aluminium etc., each priced
based on their individual market value.

When I grew up I realized the intricate network of recycling that made up this entire system that starts and
ends with us- the consumers. The kabadi-walas we only deal with comprise of a small part of this system.
They travel from home to home incredibly covering almost every household in a country of over a billion
people. One can also spot a group of people called rag-pickers who travel from street to street picking up
domestic wastes from trash cans or garbage- dumps. They too sell their stock to the Kabadiwalas. The
kabadiwala’s then sort through the waste and sell it to different dealers who eventually process the waste in
recycling plants where everything is ground and reused.

One of the 4 million kabadiwalas on his cycle cart carrying the

scraps for recycling

Selling of wastes is also a part of the Indian lifestyle mentally assuring us of sensible frugality that is the
principle of the middle class home. This profession also gives employment and a livelihood to over millions
in a country where the struggle for survival is harsh. Recycling in India is carried out almost entirely by the
informal sector of more than 4 million people. This organic, uncatalogued system of collection has
successfully been in action for centuries in India forming the bedrock of sustainable renewal on a national
scale.
As is expected, this profession faces some serious issues. The health of the kabadiwalas and rag-pickers are
sometimes jeopardized due to the unpredictable nature of the wastes they deal with, some of which are
sometimes unhygienic, infectious or even toxic. The changing laws which are imposing taxes on scrap
materials are also taking a toll on this recycling industry which are witnessing a decline. At this rate more
wastes will remain unrecycled and be used for landfill.
One of the ways this issue can be addressed is to acknowledge the efforts of the kabadiwalas and to support
their actions. The taxes that are killing their livelihood could instead be used to help their endeavours in
addition to other compensations for their service to the society. It is very essential for this intrinsic informal
system of recycling to revive.

The Organic Machine of recycling urban sewage waste

The city I grew up in- Kolkata is home to an ingenious and one of a kind system of sewage treatment- The
East Kolkata Wetlands. They comprise a unique system one of a kind in the world which recycles the sewage
waste of the entire city and in the process support the lives of a million fish and plants.

The fishermen who maintain The East Kolkata

Wetlands
These 125 square kilometre wetlands are a complex of natural and man-made wetlands situated on the eastern
fringe of the city, Kolkata in the Indian state of West Bengal. Over 750 million litres of waste are treated
daily to become fish feed and 150 metric tonnes of vegetables are produced daily on the garbage substrate in
the surroundings of the wetlands. The East Kolkata Wetlands are the only fully functional organic sewage
management system in the world. This unique ecosystem is the kidney of the city. These wetlands were
designated a “wetland of international importance” under the Ramsar Convention in 2002. The Ramsar
convention is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands.
However just like all luscious expanses of green and blue, these wetlands are endangered despite their
international significance. The real estate market have had their eyes on this vast expanse. They have already
begun illegally encroaching upon it and sabotaging the ponds by blocking the channels. The local fishing
families who manage the wetlands are gradually being forced out of their homes.
Immediate intervention is extremely critical. It is not just the sewage waste which the city needs to worry
about should the Wetlands be compromised. Severe floods are kept at bay as the wetlands are a natural flood
control system and act as a sponge during the monsoons when the plains are prone to flooding. This natural
system of renewal of waste is irreplaceable.
Revival of Star Theatre.
This case is an approach to preservation of architecture as well as theatre. The iconic Star theatre was
destroyed in 1991 by a fire which caused extensive damage to it. Boasting a history of over 100 years, the
very nucleus of Bengali Drama was born and brought up in the womb of Star Theatre. Since its inception in
1883, Bengal’s best playwrights and directors performed in this theatre. It was also a very strong symbol of
National Theatre.
A heritage site of Kolkata, it was restored in 2001 by the Government in a national level architectural design
competition. The initial design brief involved demolition of the structure and reconstruction of the new
theatre. Interestingly however, all the design entries preserved the façade that was comparatively unharmed.
The winning entry, with maximum preservation aimed to reviving the dying art of theatre along with the
building. The cinema and television that dominate the entertainment business are limited to a two-
dimensional interface i.e. a screen. Drama on a stage has the magical third dimension where the meaningful
interaction with the audience and the actors take place. Theatre is an irreplaceable form of art that has still
unfortunately gone into the backseat for the last few decades. Most theatre halls are in dilapidating conditions
due to lack of patronage from the audiences. The situation called for a more sensitive and deep intervention
rather than the construction of a state-of-the-art auditorium with modern and new technology and equipment.

Before restoration After Restoration

The design has evolved from the basic philosophy of re-utilizing the past with the present to re-shape the
future. Ideally, minimum intervention would have been the best solution but with adapting requirements of
the modern era, the relatively undamaged portion including the facade was retained and restored while the
ruined interiors were remodelled to house a larger auditorium. The century old structure has been fused with
the modern space creating an architectural drama. The terrace of the new auditorium and the old balcony
seating has been merged to create a large open plaza which can be directly accessed from the ground, thus
creating a new urban space for the neighbourhood, which was critically lacking in that densely packed North-
Kolkata neighbourhood.
 Architect’s approach for the revival

As in all restoration works, an important factor of nostalgia and emotion plays a key role in the development
of the design process. Similarly, by retaining the façade and the original ticket counter, a major essence of
the Star Theatre was preserved invoking the desired nostalgia among the masses.
Today, the Star Theatre still stands a proud heritage building amidst a crowded shopping street. With a
combination of plays and cinema screenings, the theatre is still in function, and the open plaza attracts a large
flurry of visitors. Sadly, this is one of the few exceptions to the mass of unfortunate theatres that are converted
into shopping malls or residential towers.
Conclusion
The concept of preservation and sustainable renewability in India is ancient. Starting from our souls, sewage
waste, art culture to buildings, everything can be recycled and thus preserved. Sustainability is not a concept
that needs to be incorporated or made aware to the masses. It is a belief system that is slowly being forgotten
in the modern rush of life. When something is available to us, we take it for granted, the best example being
natural resources. It is perhaps this same attitude that is putting us under the impression that life will remain
unaffected without our intervention.

That the wetlands are shrinking and may once disappear will affect our country first before anything. The
repercussions and their extent are evident. A man made wetland system that is threatened by the actions of
man can also be preserved by man. The masses need to made aware of the repercussions human actions are
heading to.

When one small intervention can preserve both- a historic building as well as the beautiful art it housed, then
we can be assured that collected actions of the masses are capable of extraordinary tasks. Sensitive action is
required to continue and maintain the age-old recycling and preservation at a holistic level.

References:

1. Pattanaik, Devdutt. 2015. My Gita. Rupa Publications India.

2. Pal, Sanchari. 2017. The Better India. “This Ecological Miracle in Kolkata Is Also the World’s
Largest Organic Sewage Management System!”
3. Ghosh, D., and Furedy, C. (1984). 'Resource Conserving Traditions and Waste Disposal: The
Garbage Farms and Sewage-fed Fisheries of Calcutta', Conservation and Recycling.
4. "The Ramsar Convention and its Mission". https://rsis.ramsar.org/
5. Guha, Debmalya. Kolkata Municipal Corporation Journal, October 2004