200 Mumbai ragpickers receive gumboots and raincoats at this event

Mumbai is known by many names – The

City That Never Sleeps

, City of Dreams, etc, and here's one more moniker to add to that - it’s all-heart! An example of

Mumbaikars

humane attitude is 14-year-old Sanjana Runwal, who donated gumboots and raincoats to over 200

ragpickers

in association with an

NGO

. The distribution was done at an event held in

Bandra

recently. The 8th grade school student started her initiative ‘Revolution for Rag Pickers’, which is directed at improving the lives of ragpickers in the city. Says she, “I want to bring about a positive change in the lives of the ragpickers. They too are human beings like us and we should stop turning a blind eye towards them. If they stop doing what they do, we will not the cities will become unlivable. Cringing and covering our noses when we see them will not help anyone. I am trying whatever little I can do to improve their lives and I would request others to help me do this.”

The event saw 200 ragpickers gather at an NGOs office at Bandra at 7.30 pm. They were thrilled to receive the rain gear as this was the first time that someone was helping them this way before the start of the monsoon.


DID YOU KNOW?There are an estimated 15 to 40 lakh ragpickers in India. Mumbai itself is estimated to have more than 3 lakh ragpickers.