Most ought to be familiar with The Four Million, a collection of 25 short stories by the American writer O Henry, the title of which refers to the then population of New York where most of the stories are set.
The Two Million referred to over here refers to the quantity of waste in kilograms, recovered and despatched for recycling. As of today’s truck load, 2010 tonnes of recyclable material have been recovered from a total of 5811 tonnes of dry waste – collected and transported by the municipality to the waste management facility – over the last four and three-quarter years.
Plastics alone account for a million and the rest is paper, glass, electronic waste and metal. To rejoice at this achievement is premature, as an equal quantity has gone presumably gone uncollected and lays unrecovered.
This year’s collection gap stands at 20.5%, and Clean Coonoor will try and close in it, before even thinking of moving over to other more ambitious projects.
Coming back to O Henry and his four million. The first story to figure in this publication is ‘The Gift of the Magi,’ and to quote his concluding para verbatim – ‘The magi, as you know, were wise men—wonderfully wise men— who brought gifts to the newborn Christ-child….. Being wise, their gifts were doubtless wise ones. And here I have told you the story of two children who were not wise. Each sold the most valuable thing he owned in order to buy a gift for the other.’
Well, this two million is Clean Coonoor’s and its supporter’s gift to the world at large. All have sacrificed much to achieve a comprehensive waste management programme in this hill town, which to some, may sound foolish. But speaking a last word to the wise of these days: Of all who give gifts, these were the most wise. They are the Magi.