By Gopal Ethiraj, Chennai
Chennai, 07 September (Asiantribune.com): There is no dearth of social workers, social thinkers, visionaries and missionaries in the country. India needs change. But the modern world has its own new crop of social problems. It needs new applications; it needs to be identified, new methods adopted.
Here is one man to whom the un-treaded service area was stretched clear in front of him and he got into the un-beaten track to correct the ‘ills and spills’ of the society. That great visionary, missionary; social reformer and social activist; environmentalist and “greenkeeper” is M.B. Nirmal, the founder of Exnora International (EI)
Exnora International has several organizations in itself such as Civic Exnora, Rain Water Harvesting Exnora, Water Bodies Protection Exnora, Pollution Prevention Exnora, Organic Farmers Exnora, Students Exnora etc.
The best part of Exnora Vision is bringing a big revolution in the very outlook of service clubs.
Only people of social status and financial standing can normally become members of leading service clubs. Exnora has made the membership available to ordinary men, who of course will be developed to do extraordinary things in environmental service activities Nirmal must be the first person, who carried environmental protection message to several lakhs of men and women individually and collectively work for the cause. Like Rotary and Lions which are founded in USA with laudable mission to serve humanity, Mr. M B Nirmal founded Exnora International in India with the main objective of environmental protection.
Service-minded educated people believed to play a part with some political groups or through clubs and other organizations. Nirmal came, the swing of the service-minded people went along with him. “I have 1.5 million memberships through various networks of Exnora. Exnora International operating mainly through its branches, clubs which in turn operates through its various sub-chapters / divisions / exclusive wings / ancillary organs,” Nirmal says.
“Exnora is a viable alternative where even an ordinary person with very less income devoid of his race, religion, caste, language and economic status can become a member with a very nominal fee. The whole idea is to enable even ordinary people to join Exnora Innovators Club and develop themselves so as to be able to serve society. The acid test to join is whether the person has the love to serve. Exnora Innovators Club offers pride of club membership to anyone and everyone.”
Service starts from micro, grows to macro level
Nirmal’s grandfather and father were very rich. They lost their huge fortune of wealth in family business. In 1971, a young Nirmal was forced to move to a small house surrounded by slums which was in alarming proportion of unhygienic condition with heaps of trash, piles of cow dung, pools of sewage and open defecation. With no option of moving to a better place, he started thinking how to make his place better, and indeed he achieved his mission. Also he found a mission stick on to him in macro-level, in the later years.
Instead of finding ways of throwing them out, he motivated them to throw out their misconceptions, wrong perceptions and pessimism. He made them partner to his mission and part-owner to the success. Today the area has become a model in all respects, including the slum dwellers having a common people’s toilet, children toilet, community underground drainage, tuition center, lush street garden, gym, and water collection system etc.
Nirmal made so many innovations in the field of Solid Waste Management. He created a concept called SoWaM (Solid Waste Management) and three branch concepts called So-SoWaM (Source Solid Waste Management), De-SoWaM (Decentralised Solid Waste Management) and Ce-SoWaM (Centralized Solid Waste Management).
He is also the innovator of several other ideas like Perennial Landfill and Vertical Composting. The idea of sky farming (terrace garden), using the sky place for horticulture, would indeed solve the major problems of the world viz – Poverty, Unemployment, Air Pollution and Garbage.
Restoring water bodies.
Nirmal says, Exnora started water bodies’ protection in the urban areas, and nearly 20 lakes have been upgraded. “We have more than 3000 lakes in Chennai. They are all under total ruin.
The Municipalities dump garbage, debris and construct bus stands, hospitals, schools on the lakes also Illegal earth quarrying goes unabated. If we preserve all our water bodies there is no need to go with begging bowl to the neighboring states.”
Nirmal says we have requested the Government to interlink the lakes even before discussing interlinking the rivers.
How the idea was formulated involving the people in the civic movement? He says the greatest advantage India has is its people who are service-minded. By mobilizing this manpower resource we can solve many of the problems we are facing today and emerge victorious.
He says in any civic activity undertaken, the people who are going to be the most affected, are seldom consulted. They are not involved in either in the process of planning or implementation and as a result of it, it remains far removed from the whole situation. “We made them partners that are why we became success.”
By empowering these people to tackle the problem on their own, the job is made easy. That is what he does, and things are easily solved. He motivates the people to come out with new ways and plans to tackle the issue and set up an efficient system of operation for solving it.
Civic movement
Civic problem is an enormous one. No civic body alone can do it all alone. The civic movement of the people should give a helping hand.
What does Nirmal think about civic amenities in India being privatized? He feels privatization is only a short-term solution. For example, if the aim is to only keep the city clean then privatizing garbage disposal is a good idea. The private collector will dispose off the garbage to dumps outside the city. The city might become clean at the cost of the outskirts.
“But we must set our eyes on long-term solutions. To do that we have to change the mindset of the people.
There are agencies that are ready to pay for this domestic waste because it can be converted into manure. The aim should be to achieve a zero percent waste generation and establish a cycle wherein this waste gets generated back into providing energy.
“We are also involved in setting up rainwater harvesting projects vermiculture and other initiatives, which will help in the optimum use of earth's resources and reduce the production of waste through recycling.”
Non-renewable resources will be over in another thirty- five years and then we will have to turn to alternative sources of energy like, wind, solar and tidal energy, he says At that time energy generated through waste will be a major contributor. Therefore we have to realize the importance of effective waste management and the advantages of learning to recycle in order save earth from degradation.
Exnora Green Cross Vellore (EGC) is another of his success story, started in 1995 by C Srinivasan as an affiliate of Exnora International. EGC's vision is to "bring about socio-economic change through employment generation based on environmental conservation... by enlisting people's participation".
EGC began with a project to restore the Vellore hills and ran into several other interconnected issues. To restore the topsoil, a project to compost organic waste was started. To generate cattle dung for composting, a project to protect the cattle wealth was initiated. To stop people from depending on the hills for firewood, renewable energy units and several alternative income generation activities were introduced. And so on.
Nirmal served last as the Chief Public Relations Officer of Indian Overseas Bank before he took voluntary retirement. He had served as Chief Manager of a few of IOB major branches including the overseas Hong Kong Branch, Teynampet and Nungambakkam, Chennai, India.
What media says of him
Nirmal has won a lot of appreciations and awards—Lion and Rotary clubs, Tamil sangams, etc It is interesting to see what the media had to say on him and on his services.
Reader's Digest, the largest circulated magazine of the world in its "Heroes for Today" section described him as a Peerless Leader who has a remarkable ability to inspire people to work together; New India Times wrote 'Many call him a visionary. Most regard him as a Motivator. He has proved that motivation can move mountains and people too. He is always pregnant with ideas'
The Inner Wheel Club of Rotary International featured him as one of the eight 'Pathfinders' of India, along with Mother Terasa, Mr.Sunderlal Bahuguna, Dr.Verghese Kurien Dr.M.S.Swaminathan, in their book "Path Finders".
New India Times (USA) wrote, 'Mr.Nirmal's speech at FETNA, Missouri electrifying'. The Hindu, the National daily, described him as a Catalyst of Social change and wrote, "Nirmal's optimism is infectious" ; Indian Express, the National daily regarded him as one of the six crusaders who will change India. News Today, the daily acclaimed him as Man of the year for 1995, and adored him, Nirmal is a highly motivated person and an incurable optimist with undying and unquenchable optimism. His watchword is 'Never say Die' and lives so.
India Today, the national weekly chose him as "one of the Ten Angels of Change" who are transforming India. Gentleman (Indian Express) selected him as One of the Ten Leading Gentlemen of Chennai and wrote, "Mr.Nirmal is a walking example of positive thinking. Malayala Manorama, the largest circulated daily of India described.Nirmal as the 'Wonder man' of the Banking Industry .The International Indian, a Magazine published from Dubai wrote "Jawaharlal Nehru said, 'Success often comes to people who dare and act; it seldom goes to the timid who are ever afraid of the consequences'. Nirmal is one such individual who dared to make a difference". South China Morning Post published from Hong Kong wrote "Nirmal has the ability to bring out the Gandhi in everyone".
His work was hailed by Sunday, The Week, Economic Times, Financial Express, Times of India, Chitralekha (Gujarathi), Eenadu (Telugu). International Newspapers like India Abroad (USA) and other leading newspapers and periodicals.
Nirmal has been a regular guest and visiting faculty to deliver inspirational and motivational lectures on various subjects in the specialties related to Behavioral Science and Creativity at the National Level Apex Training Institutes.
Apart from Motivation, his 7th Sense, a powerful Brain Resource Development Training Programme is equally a great success, being attended by the top executives of Government and Corporate organizations as well as members of faculty of Arts & Professional Colleges. 'Study Smarter & Not Harder' for students and 'Effective parenting' for parents are also smash hits. His training programmes are conducted in India and Abroad.
He is author of twelve books in Tamil and six books in English written for individual and societal development. He has been writing in leading Magazines and periodicals regularly.
- Asian Tribune -
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