Reuse gains users

The last few days witnessed netizens debating whether one should reuse clothes after Thiruvananthapuram district collector Dr K. Vasuki said she reuses saree and cares for nature.

Kerala is truly blessed to have some dynamic youngsters handling the collector position in various districts. Their vigour was evident when they were at the forefront of flood relief activities, visiting the collection centres and relief camps. Perhaps, collectors started getting an acceptability and widespread fan following when Prashant Nair helmed the position of Kozhikode District Collector. His activities and dealings with the public earned him the name ‘Collector Bro’. Maybe then, people started trying to know more about other collectors, and thus many names like T.V. Anupama, Vasuki, S. Suhas, Mir Muhammad Ali etc. came into the limelight.

Among this, Thiruvananthapuram Collector Dr K. Vasuki holds a special place. Vasuki left a successful medical career to pursue a career in administrative services, after she witnessed how the IAS officers were coordinating the rescue operations after the tsunami in 2004. She was sworn in as the 42nd collector of Thiruvananthapuram last year and was the one to propose the idea of implementing green protocol in the city. Perhaps, her experience of working with Kerala Suchitwa Mission helped her in leading many cleanliness campaigns in the city. She also launched C Power 5, which means Change Can Change Climate Change, an initiative to implement a lifestyle in people which doesn’t pose threat to the environment and society.

She was in news last year for her active participation in the relief activities during Kerala floods. She was very much involved in the collections centres, as the district administration was able to collect 54 truck-loads of materials in two days, which was disbursed to various parts of Kerala. Vasuki was back in news a couple of days back as she came to her office wearing a reused saree, one of the many, which were bought from Resource Recovery Facility (RRF) a couple of months ago. This can be treated as a continuation of her green protocol works as she intends to promote reuse of materials. She asserted that she doesn’t have any stigma in wearing a reused saree and for her, the environment is important. She even visited the employees of RRF wearing the saree brought from them, keeping the word she had given them. She also believes the saree, which was bought at an amount of '50, can be used for many years. Many came in appreciation of her act; however, there were some who disapproved of wearing a used saree. Vasuki has been fondly called as ‘Collector Sis’ by the people.