They plan to beat music out of junk

A training session in progress

In a first of its kind performance, around 35 to 40 waste pickers will join professional musicians from the city for a unique flash mob, this Sunday.

A training session in progress

The event, organised to spread awareness about cleanliness and the importance of waste pickers, will have participants make music from household items such as dabbas, buckets, brooms, and other junk materials for about seven to ten minutes.

"It's not everyday that you come across a flash mob where waste pickers are carrying out a musical performance," cites Chantelle Cabral, one of the organisers at the event, adding, "One of the main goals of the performance is to make them feel good about themselves and what they do."

She adds that the waste pickers were more than thrilled to be a part of the event. "It is important that we put across the message that cleanliness is an extremely significant factor in society. This is an opportunity where we can share a talent and also do something for society," she adds.

Apart from junk material, some of the waste pickers will be provided with musical instruments like the Djembe (an African Congo), legims, shakers and frame drums. The professional artistes too will be making use of junk instruments to produce music.

Arthur Fernandes, who has been training the waste pickers for the flash mob performance, says, "Teaching them music and training them to perform was a big task. They are extremely new to this, so they needed to be trained from the most basic beat. We trained them on how to stick to one beat, and play in synchronisation. Now they don't look at their trash buckets simply as trash containers, but something altogether different like a music instrument."

The initiative is being conducted by Music Matters along with the members of Swach (Solid Waste Collection and Handling, Pune), India's first wholly-owned co-operative of self-employed waste pickers/waste collectors and other urban poor.