Bollywood actress and environmentalist Tanishaa Mukerji attended Vidhushi Karnani’s Youth Equine Leadership programme at The Free Press Journal office in Mumbai on July 15. As per the program, students and alumni of The Bhavishya-Yaan project, which is run by the Rotary Club of Bombay, learnt about the functioning of a newsroom and how it is led by those working in it. Tanishaa also spoke about her NGO STAMP and shared her experience about making our planet greener and cleaner. Excerpts:
Please tell us about your NGO STAMP that you’ve been running since the last seven years.
I started the STAMP Foundation with two of my partners. It was started purely as a tree planting association and later on, I had to change my whole objective as everybody was planting trees but nobody was taking an extra mile to make sure that they were flourishing. So we started working towards waste management, cleanups and doing everything that would reduce carbon footprint. The aim of STAMP is to create awareness, educate and work with people. I don’t believe you can have environmental activism which goes against the government or it's not a fight, it has to be a collaborative movement.
How has the experience been?
It’s been a very tricky situation because it’s not easy as I have to divide time between work and my passion. This is not a business and everybody would ask, ‘Do you make any money?’ and I’m like, ‘No’. So, it has not been an easy process because when I started it, there were not many NGOs coming up that focussed only on the environment.
How has your family supported and encouraged you in this journey?
My family is extremely supportive. From my sister (Kajol) to my brother-in-law (Ajay Devgn) and my mother (Tanuja), they are always there for me. They are also proud of me. We all believe in giving back and that has to do with upbringing. All the credit goes to my mother.
What does the word sustainability mean to you?
For me, sustainability means being a conscious consumer. It is taking responsibility for your life and your garbage. We need to take responsibility for all the garbage we are creating.
Climate crisis is being discussed everywhere. How do you think individuals can make a difference ?
Stop discussing it and try to do something. It has become a living room conversation. It will only get a lot worse if you don’t do anything.
What advice would you give to those who want to make a difference in the world of sustainability but aren’t sure where to start?
Come for my cleanups and connect with us on Instagram. We’ll tell you what to do and get you started. Don’t worry, it’s not difficult.
Are there any sustainable fashion or beauty trends that you’re currently excited about?
I believe the only sustainable and beauty trend would be to restyle and reuse your clothes. Stop going into fast fashion and stop thinking that if you wear this dress once, you can’t wear it again. Because you are creating a lot of garbage. I don’t want to be somebody who says ‘stop buying’ because you want to have a good life. I’m not going to tell people to stop using air conditioners because this is how far technology has brought us and we want to live comfortably. But at the same time, we need to be responsible. We can’t keep buying everything because a lot of it is consumerism. So reuse your clothes, my sister and elder cousin give me clothes and I’m happy to wear hand-me-downs.
