It took poverty-ridden Gotham and his parents’ death for Bruce Wayne to become Batman. All it took for Vani Murthy to become Worm Rani was visiting a landfill in Mavallipura, a village to the north of Bangalore and the site of an ecological disaster due to illegal landfilling. She witnessed how the dumped waste led to a living nightmare for the inhabitants of the region.
“You got black water from the pump because the groundwater was contaminated. The soil was also contaminated, but they were growing food on that soil to send to Bengaluru,” Vani remembers. “I realised that whatever waste we dumped into the landfill was coming back to us in some form or the other. I did not want to add to the mess anymore and decided to take responsibility of waste.”
The 63-year-old homemaker has been championing composting and waste management leading to a feature in National Geographic’s ‘One for Change’ campaign. Her loyal and steady Instagram following is proof of the positive proliferation of her healthy living ideas.
Planting the roots of a sustainable lifestyle
Vani Murthy was a city girl like one of us. Composting was not on the cards initially. But the landfill incident changed everything. So did connecting with her resident welfare association and participating in solid waste management projects in her residential area, Malleshwaram.
“We joined hands to do numerous projects for our vicinity. One such project was ‘wealth out of waste’ where we would collect bags filled with paper and plastic from every house in the area. That’s when I heard that 17 trees can be saved from being chopped down if one ton of paper is recycled. It got me thinking about what we could do with kitchen waste.” Vani reminisces.
That’s when she met Srinivasan, a solid waste management expert, in Vellore and started taking waste management seriously. Forming a team of enthusiastic practitioners, she started segregating and composting waste. Soon, more citizens started getting involved.
The rest is history.
Today, Vani’s videos are a starter guide for anyone who wishes to move into sustainable living.
Breaking down the concept of composting
“Composting is the breakdown of organic matter, the end result is a natural fertiliser available for the plants to absorb instantly.”
Worm Rani
Composting is part of nature’s cycle and happens automatically. A fallen leaf becomes part of the soil in a matter of months. In urban spaces, humans can compost in two methods: aerobic (with oxygen) and anaerobic (with microorganisms).
It’s a shame since 60% of our household waste can be used in composting, which unfortunately ends up in a landfill. The rotting waste produces methane, a harmful greenhouse gas contributing to global warming. The soil and groundwater get contaminated because of a dark fluid-like substance called leachate. As a result, landfill waste is bad news for the soil, water, and air.
“Most people think composting is a stinky process and needs time, attention, space — all these are constraints,” Murthy observes.
Another reason is that residents feel that it’s the responsibility of the municipality to segregate waste.
However, realising that the only people affected by this is us can motivate us towards consciously managing our waste. Especially since there is no planet B.
“We are the only species that generates waste the earth cannot digest. If there is no other planet to live on, why are we destroying it?” questions Vani.
Starting Solid Waste Management Roundtable, Bengaluru
Taking the sustainable living concept from home to an organization level, Vani became one of the founding members of Solid Waste Management Roundtable (SWMRT) – a group of solid waste management practitioners who help municipalities and citizens adopt sustainable waste management practices.
The idea is to build a circular economy where waste segregation starts at source and circles back to the soil. The result is more waste recovery, fewer pollutants, and a non-toxic space for waste-collectors.
“Reduction of waste that ends up in landfills is the primary target,” Vani explains. “Dumping or incineration is not the solution. It should be about waste recovery. About 90 percent of waste generated at home still has life and is a resource that can go back into the circular economy.”
The SWMRT also takes initiative in educating people about waste management, composting best practices and processes, and envisioning learning centres to build awareness among individuals and communities about sustainable living.
The body has also seen success in institutionalising waste management through a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) that led to the Karnataka High Court pass an order for mandatory waste segregation at source and ensuring municipal set up dry waste collection centres.
A shy homemaker to a social media star
Vani first started using a laptop in her 40s. She didn’t even own an email ID prior to that. Social media accounts didn’t make sense to her either.
However, as she started waste management work in her locality, she wanted to document them. That’s when she started using Facebook.
The year was 2007. By 2013, Vani switched to Instagram. Worm Rani was born. Today, her page boasts of 353,000 followers.
Documenting her healthy living practices for over 14 years, Vani seems at ease with tech. She even shoots her own videos.
“I am shocked at myself that I am so comfortable doing it,” Vani confesses.
Worm Rani’s feed is filled with bite-sized knowledge about how to begin composting, how to trave sustainably, how to maintain menstrual hygiene, and more.
“Every post will have something to do with good habits and practices. I post consistently and stay engaged with people. I tell them what I’m up to. I particularly enjoy making reels. It’s fun, given I also get to select the music of my choice,” quips Worm Rani.
Her followers comprise of young enthusiasts whom she wants to transform into changemakers like her.
“They have taken up a few of the practices that I have been talking about — right from saying no to all single-use plastic to using non-chemical cleaners at home, to composting, to growing food, to rearing butterflies,” Worm Rani excitedly shares.
The secret to her success
“You just have to be passionate and you’ll automatically learn so much.”
Vani Murthy
Passion has been at the forefront of everything Vani has done. Owing to her commitment, determination, and positivity, she has been able to make such positive changes to the environment and society.
Vani has always believed in playing to her strengths. Her focus has been unwavering. Despite being an introvert, Vani today is more popular as Worm Rani and is also a TEDx speaker.
“One thing I’ve realised is that every one of us has our own strengths. All my life, I thought I was not good enough, but there came a time when I started accepting myself for who I am. From that point onwards, it became easier. However, It was a gradual process, and I overcame it because I have so much to do in my own space that I don’t have to be like anyone else,” Vani explains.
Worm Rani signs off
The rat race that drives everyone today can be harmful.
“The rat race is taking its toll with stress-related issues like hormonal imbalances, metabolic issues, and mental health problems. Stress is a killer. I would tell women to take things in their stride and centre themselves.” Worm Rani shares.
Her videos talk about the importance of menstrual health and hygiene.
Her terrace, however, is an ocean of calm. It’s a green home garden where she grows herbs such as basil and rosemary, and fruits and vegetables such as brinjal and tomatoes. Breaking the monotony from the greens are composting pots, completing the cycle.
“What has given me the ability to stay calm even amidst all the hustle is my involvement with nature. I choose to put good food into my body; I’ve opted to be in sync with the natural world–and that has helped me immensely. Eat well, have a good night’s sleep, and give your body that rest!” concludes Vani.
We agree.
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