Not your normal scientist!

Have you ever spoken to a scientist to whom you have many questions to be asked? Have they been able to create the light of knowledge within you by removing your ignorance?

Recently, I conversed with one such scientist by the name of Sangeeta Venkatesh. To uncover the depth of her story, we started with the year 1986, when she was a biotechnology student at M.S. University.

A novel field in those days, only five Indian universities offered this course. According to her, the early discovery of her ikigai made her take this untraversed path. With a deep sense of pride for her study and her alma mater, she recalls one of her favorite quotes from a professor.

"There are more good microbes than bad ones, but there may be more bad humans than good ones."

From her college days till today, she has worn multiple hats in waste, water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) field. Her deep knowledge and holistic view about our environment made her personality shine through the interview. As I write about her relevant experiences and expressions, I strongly wish we benefit from her wisdom.

1. Not all microbes are bad: I had heard about the application of lactase enzyme in the dairy industry and was impatient to uncover the usage of good microbes in the sanitation field. Being a storyteller herself, Sangeeta started the conversation by highlighting the sorry state of India's sanitation and waste management system. She stressed about how as a nation, we need to focus on our public spaces and common public toilets, which may be areas that harbor disease-causing pathogens. By doing so we would avoid outbreaks of pandemics similar to Covid-19. My next question was obvious; whether there were methods to bring relief to this undesirable scenario. Sangeeta shared some profound ideas that did bring some perspective and hope within me.

"While focusing on the economy, you cannot divorce the environment."

She went on to tell me, "In nature, there is a happy balance of good microbes and pathogens. The good microbes overrun pathogens in number. There are nitrogen-fixing bacteria in the roots of plants that play a major role in nature. Did you know that nearly 10,000 different species occupy the human body? But in our effort to sanitize our environment with chemical cleaners, we are also effectively killing the good microbes around us. And this imbalance gives power to pathogens to overtake good microbes. Additionally, the chemical cleaners that we send off as grey-water in our environment are quickly polluting our water bodies as well."

2. No one size fits all: After her research stint on Rinderpest virus at the IISc, Bengaluru, she went on to work for a Tsunami rehabilitation camp as their sanitation consultant. How did she gather the determination of serving the disaster-stricken areas of Nagapattinam, Tamilnadu? Did her urban upbringing come in the way of her work at the grass-root level in any way? There was a ring in her tone throughout her recollection of the stressful yet exciting times. One of her biggest takeaways was that there was a conspicuous absence of toilet facilities in rural India. Due to the tsunami, the green cover had disappeared completely, making it difficult for villagers, especially women, to relieve themselves and answer nature’s call.

The caveat in the situation was to find and develop a sanitation system that would fit the economic, social, and ecological parameters of the location. Sangeeta was part of a team that experimented with the decentralized model of sanitation called eco-san toilets that were suitable and sustainable for high water-table areas. From the beginning, was it all hunky-dory to get people to adopt this new style of defecation? Her tone got heavier and I could only guess the amount of resistance faced by the team. In tough times, her strength lied in her communication skills and making the people adopt a customized solution. I believe her work exemplifies the quote below:

"Human interaction is the key force in overcoming resistance, and speeding change."

3. A new broom sweeps clean- With her grand vision of increasing awareness in the WASH field, Sangeeta feels that the younger generation holds the key to success. As a writer, her tools to prepare her army includes her book- The waste issue and her blog

How does she manage to capture the wavering attention of the current generation for a dry subject such as solid waste management and its problems? For the book, the answer lay in collaborating with an educator, graphic designer, and a student editor. Onboarding them for her book project ensured that its flow remained engaging, informative, and entertaining. Her contribution to the book encompassed her subject matter expertise and experiences working in the field for more than 30 years. The book was the outcome of her study with 25 different schools spread across 5 states of India. I was happy to know that her blog carried practical advice for living a waste-free lifestyle.

With many feathers in each of her hats, which includes winning the ‘Most Promising Blogger’ for her blog,  she continues to take one step at a time. She believes one step has the power to change the landscape much more than being complacent about the situation. With re-runs of Mahabharata and Ramayan series on television, I found it interesting to hear about her book "Celebrating the Earth-Stories about Prithvi" based on Vedas and Puranas. Staying true to her spiritual side, we ended the talk with her insightful quote.

"Do the right thing, that is your dharma and karma."