Bengaluru's waste pickers celebrated in 'Happy Number' by Vasu Dixit

BBC Media Action has released a music video called ‘Happy Number’, celebrating and highlighting the role of Bengaluru’s 22,500 informal waste pickers in the city’s circular economy. They achieve this by helping divert a massive amount of waste - 38,32,50,000 kilograms - from reaching landfills every year.

BBC Media Action has conceptualised and produced this song and its accompanying video in collaboration with Bengaluru-based musician Vasu Dixit.

Why is this diversion such an important issue? Waste accumulation in landfills has immense negative environmental impact, contributing to air, water, and soil pollution. Scientific evidence shows that the work of waste pickers leads to better environment – cleaner air, water, and soil.

The music video revolves around the Happy Number and the people who make it happen – Bengaluru’s informal waste pickers, the #InvaluableRecyclers. Along with Vasu, the music video features rapper Karthik S Gubbi, actor-comedian Shraddha Jain who goes by the moniker @AiyyoShradhha, and a few of the thousands of Bengaluru’s informal waste pickers who contribute to the Happy Number. @AiyyoShraddha has supported the #Invaluables campaign for the last year.

If you knew that Bengaluru’s informal waste pickers stopped over 38 crores kilograms of waste from reaching the landfills every year so the waste could be recycled, wouldn’t you feel like making song to celebrate it? We already did! #InvaluableRecyclers pic.twitter.com/ZzO2N3jHH7

— BBC Media Action India (@bbcmaIND) July 22, 2022

The #InvaluableRecyclers form the backbone of the waste management system of India’s Silicon Valley, ensuring that only non-recyclable materials end up in landfill. The Happy Number music video gives them their space in the sun.

Earlier, BBC Media Action's research around the informal waste pickers of Bengaluru showed that even though waste on the streets is visible, and is of concern, informal waste pickers remain virtually 'invisible' to most people. Nearly 55% of respondents said that informal waste pickers are dirty in appearance, while 56% believed that they should not be allowed inside building complexes and societies. Research after the first phase of the '#Invaluables' campaign indicated a nearly 6% increase in awareness of informal waste pickers and their contributions among respondents.

BBC Media Action’s campaign is part of the H&M Foundation funded Saamuhika Shakti initiative, that brings together multiple organisations to join forces to improve the lives of informal waste pickers in Bengaluru. Partners of this collaborative include CARE India, Hasiru Dala, Sambhav Foundation, Save the Children, Social Alpha and WaterAid, along with The/Nudge Institute serving as the backbone organisation for this collective impact initiative.

The Happy Number Music Video: #InvaluableRecyclers

The Happy Number song is at the core of the music video, which captures the significance and the efforts of the informal waste pickers in recycling the unimaginable quantities of waste generated by the city. The song is a foot-tapping fusion of folk and rock, with a rap interlude, with the Happy Number refrain – ‘38,32,50,000’ (the zeros are sung as not-not-not-not), urging listeners to appreciate and acknowledge the efforts of the waste pickers and sing along!

Through the song, listeners learn why 38,32,50,000 is a Happy Number for Bengaluru, and compares it to the weight of 95,000 elephants, so that listeners can easily visualise the enormity of the volume. The song talks about the role of street waste pickers, itinerant waste buyers and sorters, who in their own ways contribute to a cleaner and better environment. It also acknowledges Mansoor, Velu and Megamalai – informal waste pickers from Bengaluru – who, along with several others, are the face of the #InvaluableRecyclers campaign. Hasiru Dala and Save the Children also supported the making of the video by helping cast people from the waste picking communities.

Talking about the #InvaluableRecyclers, Soma Katiyar, Executive Creative Director, BBC Media Action India says, “Thanks to the pandemic, numbers have become scary, harbingers of the worst possible news! But here’s a ‘happy number’ that we need to know about and celebrate – an estimated 38,32,50,000 kilograms of waste stopped from being added to already overflowing landfills by the informal waste pickers of Bengaluru. We see our #InvaluableRecyclers as silent environmentalists. They are the first link in the waste recycling value chain. This song celebrates the invaluable service they provide to the city and is a tribute to them. Through this Happy Number song and campaign, BBC Media Action aims to highlight their role in the city’s circular economy, showcasing the skills and expertise they bring to the profession of waste picking”.

Musician Vasu Dixit (@dixitvasu) who co-created with BBC Media Action and composed the Happy Number song says, “We as citizens have a responsibility towards the informal waste pickers of Bengaluru – of treating them with the respect and dignity they deserve for protecting our environment. And most importantly, ensuring that the waste we give them remains recyclable. The Happy Number song was a great opportunity for me to celebrate them and their work. It would be a dream come true if Bengalureans sing along and recognise waste pickers for what they do.”

The launch of the song has been endorsed by city-based environmentalist Vani Murthy and comedian Sonu Venugopal among several other prominent Bengalureans.