Tell us a bit about yourself.

I am an engineer by training but now I think of myself as an environmentalist. No, it’s not simply because of my long-standing passion for restoring water bodies. I have actually done certificate courses and even received training from the the Central Pollution Control Board. So I have stopped calling myself an engineer and started calling myself an environmentalist.

In which stream did you complete your engineering?

I did my B. Tech in Mechanical Engineering and followed it up with a M. Tech in Industrial Production.

Engineer to Environmentalist – how did this shift come about?

Actually, my passion for lakes existed much before I became an engineer. The only difference was that initially and even during my engineering days, my involvement was part-time, like a hobby or a passion. I never knew it would become all consuming for me. After completing my studies, I, like many others, took up a job in a multinational company. But again there was a difference. People work for 8 hours a day and complain there is little time left for anything else. I would work for 8 hours, then pursue my passion for restoring lakes. People rest on Sundays. My Sundays were spent in doing the one thing I loved. Slowly I began to feel that there was no point in putting my feet in two boats. So eventually I decided to quit and turn my passion into my profession.

Quitting a well-paying job must have hurt financially, right?

Not so much. I think I planned my transition well, although my plan did fail at times. Before taking up a job, I used to give tuitions to students in my home town. I decided to move back and restart the same. By taking three batches of 10-20 students each, I could finish teaching in 3 hours and dedicate the rest of my hours to activities connected with the revival of lakes. While I did not earn as much as I did from my job, the tuitions definitely reduced the financial pressure on me. Subsequently, as my work began to get support from media, corporates and environmentally inclined individuals, I managed to reduce my dependence on tuitions and give my full time to my passion.

What about your parents? How did they react?

Their reaction was one to be seen. But you have to understand where they were coming from. Firstly, no one in my family had studied beyond the 10th standard. I was the first one to see a college or a corporate. So when I took up a job in a MNC, their expectation was that I would become manager, then senior manager and so on and so forth. So my decision came as a shock. Then there was another problem. In my village, lakes or water bodies are called Johads. In today’s time, the word Johad conjures up images of a pool of dirty water or a Nullah. Now which parent would like to introduce his or her son as someone who studied B. Tech and now cleans Johads for a living? It was difficult for them to accept this. However, all the media attention that I have received has helped. Very often media representatives land up at home looking to meet me. So while my parents don’t feel as upset as they did before, I can’t yet say they are satisfied with what I do.

Pond Man of India – what’s the story behind the name?

Some kind people from the media used this in a story on me. I think it clicked. Many other press articles also used this name. So the name has got traction. I also like it. But it’s not about me. It’s about the ponds. I am because of the ponds, not the other way round.

How many water bodies have you revived till date?

Till date we have restored 38 water bodies. That is not too much. But we are currently working on reviving 11 more in Ghaziabad and Gautam Buddha Nagar and one in Delhi. If we are successful, we will be hitting the half century mark very soon.

That many simultaneous projects requires manpower. How big is your team?

We have 18 permanent members who take care of logistics, architecture, supervision etc. They are all fundamentally people with passion for this work. Frankly, I don’t want to know what they have studied, how many degrees they have or don’t have or if they can communicate well or not. The only skill that matters to me is the passion they bring to the table. They may not know anything in the beginning, but If they have the passion, they will learn fast. It was the same with me. These 18 members are looking after the different sites. I want them to learn everything that I know, so that they can carry on the good work in their own sectors, even if I am not around. Apart from them, we have around 200 volunteers. They help us with plantation drives, documentation, designing and printing our booklets, etc. Take my website, for example. I never had to pay for it. Our volunteers built it for us. Social media has helped us a lot. As has word of mouth. Our volunteers share pictures of our plantation drives and that helps us reach many more people. We also get help from students who come to intern with us.

Theoretical knowledge Vs Practical knowledge: which is more essential in your line of work?

99% is practical knowledge if you ask me. See, many PHD students come to me for help with their thesis. I am also approached by final year students from IITs who are pursuing courses in this area. They may be final year students, they know how to use big words, but they don’t know the ABCD of things on ground. How will they? They have never seen the issues concerning water bodies first hand. I may not know the technical terms they do or the big english words they use. But till date I have helped at least 20 PHD students and around two dozen IIT students with their projects. I am in touch with many professors who possess a huge wealth of knowledge on water bodies. But they have never dealt with a real water body. I am not saying this theoretical knowledge is not important. It’s useful for research purposes. Both theory and practical knowledge have their own utility. But in my line of work, practical knowledge is all important.

When you revive a water body, do you also have to revive the people living around it?

It’s a very important question. No water body was always dirty. It became like this because people didn’t care enough. So before we begin reviving a lake, we hold Jal Chaupals or Water Meetings with the residents of the area. Often their knowledge of the area is way more than we can hope to gather. These are deep discussions and we listen to their suggestions and also educate and motivate them. It’s easy to say one should motivate people and educate them on the need to revive water bodies, but that’s theory. It doesn’t work in real life. Why will anyone leave his or her job and life and go about looking after the lakes in their neighbourhood. If I try and dirty a farm land, the farmer will fight and resist me. Because his income is connected to the farm. Earlier people relied on water bodies for water. Now everyone gets tap water at home. There is no connection left. Which is why we now try to create income opportunities through ideas like fish farming whenever we revive a lake or pond. So that the people who depend on the water body have a reason to maintain, preserve and sustain the water body in future as well.

What about the government? How important is the role of authorities in this?

Most water bodies are public property and fall under the purview of one government department or another. From our perspective, it is best to take a written NOC before we begin any project. As concerned citizens it is our right to do this work, but taking prior permission protects us from interference, objections and other such issues. In more complicated cases where there is industrial pollution involved, you cannot do anything without the support of the government. You can clean a lake ten times, but to stop the factories from releasing effluents into the lake, you need government action.

How much does it cost to revive a lake? How do you raise the funds?

That depends entirely on the size of the water body. The area could be 2000 square meters or 20000 square meters. The cost could vary from INR 2 lakhs to INR 20 lakhs. Once you have a decent track record, raising funds is not difficult. I don’t even need to approach corporates anymore. Corporates themselves approach us now. And we make sure we keep them aware of the plan and progress at every stage. We even invite them to come and see the progress for themselves.

What message would you like to give to the people reading this interview?

We need people to contribute to the action on the ground. I don’t expect everyone to go around cleaning ponds like I do. But you can remove one plastic packet at least, when you see it. You can raise a complaint when you see a lake being used as a dumping ground. A lot of funds allocated for maintenance of water bodies is misappropriated. All it takes is for someone to shoot a picture with his or her mobile phone and share it with the relevant authorities. People simply have to be more proactive. If you need guidance on how you can make a difference, then connect with me. I am always available to help.

How do your children react to your Pond Man status? What do you want them to do when they grow up?

I have two children. A boy and a girl. Yes, they are aware of their father being known as the Pond Man. All I want is for them to become good, responsible, concerned citizens. Besides that, they are free to pursue whatever dream they choose for themselves.

And what do your children say when someone asks them about their father’s profession?

I have told them: should a school teacher or anyone else enquire about me or about the work I do, they should just ask the person to look up Ramveer Tanwar on Google.

Visit SayEarth to support Ramveer and his tribe of pond saviours. If you would like The LEF Journal to cover stories of inspiring people you know, do drop your suggestions in the comment box.

This interview was originally conducted in Hindi and has been transliterated for the purpose of this article.