readersdigest.co.in 35Reader’s DigestHEROES:
The Honest CabbieWhen Tariq Ahmad Naikoo, a taxi
driver from Kashmir, found a bag
with wads of cash, jewellery and
three high-end mobile phones, a
cache worth around `10 lakh in all,
his first thought was How do I reach
the owner of the bag?
Naikoo had found the bag at
the popular Aharbal tourist spot inShopian, around 50 kilometres
south of Srinagar. He managed to
switch on one of the phones he
found in the bag and waited for
it to ring. Of course, the frantic
owner called soon. Naikoo asked
the person to come to the spot
where the bag was lost and
returned it. He was applauded by
tourists and the local police and
later, given a gift and a letter of
appreciation by the latter. Well
deserved, we say!So
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They hope to cross a million pairs
soon. Greensole also sells recycled
shoes to raise funds. This, combined
with corporate donations, has hel-
ped them scale up rapidly. On their
website, anyone can donate or help
recycle footwear, starting at `199 a
pair for children.
Bhandari and Dhami’s dream
is to ensure that no Indian child
goes to school barefoot by 2023.
We hope this comes true.The Plastic Slayer
environment Priyesh KV, 30, a
Kerala-based fisherman, had been
noticing more plastic waste than
fish in his nets, of late. Rather than
ignoring the problem, he decided
to take it head on in April this year.
Within two months Priyesh, single-
handedly, hauled around 3.5 tonnes
of plastic from the sea. On some
days, he spent more time collecting
plastic waste than catching fish.
This is not something he regrets,
though. But where does all that
plastic go? Priyesh convinced the
local panchayat about the grim
effects of plastic and they, in turn,
have set up a plastic-shredding
unit. The output is later taken to
a recycling plant in Kozhikode,
the district headquarters. Priyesh
wants to do much more by roping
in more people for his mission.
Here’s wishing him every success!
—COMPILED BY V. KUMARA SWAMY