There are those who are groomed for a leadership role. And then there are those who rise to a position of authority, quietly watching other leaders at work, from the sidelines and imbibing leadership values.

Now, D.R. Sivakumar, who was elected secretary of Chitlapakkam Muthulakshmi Nagar Welfare Association (CMWA) in December 2018, fits into the second category.

Sivakumar was a member of the Sarvamangala Nagar Residents’ Association until two years ago, which was when he shifted residence to Muthulakshmi Nagar.

“My inspiration to be a neighbourhood activist came from Sarvamangala Nagar RWA president M. Ravi, who has been leading the Association successfully for more than two decades and deals with a variety of issues. Just like him, I wanted to be an active member of the community,” says Sivakumar, who is 39 years old.

Being a resident of Chitlapakkam for close to a decade, Sivakumar was aware of the civic problems plaguing the locality. And he contested the CMWA elections successfully, last year.

Many years ago, at his home town, B.B. Kulam in Madurai, Sivakumar had been a member of a ‘maanavar ani’ (student group) and later the youth wing, which focused on neighbourhood issues. The group assisted government agencies in health campaigns such as polio vaccine administration and education awareness programmes. When he moved to Chennai 10 years ago for work and made Chitlapakkam his home, he wanted to be an active participant in his community.

“I am one among those who benefit or get affected by anything that happens within the community. So I can’t just sit and watch. My experience in the student and youth wing groups in my home town taught me that when people come together, a lot can be achieved,” he says.

Now, at Chitlapakkam Muthulakshmi Nagar, the first challenge staring at the newly-elected RWA team in December 2018, was the introduction of a better garbage disposal system.

“A longstanding problem here is improper garbage disposal and irregular collection. As a first step, we wanted to control dumping of garbage on the streets, so we put up signboards at three streets — Vishwamitrar Street, Muthulakshmi Street and Kasthurba Street — urging people to segregate the waste at home before handing it to the conservancy workers. The Association also joined hands with the Chitlapakkam Town Panchayat and an NGO to conduct an awareness programme,” he adds.

In less than two months, he claims, the volume of garbage has reduced by 60% and he wants to make Muthulakshmi Nagar a plastic-free zone in the future.

Sivakumar, who is employed with a luxury hotel chain, divides his time between work and Association activities. His next aim is to increase the number of members to at least 500 from the present 225.

“Though I am an office-bearer I can’t achieve much without help and encouragement from the other members. If more people join the Association and pursue the civic issues, the results can be achieved faster,” he says.

He also plans to revive the student and youth wings of the Association.

M. Ravi of Sarvamangala Nagar is quite happy that youngsters are coming forward to make their community a better place to live. His word of advice for Shivakumar is to stay consistent and persistent in his pursuit.

“Leading an RWA is a job that comes with a lot of responsibilities. One has to juggle family, career and activism all at the same time. There will be difficult and non-cooperative residents and officials to deal with. I hope Sivakumar will work with determination for the betterment of his neighbourhood,” he says.

Sivakumar can be reached at 95001 73020.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by Sofia Juliet R / February 01st, 2019