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NGO helps istriwallas switch from charcoal to LPG iron box
The Hindu
NGO helps ironwalls switch from coal based iron box to LPG powered iron box. The project by Udhyam Learning Foundation was launched in Bengaluru and Chennai and is now looking for more partners in other cities
The neighbourhood istriwalla is a part of the landscape. And when the landscape has changed with the times, should they be stuck in the past?
They will continue to serve the neighbourhood in ways they have always been, but the means to do so should change. And it has for S. Raja. As istriwalla at Eighth Cross Street in Shenoy Nagar, Chennai, he is carrying the baton passed on to him by his parents.
“I took over from them 15 years ago,” says 42-year-old Raja, a resident of Chennai. Moving six kilos of the iron box, standing and working continuously under the heat was no easy task. “Waiting to get the coal into smoulder mode is the toughest of the things to do: it takes 45 minutes before one can start work,” says Raja. He recalls his father applying thylam after a hectic day at work as his hands would be aching. What is emitted by the coal is hard on the lungs.
His job has evolved considerably, almost unrecognisably, since he switched to an LPG-powered iron box sponsored by Udhayam Learning Foundation.
“The best part is that we get to take breaks between work and we are more productive at the same time,” Raja says, adding that he now gets to take off from work once a week. He irons almost double the number of clothes in less than previous working hours. “My dad used to return home only around 9 p.m. Now, I am able to wind up by 7.30 p.m.,” says Raja. He keeps the iron box and a five-litre gas cylinder at the house of a resident on the same street.
Raja owns two carts and has also his wife Lakshmi assists him in the business.
“LPG iron box is a boon for women in particular as they can supplement the family income. Lakshmi irons 20 pieces of cloth more than than I do,” Raja says. With pride in his voice, he notes that 40 istriwallas have switched to this sustainable alternative, motivated by his example.
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