By Express News Service CHENNAI: The abode of Lord Muruga at Maruthamalai in Coimbatore is visited by many, especially on weekends and festival days. One such festival day convinced Anusuya S to do her part for society. She, along with 20 of her transgender friends, decided to clean the hills by walking up the terrain, three weeks ago. It has been three Sundays and the team’s efforts are bearing fruits. Every member had a couple of gunny bags. They were categorised into makkum kuppai (degradable waste) and makkatha kuppai (nondegradable waste). Sporting white gloves, they all walked atop the hill on Sunday, collecting waste that were littered by devotees. They then segregated them. “We went to the temple on the day of Thaipoosam. Many offered annadhanam to the devotees. We saw people throwing away the plates and food wastes. The next day, when I went to see if it was cleaned, I learned that sanitary workers were employed to clean the steps and the surroundings of the temple, but the hills and the pathway were left dirty,” said Anusuya. She then gathered her friends to clean up the hills. “Cleanliness drive is not new to us. We all have a social responsibility and many times we join other groups involved in road cleaning activities. But, we were often treated differently and hesitated to involve us. So, I approached other transgender friends with an idea to clean the Maruthamalai hills. We contributed `100 each and purchased gunny bags and gloves,” said the 28-year-old. Anusuya believes that taking part in social activities gives her gender an identity and acceptance among others. “Most of us are employed and have leave only on Sunday. So, we started the clean-up drive two weeks back. We gather at 8 am and collect waste till 3 pm. We take a break for lunch,” said 26-year-old P Russia. All the segregated wastes are dropped off at the forest office in Maruthamalai, which is then taken by the Coimbatore Corporation. “The main aim of the clean-up drive is to save mother Earth from pollution. We feel that the hills play an important role in maintaining a balance in the ecosystem. So, we have planned to clean other hills like Velliangiri after Maruthamalai is cleaned up,” shared 24-year-old Dhansika A. The group has collected 20 bags of waste in the past two Sundays. It will take them two more Sundays to clear the whole area. After this, they want to initiate a tree plantation programme in the city and are looking for volunteers and sponsors. Cheers to their tribe! For details. call: 9500201833

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