Mithilesh has been part of the door-to-door solid waste collection workforce in Mussoorie for six years. Though her journey began earlier while working at a private school, it is her family's circumstances and need for a better job that associated her with KEEN- an NGO working towards clean, green, and sustainable Mussoorie.
As a sanitation worker, Mithilesh highlights challenges in her work, such as working in difficult terrains where houses cascade down mountainsides, which are sometimes accessible only on foot. She and her team have developed a system, they collect waste in two-bag batches, descending manually where vehicles cannot go, eventually reaching collection points where trucks can then access the load and carry it to the MRF plant.
When asked if she faces social stigma, the common burden of sanitation workers, she pauses thoughtfully "If you treat your work with dignity, if you approach it the way you would care for your own home, then it looks different. Citizens have been positive with me," she says. Her optimism and outlook towards her work outshines and keeps her motivated to continue showing up, each day.
What strikes most is how Mithilesh along with her team collects waste and communicate about their responsibilities to the citizens, she explains how even during monsoon and winters and in cases of a natural disaster, citizen take the initiative and hold on to the waste produced by them until Mithilesh and her team show up to collect the waste. This subtle understanding showcases the strong bond and underlying accountability that the team has established with the community, preventing open disposal of waste irrespective of any calamity. With this, she speaks about her role with pride, simply stating "It's an honor to serve our city”. This philosophy guides her interactions with citizens, supervisors, and colleagues alike.
Her vision for Mussoorie is clear and powerful. "When tourists come, I want them to leave saying 'The citizens of this place are wonderful—the cleanliness shows how much they care.' That's what I want." She doesn't dream of personal glory. She dreams of a city so clean, so well-maintained, that visitors understand that it is cleanliness that reflects the collective action in the city of Mussoorie.
For six years, she has shown up on Mussoorie's steep slopes supporting waste collection, maintaining dignity in work that society often devalues. In her work, she represents something powerful, a quiet revolution of women choosing frontline services ensuring accessibility and equity of services to all parts of the city, alike.