No Filter: Plogging parties make picking up trash while jogging trendy

Digital entrepreneur Jacob Cherian was doing this in Kodaikanal with his friends before it became trendy. Animals were coming out of the forest and eating trash deposited by villagers, cleaning up that one mountain was a perpetual job for him. Last year, one of my friends shared a plogging video on his Facebook page and Jacob, as a joke, called it a plogging party and that post received an overwhelmingly positive response. Within 24 hours an event was set up and they sold out in 48 hours.

After taking this to nine cities it’s only fitting that the 10th city is Chennai as Jacob’s formative years were in this city. What is it about a plogging party that makes cleaning up trash attractive to people. We all have busy lives and whatever little time we have to spare we wanted to unwind and do something that’s fun. That leaves us with little time to contribute back to our society. Jacob decided to combine the two. Today, various brands are interested in sponsoring supplies needed for this cleanup and the one in Chennai coincides with World Environment Week. If you are interested in contributing to this or volunteering, get in touch with Jacob or Surya Dinkar on social media.

As we wrap up the conversation, in true millennial style Jacob drops a little wisdom on how two hours of picking up someone else’s trash can change a person fundamentally. “Several volunteers from previous parties no longer chew gum, they refill water bottle instead of buying another one, and they pocket their trash instead of throwing it out of the car window,” he says. So if you are looking at a fun two hours that will change your thinking fundamentally, then sign up for the Plogging Party to be held on June 8.

When it comes to creative professions it’s a lot harder for newbies to navigate them. When I started out hosting several years ago, I was fortunate to know several helpful emcees. If you are new to the industry, then Dhwani Rao’s book How to become an Emcee is a good place to start. She has over 11 years of experience and she started her career by hosting kids’ birthday parties, mall events, sangeets to corporate events, and celebrity interviews. She knows what it’s like to straddle college education and pursuing her passion hoping to turn it into paychecks. The book is simple and straight forward — whether you are a student looking to make some pocket money or a mother looking to pursue a passion, this book has something for you.

When I asked her what prompted her to write the book, she tells me that before her first show she approached an established MC who told her to be herself and that turned out to be disastrous advice. This is the book Dhwani wishes she had access to 11 years ago and she is paying it forward for anyone who has similar aspirations. Even with all that experience, she battled through impostor syndrome and self-doubt while writing the book. That’s how the chapter on how to deal with and calm your nerves was born. MCing helped Dhwani to find her voice and confidence and this book has helped her renew it. She also took the bold decision of self-publishing and the book is currently available on Amazon.