The recycler

Pravin Vaishno has seen the city expand, change and yet remain the same in the past 10 years. He runs a recycling or kabadi shop outside the Goregaon railway station. “For me, Mumbai is equal to work. The city is becoming more and more expensive and so we are planning for the family to return to Udaipur, but I won’t leave the city as long as my limbs are working,” says the 35-year-old.

When he first arrived, Vaishno didn’t know anyone in the city, and he says he didn’t need to. “I always found help, be it when asking for directions or looking for a job.”

A recycler offered him a way to make a living, and in four years he had his own outfit.

“This is a city where everything can fetch a price. I’ve even sold parts from inside a toy mobile phone,” he says, laughing.

It was in Mumbai that he got to know people from different communities. A neighbour drops by to ask for a spare paint bucket. “They know my shop is a like a magic box where you can find anything. Mumbai makes me proud to do this job.” Vaishno spends all day at the shop, watching like a fly on the wall, and almost every day he sees a new face. “I know they are new here,” he says. “But the city belongs to all, and anyone can make it, if they are ready to do any job without considering it odd.”

Meanwhile, he says, “I’m happy to be doing my bit to keep the city clean.”

VAISHNO SPENDS ALL DAY AT HIS SHOP IN GOREGAON, WATCHING LIKE A FLY ON THE WALL, AND ALMOST EVERY DAY HE SEES A NEW FACE

TEXT: STEFFY THEVAR