A true ecofreak – Pradeep NV

I haven’t met anyone in life who said that the reason he left his native place and settled in Belagavi was that it was water-rich!

Yes, love for water is evident in all of us but using it only to quench thirst and not waste a single drop of it isn’t a trait owned by many.

Doctor to be, Mr.Pradeep NV, belongs to that category of environmentalists who is technically perfect and qualified and is passionate about the same. If you ever visit the KLE engineering college hostel and see the beautiful and vibrant garden with flowers fresh, it’s because of the tank built underneath which harvests lakhs of liters of water every monsoon.

If you go further ahead Udyambag, you may soon get to visit an STP that is natural and not the conventional one. And all this water conservation in a city which is never dry. Hailing from Ballari, from a humble background Pradeep chose to become an environmental engineer.

Quit his good-paying job, to risk a consultancy business “Nisarga consultancy “at a time when Belgaumites were not serious about water( we still aren’t). To give back to society and serving people, he also headed the chair to a nonprofit organization called as “Dharini foundation”, through which he empowers the tribals and marginalized class of people by promoting eco-friendly handmade materials like cotton bags, recycled rolled paper pens, etc..

An expert in rainwater harvesting, he narrates how at times, people have consulted him for harvesting water in their big houses and left him unpaid, and how they got the job done from plumbers.

And to this he reacts ” as long as they harvest water, I am satisfied “. A supportive partner to a doctor wife pursuing her higher studies in Dharwad, Pradeep is found juggling various hats! Weekend travel to visit family, and most of the time planting trees, creating awareness about plastic and recycling, and building structures to hold what he calls”precious ” water.

Last year, his company created a microbial culture for composting, which received a green signal from the central pollution control board (CPCB). From setting up dry leaves composting units at various places in Belagavi, Dharwad to organising plantation activities, to adding compost and manure to the existing trees, he does it all. When he once found time out of his busy schedule, he went for a nature trek. Instead of being awed by the beauty of the jungle, he was more than satisfied that he could pick up the plastic waste that people have thrown around and he contributed to making it cleaner!

To encourage scientific wet waste management in the younger generation, he designed compost bins up-cycled from plastic purchased from scrap and sold it at a nominal price. He endorsed the use of citrus bio enzymes the belittled soap nuts or antalkai or reetha, instead of chemicals in daily cleaning practices.

“Is that why you love soap nuts”, I asked him, and his reply startled me, ..” my mother can wash her expensive silk sarees using soap nuts only when it’s raining, there is nothing more pious than rain”.

A simple and down to earth man, often seen in decent attire, speaking softly yet with a strong message, he truly is an eco freak. When, at an interview, I asked him, why doesn’t he start to appear more on social media, he said “nature will speak for itself someday Akka”!

…. and oh! Did I forget to mention, Pradeep proudly was a volunteer for the Covid Vaccine human trials at Jeevan Rekha hospital. Again upon being concerned when I asked why, very calmly says he “someone or the other has to do it na”!, so I did.

Dr.Aarati Bhandare

Founder of Boondh, (2015) to work aggressively in the field of water. Major work involves creating awareness.