This doctor left her practice to fix Bengaluru’s civic sense — and her work even earned praise from Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw.
Meet Dr Shanthi Tummala, the woman fixing Bengaluru’s garbage problem.
Dr Shanthi once lived a comfortable life as a dentist. But one moment changed everything. She saw a waste picker standing inside a mountain of garbage, desperately searching for something to sell. That image stayed with her.
She decided to follow the garbage trail. What she discovered was alarming. Most of Bengaluru’s waste was being dumped in landfills, poisoning groundwater and polluting nearby communities. Meanwhile, waste pickers were risking their lives every single day. One woman even lost a finger because educated citizens could not segregate their garbage.
Most of Bengaluru’s waste was being dumped in landfills, poisoning
groundwater and polluting nearby communities.
Dr Shanthi had zero experience in waste management. Yet, she chose to act.
She quit dentistry and began going door to door, teaching people how to separate wet, dry, and hazardous waste. Not everyone supported her. Some dismissed her efforts, saying, “All this drama for a political career,” while others accused her of doing it for fame and money.
But Dr Shanthi refused to stop.
Through the HSR Citizen Forum, she helped over one lakh Bangaloreans achieve nearly 90 per cent waste segregation. She travelled on crowded buses to reach citizens and pushed civic authorities to support segregation and composting efforts.
She also started a Compost Learning Centre to teach people sustainable living.
Dr Shanthi does not just preach sustainability — she lives it. She carries a steel dabba, uses cloth bags, wears preloved sarees, and does not allow plastic in her home.
Her message is simple: “My waste, my responsibility.”
So tell us honestly — do you segregate your waste at home?
