Berhampur’s ‘Greenman’ Sudhir Rout Leads Plastic-Free Walk Inspired By Gandhi’s Dandi March
Samir Kumar Acharya speaks to the green crusader undertaking a solo walk across Berhampur creating public awareness against plastic pollution through direct engagement with people.
Published : March 23, 2026 at 3:52 PM IST
Berhampur (Odisha): Sudhir Rout literally walks the talk on the streets of the city without minding heat or dust. With placards hanging across his body, bearing messages in both Odia and English, he keeps watching for people who carry plastic bags to carry their wares, meets them and advises to use environment-friendly packets to keep the earth safe for next generation. Certainly a timely action given the amount of plastic waste choking cities and creeping into every layer of the ecosystem.
A well-known educationist, Rout is also identified as an environmentalist, called the 'Greenman' of the city, for launching a unique plastic-free awareness walk across Berhampur. For the past several days, he has been walking major roads, markets and public spaces every morning and evening, urging citizens to give up single-use plastic.
Through his walk and messages, Rout appeals to people to reject plastic bags, cups, plates, straws and bottles. Covering nearly five to six kilometres daily on foot, he engages directly with commuters, vendors and shoppers and convinces them to shun plastic and adopt environment-friendly materials instead. No wonder, people say, Rout has converted the city’s busiest zones into platforms for environmental dialogue.
What makes his campaign relevant is the timing and inspiration behind it. Rout said he has consciously aligned his walk with the spirit of the Dandi March, marking the historic civil disobedience movement that began on March 12 and concluded on April 6. "By invoking this moment from India’s freedom struggle, I wanted to highlight that today’s fight against plastic is no less critical. Plastic use has increased alarmingly. If this continues, we are heading towards a disastrous future. As even the Supreme Court has warned, we are sitting on a plastic bomb,” Rout said while taking the walk.
He speaks to people about how plastic, which takes decades to decompose, seeps into the soil, blocks groundwater recharge and contaminates ecosystems. Citing concerns from the scientists' fraternity, he points out that plastic pollution has reached everywhere, from the oceans to mountain ranges, posing long-term health and environmental risks.
“The problem is we look for convenience and that is why we have normalised plastic in our daily lives. We eat from plastic plates, carry food in polythene bags or use plastic straws. But when we throw these, where does all of it go?” he questions, urging people to carry reusable bags and adopt sustainable habits.
Rout starts his journey from near MKCG Medical College and Hospital and winds through the city’s key commercial hubs. While many citizens appreciate and support his efforts, others remain indifferent while some make fun. Yet, he remains unfazed in his mission and continues the walk every day, undeterred.
“We cannot change people overnight. Also we should not expect all to accept what we say and change habits. Even if two people out of a thousand change their ways, my effort is successful,” he says firmly.
This is not his first initiative. Rout's crusade against plastic began a decade ago. Before the Covid-19 pandemic, he recalls, nearly 80 percent of people in Berhampur had begun carrying their own bags to markets. However, post-pandemic, the use of polythene surged again.
He also expresses concerns about fragmented environmental activism. “Some people take up plantation drives without paying heed to water and soil. Others speak about cleaning rivers but remain silent on plastic. Environmental protection has to be wholistic,” he emphasizes.
A resident of the city Suresh Chandra Tripathy describes Rout's campaign as a much-needed intervention. “Such awareness efforts are extremely important. If people do not act now, the situation could become alarming in the future. If one man is shouldering the responsibility to keep the city plastic free, it should be appreciated and accepted,” he said, recalling his own involvement in cleaning plastic waste from local water bodies.
Rout plans to continue his walk until April 6, as per the timeline of the historic Dandi movement that inspires him. Through persistence, he hopes to reignite a culture of responsibility among citizens.
In a world replete with environmental challenges, Rout's solitary walk through the streets of Berhampur stands as a powerful message that change need not always begin with governments or policies. Sometimes, it starts with just one man whose resolve has the power to change habits of a lot of people.
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