Meet this Pune-based musician raising awareness about rivers and their importance

This writer remembers a friend casually saying ldquoThe city Pune finds its way through potholes and every day feels like a game of Subway Surfersrdquo From forests and rivers to neighbourhoods and livelihoods every mega project seems to arrive with a blueprint in one hand and controversy in the otherFor Swapnil Thakur a 32yearold Jabalpur native who moved to Wakad Pune a decade ago the conversation begins at the MulaMutha River which covers 17 kilometres across the city Before becoming an environmental artiste Thakur worked in an IT firm A road accident in 2019 left him with nine fractured bones which eventually resulted in a routine that would shape both his music and his purposeThakur sits beside the Mula Mutha river in Wakad where he finds inspiration for his music The river stretches for 17 kilometres through the city of Pune Pics courtesyonemansymphonyldquoAfter the lifealtering accident I often found myself by the MulaMutha River near Wakad and that slowly became a part of my healing routine Then in April 2025 I learnt about the proposed Riverfront Development project a massive ongoing urban renewal initiative to transform 44 kilometres of the cityrsquos riverbanks into accessible public recreational and ecological spaces It felt personal The river has found its own course over thousands of years and the forests along its banks have grown naturally Why should we alter that in the name of developmentrdquo recalls ThakurInstead of joining cleanup drives Thakur turned to music The selftaught musician can play nearly 24 instruments and performs with seven at the same time carrying nearly 14 kgs of equipment that includes a mouth organ guitar bass drum snare hihat cymbal and tycoon He has also written songs around the issue including Roti Hui Nadi Ko Apne Chutkule Sunaunga Bohot Bada Ghotala Hai Band Karo Yeh RFD Riverfront Development During his performances in and around the city he also plays an instrumentled version of Indian Oceanrsquos BandehThakur cites the example of the River Thames in England which was declared ldquobiologically deadrdquo in 1957 after decades of industrial pollution and untreated sewage Through better sewage treatment stricter pollution controls and years of restoration the river has made a remarkable recovery and today supports around 125 species of fishldquoCleaning a river is not the solution You canrsquot clean it every day it is practically impossiblerdquo explains Thakur ldquoThe real solution is to make people care enough that they stop polluting it in the first placerdquo he addsCitizen DIY Guidebookgtgt Skip products with microplastics Choose personal care products without plastic microbeads and reduce the release of microfibres from synthetic clothingExample Opt for a natural face scrub instead of one with plastic beads and use a laundry filter or wash polyester clothes only when necessarygtgt Compost floral offerings Avoid immersing flowers garlands and leaves in rivers after religious rituals Use designated collection bins Example Dried marigold flowers from a puja and add them to your home compost instead of throwing them into a rivergtgt Pick phosphatefree cleaners Use ecofriendly detergents and cleaning products that are less harmful to aquatic life Example Switch to a biodegradable dishwashing liquid or phosphatefree laundry detergent for everyday usegtgt Keep storm drains litterfree Donrsquot sweep waste into roadside drains especially during the monsoon as it flows directly into rivers and creeksExample Collect fallen leaves in a bag for municipal collection instead of pushing them into the nearest draingtgt Reduce polluted runoff Use fertilisers pesticides and carwashing products sparingly to prevent chemical pollution of water bodiesExample Wash your car at a professional car wash that treats wastewater instead of on the street outside your homeInformation Courtesy Swapnil Thakur14 Kgs of equipment including a mouth organ guitar bass drum snare hihat cymbal and a percussion features in one single performance24 instruments mastered since the age of eight