The IPL may be over, but the Mountain Cleaners Headquarters in Dharamsala is still buzzing. We’ve always dreamt about filming an anti-littering TV commercial with cricketing superstars, as we knew this would make viewers – especially children – sit up and take notice. Our dream came true on the 18^th of May.

Group photo after filming the TV Commercial

We were told that it wasn’t possible, that we would never be able to get the cricket players to agree, that we couldn’t afford a film crew. We had no design team, no director and no funding. But one of our mottos is “If you think you can, you CAN and if you think you can’t, you CAN’T!” so we never gave up! Through persistence and hard work and a whole lot of generosity and goodwill, we managed to find the people that could turn our dream into reality.

Jodie Underhill and Piyush Chawla chatting during the shoot

Here’s how it happened: Jodie Underhill, our founder and managing trustee, met advertising legend Prasoon Joshi at the Amazing Indians award ceremony in February, when Mountain Cleaners were announced as joint winners in the ‘Spark the Rise’ category. When a few cricket players agreed to the commercial, Jodie contacted Prasoon and asked for his assistance. He connected us with a creative designer, Denzil Machato from the McCann World Group, who was more than happy to help. We’d recently been connected with Sandra De’Souza from Red Ice Films and they kindly agreed to direct the commercial and to provide a camera crew free of charge.

Adam Gilchrist during filming

We now had cricketing superstars, a director, a designer and a script for the commercial – all we needed was a location to shoot, and where better than the most beautiful cricket stadium in India, Dharamsala! On the 18^{th of} May, the day between the IPL games in Dharamsala, cricket players Adam Gilchrist and Piyush Chawla, bowling coach Mike Young, and children from the Palyolchoekhorling Monastery in Bir came together to film the advertisement we had always dreamed of making.

Poster for Clean-up India Campaign

Mountain Cleaners would like to thank everyone involved in making this dream come true, especially Mahindra. Despite not winning a grant, our participation in Spark the Rise secured us TV coverage and an award that allowed us to connect with the people that could turn our dream into reality. The universe is with us every step of the way, and we have no doubts that this commercial will be on your TV screen very soon.

As if filming a TV commercial wasn’t exciting enough, we were also given the opportunity to clean up the waste at the cricket stadium during the IPL games. With approximately 200,000 people at each game it was not an easy task. We had our work cut out for us – that’s for sure – but in the true spirit of Mountain Cleaners, our small team of 18 staff and volunteers performed nothing short of a miracle.

Exhausted but happy after a day cleaning at the stadium

We will be submitting a funding bid for the waste management contract for next year’s IPL – here’s hoping for the best!

The time for a cleaner India is now, and every single one of us can do something to help. Please don’t forget the Mountain Cleaners motto – “If you think you can, you can and if you think you can’t, you can’t.” If you would like to know how YOU can make a difference, then please get in touch!

To see more photos from the filming of the commercial, go here.

Learn more about Mountain Cleaners here:

www.mountaincleaners.org
www.facebook.com/MountainCleaners

Get in touch to find out more: info@mountaincleaners.org

About Mountain Cleaners:

Mountain Cleaners began three years ago with a few flour bags and 10 pairs of gloves. Now a registered trust with 7 employees, Mountain Cleaners runs numerous clean-up projects, including clean-up hikes and an annual clean-up campaign at the Manimahesh Yatra. They maintain two children’s playgrounds, host community clean ups, run an education program and waste workshops, distribute and empty dustbins, run door-to-door waste collections and conduct regular Children’s Days in a bid to educate the next generation about the importance of a clean environment.

They have just launched a 2-year clean-up campaign in Dehradun funded by Max India Foundation, and they’re confident that the success of this program will allow them to expand their initiatives all across India. Plans are also under way to launch a national “Clean Up India” campaign to coincide with their TV commercial.