The Economic Times

'I once coached Rahul Dravid': Meet Arun Pai, The Ugly Indian founder who spent 24 hours staring at a garbage dump, and changed how India cleans its streets

Bengaluru's Footpath Mayor, Arun Pai, transformed a personal frustration with civic apathy into a national cleanup movement. After observing a notorious garbage dump for 24 hours, Pai and friends devised a citizen-led solution that cleared the problem in days. This Ugly Indian initiative, born from a desire to stop blame-shifting, has inspired cities nationwide and even garnered academic attention for its effective, non-confrontational approach to problem-solving.