In times when religion is used as a weapon of war, there is an octogenarian in Mira Road who instead utilises it to motivate environmental action. “If you ask people to save water or plant a sapling, they will decline. But if you tell them the orders come from Lord Shiv or Prophet Muhammad, they will gladly do it,” says Aabid Surti, who runs a non-profit organisation, Drop Dead Foundation.

Born on May 5, 1935 in Gujarat, Surti is an accomplished author and artist today. In 1993, he even won the President's Award for his short-story collection, Teesri Aankh. But all his achievements, he says, stem from his poverty-stricken childhood. "My family moved to Dongri when I was barely five years old. I still remember how a family of 15 to 20 lived in a single room. I didn't have a bed, I would sleep on the pavement," he recalls. There is a memory from his childhood that still stings him.