A corporate employee bats for a clean city

Aman Verma, a senior executive with a German multinational company, spends his weekdays in boardrooms and his weekends cleaning his community – one street, one corner, one house at a time.

In Gurugram’s Sector 47, where gleaming towers sit next to choked service lanes and overflowing bins, one resident has turned civic responsibility into a personal calling.

Every evening after work, Aman dedicates time to clean one house frontage, and on weekends, he covers larger stretches on his lane. (HT photo)

Aman Verma, 36, a senior executive with a German multinational company, spends his weekdays in boardrooms and his weekends cleaning his community – one street, one corner, one house at a time.

An engineer by profession and resident of Malibu Town since 2014, Verma said he started this effort almost by accident. “It started when I couldn’t stand the garbage lying near my gate,” he recalls. “I picked up a broom, cleared it, and realised it felt better than complaining.”

What began as a spontaneous act soon became a routine. Every evening after work, he said he dedicates time to clean one house frontage, and on weekends, he covers larger stretches on his lane.

Armed with gloves, masks, and simple tools, Verma spends three to four hours every Saturday and Sunday clearing litter, dry leaves, and plastic waste. “Initially, people thought I had lost my mind,” he said. “Some neighbours looked away, some took pictures from balconies. But slowly, curiosity turned into conversation… and conversation into wider participation.”

Today, it has grown into a small neighbourhood movement. Children from nearby apartments join him with mini-brooms, security guards assist with collection, and even senior citizens step out to lend a hand. Locals now call it the “Weekend Clean Hour”.

“Earlier, the stretch behind Malibu Town market was a dumping zone – plastic, wrappers, dead plants, you name it,” said Ritika Sharma, a resident of the area for eight years. “Now it looks maintained, because Aman made us realise that waiting for the municipal sweeper isn’t enough. We have to pitch in.”

Despite his demanding job, Verma maintains this ritual without fail. “I treat it as a fitness and mindfulness activity,” he said. “After a long week of meetings, cleaning clears your head. You see instant results.”

His colleagues often joke that he’s running “two shifts” – one for engineering projects and one for Gurugram’s sanitation. “It’s funny, but they respect it,” Verma said. “Some of them have even started similar efforts in their own localities.”

Verma’s belief is simple: civic change begins at the doorstep. “We can’t expect a miracle from the system if we don’t contribute ourselves,” he said. “It’s easy to complain about garbage or encroachment, but it’s tougher to bend down and pick up a piece of plastic. Once you start, you stop blaming others.”

His commitment has also inspired local shopkeepers, who have now placed small dustbins outside their stores. Residents said even the municipal sweepers have begun taking more care in the area. “He changed the vibe,” said Sharma. “One person’s consistency did what dozens of reminders couldn’t.”

In a city battling waste segregation issues and civic apathy, Aman Verma’s story stands as a reminder that community transformation doesn’t need big budgets or campaigns -- just one citizen with conviction.

“If each of us picks up just a little bit,” Verma said, “the city will shine a lot.”