Last year, I was appointed as UNDP India’s first national advocate for the Sustainable Development Goals, a hefty and ambitious endeavour by the world leaders to make the world a peaceful and prosperous, equal and equitable, and healthy place for the planet and all its creatures, by 2030. The 17 SDGs, include expected objectives such as ending poverty, reducing inequalities, and taking urgent climate action, but also, surprisingly, fostering innovation.

Since the beginning of my association with UNDP India (I was appointed their Women@Work Champion in 2022), I’ve seen project after project marrying innovation with compassion, at every level of each initiative. And these are really the two most important characteristics, in everyday life as well: creating and care. Things that come instinctively to women. As part of their Women@Work initiative, UNDP India has been supporting women-led businesses tailor-made for women entrepreneurs and consumers: Taxshe trains and employs women cab drivers to make roads and rides safer; Cargo empowers women, especially from marginalized communities to become delivery agents; Farm Didi is a food tech startup where one million rural women are engaged in making pickles, papads, chutneys and other food items and connected to food labs and logistics partners. 

The ideas that led to the development of these successful initiatives emerged from their founders feeling both concern about and a moral duty to improve the lives of women. I used to think that big changes can only happen at a policy level. Individuals can only do so much when it comes to substantial goals, and other international organizations— often led by folks who are determined to change the world out of a sense of social responsibility or altruism or generosity. 

But I’ve been amazed by how many ordinary people, just by doing their jobs, are making a huge difference in the lives of others, in our lives. And not only by simply sticking to their job description but by holding kindness at the core. 

In December, I visited a material recovery facility in Delhi. And saw the solid waste is segregated and then processed. It’s hard work—and sometimes not pleasant. The workers, Safai Mitras as they are called, talked with pride about the satisfaction they get making the world a cleaner place. Most of us don’t necessarily think about the garbage we generate and what happens to it when it leaves our doorstep. We throw things out with carelessness: broken glass, pins, other sharp objects, particularly medical waste such as needles and injections. These can, and often do, injure the Safai Mitras sorting through dry waste. Then there is the mindlessness with which people toss out mixed waste — for instance, food waste rotting in plastic containers — that doubles the job of sorting.

 I also visited a healthcare centre, run by the Bombay Municipal Corporation, in Colaba, to look at the smooth running of the immunization programme. The Electronic Vaccine Intelligence Network (eVIN), which is essentially a gamechanging app deployed at health centres across the country that ensures vaccine availability for children throughout the year. The nurses I met there were some of the nicest, sweetest women. They were not only administering shots but also dispensing advice to young mothers and pregnant women, and with such tenderness. It was such an overwhelmingly beautiful experience. 

That day too I returned home with my heart full of love, because that’s the other thing about warmth, it’s infectious. In my films, I’ve always tried to pick meaningful roles with some kind of social messaging. Dum Laga Ke Haisha was about body positivity, Toilet: Ek Prem Katha about sanitation, Bhakshak was a feminist film looking at the idea of justice. Thank You for Coming was about female sexuality. On Instagram, I talk about climate change, which is something that makes me very anxious. I even use fashion as a way to practice sustainability —whether it means repurposing outfits by endlessly restyling them, or wearing those made out of recycled fabric.

I believe it’s important to keep the conversation going to create an atmosphere where people start to feel like they must do something. I’ve been making changes in every aspect of my life, and thinking of new ways, no matter how small, to do more. 

We need to inject creativity and compassion in our daily work. The impulse to help generates ideas and lead you to make the choices that make a difference—and any difference will advance the SDGs. 

Discover more in the third edition of UNDP India's flagship magazine Inspiring India