Trains are said to be one of the best places to observe human nature. On this particular instance, I was aboard the Panchvati Express, travelling from Nasik to Mumbai. As I settled in my seat, a middle aged man clad in a white shirt and trousers came up to the front of the compartment and asks for everyone’s attention. This man was a regular passenger who was a daily commuter like many others. He started with the same speech he has been giving every day for the past few years -
“Friends, please pay attention. After you finish having your breakfast, please throw the waste in the garbage bins. I request all of you to not litter the area around your seats. Secondly, do not accept any foodstuff from outsiders…” he goes on to say.
On my way to the dustbin, I observed how many people were actually following what the man said, and saw that many people (though not all) were stuffing away their empty paper plates and containers in the bottle carriers attached to the next seat with guilt.
“Friends, please pay attention. After you finish having your breakfast, please throw the waste in the garbage bins. I request all of you to not litter the area around your seats. Secondly, do not accept any foodstuff from outsiders…” he goes on to say.
On my way to the dustbin, I observed how many people were actually following what the man said, and saw that many people (though not all) were stuffing away their empty paper plates and containers in the bottle carriers attached to the next seat with guilt.
The other day, I was at Marine Drive with a bunch of friends from college when we saw this couple sitting beside us throw a plastic bottle out on the rocks. And I thought people in love tend to appreciate nature. We started discussing how most people throw their waste out on the rocks or in the water, and one reason that stood out was that they didn’t have a place to throw it anywhere else. There were no bins around. About a month later, I was going back to my hostel when I saw that BMC had installed trash cans at almost every 100 metres, and people were still throwing stuff out on the rocks.
My point is, people will never stop blaming others for their faults. The bins in the train were hardly 3 metres away, the bins at Marine Drive were just across the street, but people will always find a reason to not do the right thing. They will throw their waste in a puddle of trash accumulated right outside the trash can, but won’t pick up the lid and pop it in. And the reason they would give would be “the lid is too dirty to touch”.
Are you for real?
Grow up, people. If you want to do the right thing, you don’t need to keep looking for bins everywhere. And if you don’t, you will not do it even if someone brings a bin right up to you. C’mon, it’s your place too. Imagine if the next time you climbed onto a train your seat was littered with other people’s waste, or the next time you went to marine drive or to the beach to take in a breath of fresh air, the place stank, because it was littered all over. This does not mean that everyone is like this, but the number of people who care is very less compared to the number of people who don’t.
And yes, the government is doing its share. There are cleaners appointed by BMC who clean the areas regularly, collect the trash and even fine you if they see you littering. This is part of the ‘Clean Up!’ initiative by BMC, under which they want to make the city chakachak. It’s time that we do our bit too now. Let’s try this unique exercise on actually caring about our city.
Next time you think of throwing something out, please just try and do the right thing. I promise it feels good.
-RT
My point is, people will never stop blaming others for their faults. The bins in the train were hardly 3 metres away, the bins at Marine Drive were just across the street, but people will always find a reason to not do the right thing. They will throw their waste in a puddle of trash accumulated right outside the trash can, but won’t pick up the lid and pop it in. And the reason they would give would be “the lid is too dirty to touch”.
Are you for real?
Grow up, people. If you want to do the right thing, you don’t need to keep looking for bins everywhere. And if you don’t, you will not do it even if someone brings a bin right up to you. C’mon, it’s your place too. Imagine if the next time you climbed onto a train your seat was littered with other people’s waste, or the next time you went to marine drive or to the beach to take in a breath of fresh air, the place stank, because it was littered all over. This does not mean that everyone is like this, but the number of people who care is very less compared to the number of people who don’t.
And yes, the government is doing its share. There are cleaners appointed by BMC who clean the areas regularly, collect the trash and even fine you if they see you littering. This is part of the ‘Clean Up!’ initiative by BMC, under which they want to make the city chakachak. It’s time that we do our bit too now. Let’s try this unique exercise on actually caring about our city.
Next time you think of throwing something out, please just try and do the right thing. I promise it feels good.
-RT