I took the liberty to modify the famous Shakespearean saying to frame this title. If you haven’t heard of the original one, go Google it.
Besides the much-touted Indian unity in diversity, what is the most obvious feature that strikes a person the minute he is in Indian territory? It’s the F-word: Filth. It strikes you wherever you go, be it the bustling shiny cities or the dusty bylanes of the interiors. Garbage was almost a character in itself in the Oscar-winning film, ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ which was slammed by several Indians for apparently portraying the country in a bad light, in other words for showcasing the reality the way it is. If we are so ashamed of what was shown in the film, why not try and change status quo here instead of going ballistic over supposed western prejudices?
When I alighted from the train at the Lokmanya Tilak Terminus aka Kurla station after returning from a long vacation in Kerala, I was so homesick that even the familiar stale Bambaiyya air felt welcoming. Yes, the dirty surroundings and the smell it emanates has become that intrinsic to what Mumbai stands for. We have become used to this polluted environment and have accepted it as a part of daily living.
India is a country where it is okay to ‘do your business’ out in the open but for a couple in love to hold hands in public would invite disapproving looks. I have lost count of the number of times I have had the misfortune to have my eyes behold the sight of groups of men answering nature’s call by the railway tracks as I stood by the door of my train, commuting to and from college. Construction of public urinals at stations and other places has done little to quell this old Indian habit. Indians have a tendency to do exactly the opposite of what they are told. The next time you see a ‘Do Not Spit’ sign, check the wall where the message has been put up; chances are you will find artistic red strokes splattered all over (red paan stains).
I have somehow managed to miss spittle being sprayed left, right and centre by a millimeter as I walk to the station. Other than giving the perpetrator a wrathful look, I have never gotten into an argument with these men because, well, we are a country perpetually in a hurry, aren’t we?
I avoid taking a seat in the local trains because one is always likely to find a waste disposal field beneath the seats. You would think that keeping the waste aside and waiting till a dustbin can be found to dispose it off is a task more laborious than climbing the Mount Everest.
Water logging is such a major problem during Indian monsoon mainly due to the Indians’ cavalier attitude towards cleanliness and general hygiene. If we refuse to mend our ways, we have no right to whine about the breakdown of the railways or the flooded roads during monsoon.
The funny part is that the very same people who treat India like a dumping ground wouldn’t dare to do so in a foreign locale. There, they suddenly abide by the laws and basic etiquettes to be observed in public.
What has led to the ‘chalta hai’ attitude in our country? Will imposition of fines or any kind of punishment change attitudes? Going by the history of implementation of the legal system in this country, I certainly don’t think so. Aamir Khan has spoken against this menace through the ‘Incredible India’ ad campaigns. To what extent can celebrities change things, especially when it concerns a practice that is so deeply entrenched in the Indian psyche?
What you and I could do is to ensure that there is no littering from our end. And maybe, follow Gandhigiri. The next time you see that aunty throw a wrapper by the street, pick it up. If you cannot change them, embarrass them.
Besides the much-touted Indian unity in diversity, what is the most obvious feature that strikes a person the minute he is in Indian territory? It’s the F-word: Filth. It strikes you wherever you go, be it the bustling shiny cities or the dusty bylanes of the interiors. Garbage was almost a character in itself in the Oscar-winning film, ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ which was slammed by several Indians for apparently portraying the country in a bad light, in other words for showcasing the reality the way it is. If we are so ashamed of what was shown in the film, why not try and change status quo here instead of going ballistic over supposed western prejudices?
When I alighted from the train at the Lokmanya Tilak Terminus aka Kurla station after returning from a long vacation in Kerala, I was so homesick that even the familiar stale Bambaiyya air felt welcoming. Yes, the dirty surroundings and the smell it emanates has become that intrinsic to what Mumbai stands for. We have become used to this polluted environment and have accepted it as a part of daily living.
India is a country where it is okay to ‘do your business’ out in the open but for a couple in love to hold hands in public would invite disapproving looks. I have lost count of the number of times I have had the misfortune to have my eyes behold the sight of groups of men answering nature’s call by the railway tracks as I stood by the door of my train, commuting to and from college. Construction of public urinals at stations and other places has done little to quell this old Indian habit. Indians have a tendency to do exactly the opposite of what they are told. The next time you see a ‘Do Not Spit’ sign, check the wall where the message has been put up; chances are you will find artistic red strokes splattered all over (red paan stains).
I have somehow managed to miss spittle being sprayed left, right and centre by a millimeter as I walk to the station. Other than giving the perpetrator a wrathful look, I have never gotten into an argument with these men because, well, we are a country perpetually in a hurry, aren’t we?
I avoid taking a seat in the local trains because one is always likely to find a waste disposal field beneath the seats. You would think that keeping the waste aside and waiting till a dustbin can be found to dispose it off is a task more laborious than climbing the Mount Everest.
Water logging is such a major problem during Indian monsoon mainly due to the Indians’ cavalier attitude towards cleanliness and general hygiene. If we refuse to mend our ways, we have no right to whine about the breakdown of the railways or the flooded roads during monsoon.
The funny part is that the very same people who treat India like a dumping ground wouldn’t dare to do so in a foreign locale. There, they suddenly abide by the laws and basic etiquettes to be observed in public.
What has led to the ‘chalta hai’ attitude in our country? Will imposition of fines or any kind of punishment change attitudes? Going by the history of implementation of the legal system in this country, I certainly don’t think so. Aamir Khan has spoken against this menace through the ‘Incredible India’ ad campaigns. To what extent can celebrities change things, especially when it concerns a practice that is so deeply entrenched in the Indian psyche?
What you and I could do is to ensure that there is no littering from our end. And maybe, follow Gandhigiri. The next time you see that aunty throw a wrapper by the street, pick it up. If you cannot change them, embarrass them.