Clean Mumbai , Green Mumbai

Everyone might have seen this slogan at bus stops, railway stations, public parks, cinema halls. But the irony is, you will find someone littering the place or spitting exactly where this slogan in huge letters stands. Maybe they are trying to hide it. Some times I also witness the 'Clean Mumbai' drives organized by some communities involving college students cleaning up the streets in the hope to inspire the citizens to do the same. But has it really been successful in cleaning the attitude of those countless people who are responsible for it? All they know is their life & cleaning their homes and they very casually throw the wrappers, tickets and anything in the unwanted and unneeded category in their hands or mouth at that point of time on the roads. I feel sorry for their kids, who will be getting the same habits from their parents and sadly this custom will go on for years. This has to stop somewhere! At least we can expect this from the educated crowd. Today, in our busy lives, we have become so accustomed to this, that we hardly even notice our neighbor in the train or bus doing it, let alone taking some steps to prevent it.

Everywhere there are huge piles of plastic stuff accumulated over the years. I see dogs, cats & sometimes even cattle searching food in those bags & the poor creatures sometimes even eat the leftovers along with the plastic bags. There is a consistent red color belt in between the tracks, the source of which I need not explain. The subways are filthy with dirt, waste, spitoon & red 'pichkaris'. I particularly use this word, because that is what the people consider their mouths to be. Its a wonder if you can pass through it without holding a handkerchief up your nose. I keep a habit of maintaining safe distance when walking alongside a waiting rickshaw or bus, because you never know, what might land up on your head or your dress. It's pointless to explain the scenes that you are also a witness to in daily life. Its the same everywhere & we just need to be more aware of our surroundings & their causes to act on it.

Here in Mumbai, its a 'sab chalta hai' attitude and a 'rasta tumhara hain kya?' response if you ever try to do good by forbidding the person to spit or throw garbage on the road. On the other hand, he/she will also give you a fresh demo about how helpless you are in changing him/her by repeating the deed in front of your eyes again. Nevertheless, you might even know of people who have different rules for disposing waste in India & abroad. What can be the solution for this?

The ATTITUDE is the problem. Unless there is payment of your hard earned money as compensation for these deeds, nobody will even care to stop. I think volunteers for this drive can take up the charge & have valid identity cards & power in their hands to demand money from such people. And when people realize that anyone in the crowd they are standing or sitting in can be a member of that drive, they will think twice before spitting in public places or littering it. The money collected in this way can in turn go to the BMC or charity. I am sure they will earn millions this way. What the responsible people need is power in their hands to handle the irresponsible that they meet everyday.

I am ready to be such a member of any such drives that gives me this power to stand up & speak without being humiliated by the miscreant. After all, isn't that what is being expected from a true Mumbaikar? I am sure you would agree. Any suggestions, comments or views on improving the current scene are welcome.

Its raining dogs & dogs.......

I had decided I would start with my own blog at any cost today.There were so many things to write on, and as my mind was in the midst of selecting the topic for my first post, it suddenly dawned on me to write on something which I would truly love to have- a true selfless companion, who would never betray me, no matter what.

So here's my first post dedicated wholeheartedly to the sweetest & cutest being ever on this earth, according to me, though many who have had canine bites won't agree.I truly empathize with the feelings of those who have been through a bad experience, and hereby request you not to read my post.This includes my brother first. And not recommended for people who are anti-canine. My mom falls in this category.

Well, I have a crazy affinity for these creatures, god knows why. Maybe I was a dog in my last birth, if anyone believes in rebirth, but an astrology software says that I was a cat. So, maybe the software is wrong. You might think of me having a menagerie here in my house, me being so mad about them, but sadly that's not the case either, even though I would have loved to choose that way. Well, here's the story. When I was a kid, I wanted to have a parrot & it so turned out that my so convincing mom somehow convinced me that these poor creatures curse people when we trap them in their cages. I being a kid, was reluctant to listen to her, but being god fearing, I understood that it would be cruel on my part to do that & tried to be in that parrot's shoes...erm..claws i mean ,and perceived myself as a monster -a cruel and a thin one unlike the stereotypes.So,I just dropped the idea that very day at the moment of that very thought. I don't regret my decision at all today.

My desire to have a pet had died for a while, when one day we went to my dad's old childhood friend who had this huge Doberman named Commando. It was so well taught to behave that it didn't seem to me like a dog, leave alone a Doberman. It hardly barked and used a rug to clean its feet not to mention the hugs that it gave to people to welcome them. It didn't even leave my mom here, who was damn scared by this act. Its constant wandering in the house and sniffing at things and giving an acknowledging look at things that seemed normal to it, licking my dad's friend all the time and getting pats in return turned the environment so lively and youthful that my nearly dormant desire to have at least one pet suddenly revived. And there started my second craze- for the canines. There was never a paucity of them in my neighborhood. But I was strictly forbidden to feed them, lest the nuisance the street dogs are capable of creating in the building premises would be intolerable. I think, I can never succeed in my mission to convince my mom on this topic, because whenever I do , I get scary looks and the topic ends.

These are some lovely creatures who are many more times faithful than men ..ok women too. Why should anyone hate them so much, to the extent to stop others who love them, from having them? I am sure people do have bad experiences, but isn't that part of everyone's life? Unexpected things do happen. I strongly feel individual desires should be respected, and should not be suppressed. Don't these beings teach us many things in life that we don't learn in the human company-to bypass the cosmetic look and look at the real individual within, to love unconditionally and expect nothing in return. I feel that, to have this bundle of energy and life by your side always is a unique experience . All these qualities, maybe existing in rare quantities in humans, makes me care more for these creatures. I hope that I will be able to convince my mom on this some day.

Then maybe I would write another post on strategies of convincing family members, especially moms who many of us find very hard to convince :)