This posting from Sujatha Bagal brings me to one of the not-so-nice sides of “Mother India”: Its entire absence of civic sense. Whereas I remember that my Croatian mother taught her littler boy back then in Germany to carry the candy paper till the next trash bin, in India garbage is dropped instantly when it occurs anywhere, anytime.
Not to say that Indians wouldn’t keep their houses clean. By contrast, one could usually eat from the floor. But step outside, and you have not a joint habitat, but a common garbage dump. “To pee is to be” is an excellent article on the floods of male urin running down the walls in the city of Delhi. And the same happens in Bangalore, too.
And it’s not, not at all a matter of poverty. I remember 3 years back when I used to deal in jewellery, I went to a 17-story building in Bombay where all the wholesellers have their showrooms. Each and every of them a multi-multi millionaire and the offices were small, functional but immaculetely clean. When I stepped outside on the aisle to walk to the next door, I could feel a stench mixed with disbelief coming up my nose. I walked further when I looked into the joint floor-toilet of these multi-multi millionaires and it looked as disgusting as the train station toilets in Germany’s small towns looked back in the 70’s. If these jewellery dealers were to Invest jointly $ 2000 once and for maintanance another jointly $ 60 per month, it would have made this toilet look like a palace. But no. It doesn’t happen now, and I don’t believe it will happen in India in the next 1000 years.
Because it requires a feeling of co-ownership, of a joint cause of, yes, call it civic sense. And that is certainly not one of India’s strongest traits.
Feeds
Sadly, I have to say I totally agree with you. I live in Jackson Heights, NY and it is a beautiful neighborhood excepts a few streets considered as Indian neighborhood. In that area, you see so much garbage on the street. For indians, I guess tree guard is the same as trash basket. The city finally put extra trash baskets in the middle of their block but if they are more than 10 feet away from the basket, they will just throw the garbage on the street. They just don’t have civic sense.
I am BILIGIRI RANGA, from Hyderabad, INDIA, doing a write up dealing with civic problems in Hyderabad for a city based magazine PRISM, (10+ year old mag).
My write up deals with civic problems in city, why it remains dirty and authorities turn a blind eye to peopleâÂÂs problems, and your suggestions to transform city peopleâÂÂs mindset and improve the look of the city. It gives u a good opportunity to present your views about the same.
Kindly get back to me at
brnugget_6@yahoo.com
eagerly waiting to hear from u. it’s urgent , pls