I travelled to Pune to attend a literature festival. I was struck by the cleanliness along the roads during the 45-minute drive to my destination. I sorely miss this in most of our cities. The heaps of waste thrown by us are not a pleasant sight. A friend had once observed that we are extremely conscious of individual hygiene but loose civic sense when it comes to maintaining the same outside our homes.
Most of the ladies in the household would keep a strict watch on the sweeping and dusting inside the entire house but will not think twice about throwing the dirt on the road outside. I often find discarded wrappers lying around in my tower lift and in the common areas of the society despite the availability of waste bins. Mine is one of the upscale condominium complexes in Gurugram, or so I would believe. Almost all the residents are either working or retired professionals. The littering by the adults is beyond comprehension; and their children indulging in such acts reflects poorly on the education being imparted both at home and in schools. We, as a family, have many a time carried the empty wrappers home if we could not locate a waste bin. It is not that we are the only people who are guilty.
Many developed countries also face the same issues. My uncle once visited Singapore for vacation. We were having a relaxed evening together as he narrated anecdotes from his visit. The small country is considered very clean. He was disappointed at the way a few of the roads were littered with waste. I spontaneously observed that this must have been the Little India section. He was offended and retorted that it was the Government’s responsibility to inculcate discipline and ensure that the roads remained clean.Japan is an extremely consumerist society. Their manufacturing industry thrives on this. They keep developing newer and better products by the year, if not months. The people, at least in the cities, find it easier, and probably also economical, to leave the outdated gadgets, even the refrigerators and TVs, near the garbage bins, to be picked up by the municipality van. This was almost 25 years ago. Things may be better now. But the view, if you happened to be passing through lanes, was certainly not Instagram-worthy. In this regard, at least some of our cities and their municipalities have done a much better job.
I was in Indore a few years ago. The garbage vehicle would move from one house to the next to pick up segregated waste, its imminent arrival announced by the catchy music playing on the audio system. Even the construction debris were neatly stacked outside the plots, to be picked up by another agency later. But that is not enough.
We also need to pitch in.Many of us still fight with the shopkeeper if we do not get the groceries or the fruits and vegetables in disposable plastic bags. The neighbour upstairs does not hesitate to shrug off his stress by throwing the cigarette stub in the balcony below. Another maid thinks she is giving heavenly blessings to the ignorant masses below by showering food waste from above. Another friendly neighbour thinks he is purifying the land by spitting on the road.
The author is an electrical engineer with the Indian Railways and conducts classes in creative
