Early in the morning I opened the newspaper to read three news items which evoked varying emotions in me.
1) A mand and his niece were thrown out of the train by inebrieted hooligans near Kanpur. It is shocking really. In the era of cell phones, you expect the hooligans to be reported immediately and caught, but that did not happen. Anyways, this news item only re-asserts what I earlier mentioned in blog. If I am travelling in north India, I am going to use only AC-3 tier. I know, I know. As a citizen, I am supposed to fight for my rights and not choose escapism, but, if I am on vacation, I guess I am allowed some lee way. And the same advice goes to you too. If you are a rule abiding southee simpleton, believe me, you will be more comfy in ac3t.
2) Mumbai and Delhi are rated among the 25 dirtiest cities in the world. That piece of news is not at all surprising to folks who lived or travelled abroad. (Just for the record, I consider Chicago and New York dirty cities too). So today in the ToI editorial, Dipankar Gupta, a socielogy professor (university not listed) writes a big essay saying, meaning of dirt differs in sub-continental perspective to worldly perspective. We, Hindus, gag the heck out of us every morning too keep our sinuses and bronchial stuff clean and take a shower every day at any cost. We are supposed to be the cleanest people. But, we dont mind filth in our surroundings. Whats the genesis of irony? We keep our kitchens clean, rows of steel kitchen wareshining their way to glory but our bathrooms are assaults on senses. I still cant fathom the point of article but the filth that I was complaining about in my tour now gets an official recognition. The main reason, to me, seems to be the way we are raised. We are always told to keep ourselves, our rooms and our house clean. We dish our all the dirt early in the morning and we dont mind throwing all that just beside our compound wall. When we design a process, we dont seem to think through the problem and design a complete solution. For ex: In the above case, we are supposed to take an extra step or two and take the dirt from home all the way to nearest trash collection (finding which in itself is another challenge). Folks, changes like these do not happen in a day or two. I think we should start inculcating the new generation with good habits and hope to see the day when we dont find a place in top-100. To end this, I will tell a short story. Five years ago, I was travelling to Kerala with my extended family in train. Folks in my family were throwing trash right out of window as is the habit in India. Few of us said no to this and met with answers like "this is not your america" bah blah..anyway we took out couple of polythene bags and started collecting trash. When we stopped in a station, I took the trash bag out to dispose in a trash can. Jeez, it was my turn to say "this is not america". I had to run along the length of the station to find a trash can. Finally, when I found one and disposed train started moving. I nearly missed my train and took the nearest coach and found my way to my berth. After all the anxiety subsided, you can imagine how much I was heckled for the adventure. Not that, it has discouraged me to use trash bag. What I am trying to say is, authorities do not necessarily co-operate with us. But, where there is a will, there is way. Lets keep our India clean.
3) That brings me to the third story of the day. When Lalu announced that Railways are going to use green toilets from now onwards, I was really happy. For once, the
railway stations are not going to be filthy and we need not avert our gaze from tracks as if we are looking at a malayali movie poster. So, all the toilets in Pinakini express were converted to green toilets today. Do you know what exactly does that mean? Instead of instant disposal of crap, toilets will hold it and dispose it as soon as train catches a speed of more than 30kmph. Wah Huzoor Wah. I want to strangle the neck of the person whoever designed this system. Considering that every train picks up a speed of 30kmph in the range of 5-10kms away from the station, There will be a cesspool in that range from every station. Why cant they integrate pumping with cleaning of the toilets? Talk about not thinking through the process and coming up with a complete solution. I wonder how the western trains are designed.
ciao..
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4 comments:
trains in western world:
usually local trains do not have toilets. there are enough rest rooms available in every local station (unlike the case in India where you have to pee before yo go out on a trip)
Long distance trains have some thing called service/cleaning stations where trains are cleaned for garbage/vaccuum...etc, They are also equipped with machiens and automation to handle toilets and rest rooms.
Western world is also looking to automate and ecomate this stuff. Green earth, green toilet stuff by adding chemaicals in advance...etc. Just like mobile toilet in parks and boats.
VG: thanks anon.. thats pretty close to what I've imagined. Even in India, trains to stop every 8hrs in major stations for pumping etc., When Lalu announced green toilets, I was home something like that.
May be you have a question to ask Lalu, when he comes abroad flaunting his managerial skills ;-)
That is also on Indian Railways future plans. IR plans to put this in their budget by 2012. Till then lets hope it runs with profit in hands of sincere and honest Babus who really want to make a difference in lifes of ordinary Indian fellows by way of shielding IR from greedy and corrupt politicians (like Lalu..). Excuses to thoose who admire Lalu and who think he made big difference. There were couple of brains behind every thing including not letting major portion of profits blown by Lalu and his chamchas.
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