Saturday, June 16, 2012

How can we expect NYC Penn Station here?

I got down from the bus crushing that small paper between thumb and index finger, so tempted to toss the bus ticket in the road. Heavy contemplation was going on - like there are lot of garbage in the street and the small paper ball I have is almost negligible and would make no difference... But I didn't...

I am an ardent patronizer of this practice. So whenever and wherever I go out with family and friends, I act consciously and without talking about it, I spread this concept - "Don't treat all places like garbage bin; use designated bins" (Yes, Yes... I hear several cries - please show me one such stuff in our Incredible India...)

I watch people traveling by cars and trains, unscrupulously abusing the already handicapped streets and roads... Railway tracks are usually around the city, suburbs, rocky mountains, across the rivers, farm fields etc etc. Millions of people frequent these tracks every day. As a culture and practice, we hurl plastic water bottles, Lays chip cover, polythene bags in which we brought packed food from home, paper cups among thousand other things. I think our gray matter can compute the aftermath of this ill-use without much articulation...

What about people traveling by cars - Vrroooom! Bring the power windows slightly down, chuck the stuff out and close it immediately... Done. Got rid of the waste! Oh really?? Remember when you get out of the car, you would be stepping on the junk copiously cursing the junta who have done it!

This is what I do... When we travel by train, I leave all kinds of scraps under the berth but not dispose it on the tracks; or I carry them home. I am fairly sure some routine cleaning happens in the coupes. By car - I again resist my temptation, collect it in several niches provisioned in the vehicle and finally clear stuff when I reach home.

So, now the interesting part comes...
We were on a vacation to Ooty and Coimbatore along with my BIL's (Sri anna) family recently. I had booked the return by train. It was quite a job to reach the station platform with 4 kids and several luggages. My co-sister was obviously busy feeding the tiniest of toddlers who traveled with us - Jyo - the 2 year old and I caught her redhanded when without thought she dropped the parcel covers on the tracks. I was like 'has she dropped?' as if she lost something important. Sri anna curiously enquired 'yes, she did. Why what happened?'. Immediately I quipped 'Then how can we make this like the NYC Penn Station?!' :D

I am not writing about drivel disposal (I mean spitting :P!) which is again another irritant found among the country habitant. I hope and pray the readers of this blog don't own that exclusively "Indianized" filthy unhealthy habit!

No comments: