Tuesday, January 6, 2009

'Bombay' - Sanghai, Singapore or New York

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BOMBAY - Gandagi Yahi Hai Zindagi


I started travelling by BEST buses at the age of 12. I had a problem, where to throw the used bus ticket, sometimes twirled between my fingers I used to carry it to the school bin, occassionaly it remained in my pocket and got washed of with my school uniforms and if the ticket numbers were interesting just tucked it in a book or sometimes as a careless boy just threw it the air.

It is 33 years now still the story is the same twirled between my fingers the ticket travels with me 3 kms by bus than another 12 kms by suburban train and finally another 2 kms by one more bus until both the tickets are dumped in my office bin.

A year back I was happy to see 3 bins in a row on both the sides of the street near the bus station and for 6 months I had the pleasure of throwing the ticket in the bins. Yes! 6 long months that is when the last of them disappeared with only a few iron post standing, even some of the iron posts have been uprooted. Same has been the story of the bins at suburban railway stations.

Delving over a small bus ticket I came across magnitude of a problem related to health and hygene for all from young too the old. Does somebody has a solution or we will have to live with it for over. How our city fathers plan to make Sanghai, Singapore and New York out of this Bombay?


Here's the STORY in Pictures








There were three bins in a row all missing now! The last one is from a different street.

Garbage collected by a sweeper on one of the street, most of it consist of empty pouches of 'gutka/tobacco' of all brands which is one of the biggest menace to maintain hygene.















The inlet of this drain below is covered with 'gutka/pan/tobacco' spittle collected since end of the last monsoon and will be cleaned only by the next monsoon rains 7 months later. The spittle is all over, this man below is oblivious of the fact he is sitting on it and the last one is on opposite side of the platform, every time the train halts on the platform all Gutka eaters relieve themselves.

















The three pictures above is exactly where the FIRST CLASS compartment of suburban trains arrives on the platform, this confirms that unhygenic habbits are not restricted to the poor and uneducated but the educated and wealthy too.

Children learn early in life, this vendor has displayed with 'gutka/tobacco' pouches some of the favourite snacks of children. While parents buy small gutka pouches for themselves and the pack of snacks for the children. Some parents even buy the 'mukhwas/dhana dal' (mouth freshners) displayed in identical packs like 'Gutkas' for adamanant childrens who will have nothing less than what their dad and or mom is having.








Well, the window in the train, the choicest spot for kids, enjoying the view outside from a fast moving train holding the window bar oblivious of the fact of both the child and the parent of the 'gutka/pan/tobacco' spitula collected on the windows for over ages. And this is picture is of a window of a FIRST CLASS compartment. A major health hazard for kids.


Green is good for eyes and health, this is how it is irrigated in the heart of BOMBAY











This peice of greenery in Bombay is a field growing spinach, raddish and other seasonal vegetables on vaccant land near the tracks either on plots under litigation or land reserved for future expansions by railways.

This is how these vegetables are irrigated by sewage water from drains and gutters around. A pump installed to draw water for the fields above can be seen in the second picture below.













While some make a living out of the unhygenic surrounding by collecting and selling re-processable garbage, for some the unhygenic conditions is a question of life and death. This is BOMBAY











BOMBAY - Gandagi Yahi Hai Zindagi