Pavement Dwellers In Mumbai

At the end of my lane in Bandra, a large family lives on the footpath. It’s a joint family that includes couples, senior members, children and even a dog. They also have a large mosquito net that is spread at night to protect the young ones from mosquito bite from the gutters below them. During the day, the clothes are washed (don’t know that from where they get water to wash the clothes and themselves) but the clothes are dried across cloth-line that connects lamppost and a tree. Some evenings, food is cooked in large vessels on open fire burning wood and twigs. There is no shelter though. They have been living like this since last few years but nobody is able to vacate them…not even police..

But if some drunk driver bangs into them, they will make sure that he is beaten to death. Whenever there are accidents, big group of people gather and try to take the law into their own hands. That is the reason why there are more hit-and-run cases. I am not sympathizing with drunk drivers but I think footpath dwellers should not be allowed and Police should take full responsibility of ousting them off streets…but some of the policemen are so corrupt that they will take bribes from street dwellers/hawkers to turn their attention elsewhere…Sometimes the action is taken when one complains, and they (footpath dwellers) disappear but after few days they are back.

The plight of pavement dwellers has highlighted after twelve years now that Mr. Salman Khan has been punished with prison term for 5years for drunk driving and driving over the sleeping people killing one and injuring four. During the last twelve years, the pavement dwellers have increased ten fold with police and BMC collecting their bribes for turning a blind eye. Citizens complain of dirt, disease, hooligans, drug peddling and discomfort but they are powerless.

People have no idea as to how they can help keep the city clean. There are many NGOs in Mumbai who have taken up the task of educating their children and teaching them some skills. They even provide them food and stationary but they cannot give them shelter nor are they able to relocate them.

But why should NGOs take the full responsibility? Government should be responsible for relocating them. I am sure they are paid well. The BMC is the richest civic body in India with annual budget of over Rs40000crores, most of which never spent but stored away in huge fixed deposits. When are they going to use those fixed deposits?

There is enough money to relocate the pavement dwellers to proper shelters. System has to be improved. It is often observed that when people are provided shelter, they rent out their house and are back on streets. There should be some law to prevent such thing from happening. Every ward has their responsibility therefore a cooperator should be aware of every citizen in his area and he should be held accountable for all the activities in his area.

Also the school and the colleges in the area should be given the responsibility of checking that the environment in their area is kept clean. Students can be held responsible for checking that street bins are kept clean, lamp posts have proper lighting, supervise the person in charge of cleanliness, check that footpaths are in good condition with no broken tiles, manholes are properly covered and they should plant and adopt more trees. There should be a civic project in their syllabus that gives them a brownie point for the social responsibility carried out effectively.

One person cannot bring the change. Unity can. Quality of life is our birthright but we have to put in effort too. A sense of responsibility has to be inculcated from early childhood. We can live comfortably in a clean society. Everybody can.

100 Happy Days: Day 83 Long Drive

Happiness is going for a long drive.

Mumbai may be crowded and polluted city, with traffic jam at every narrow lane and too many traffic lights, but once you cross the toll station at Navi Mumbai, the scene changes drastically.

The air is clean, with greenery spread as far as you can see. Lately, the roads are broadened therefore it’s a pleasure to go for long drive beyond Panvel, pass through Khandala and Lonavala and reach Pune and then drive back home.

So here I am, with the project of ‘100 Happy Days’I am posting pictures each day here on my blog then sharing the link on my page on FB too. You can enjoy my work either here or on my page at FB at Pushee’s World

100 Happy Days: Day 75 Mumbai Bliss

Happiness is living in Mumbai City

I sat by the window and watched the moving scene. There were dusty cars under every bridge; the hawkers occupied every shade over the foot path, street urchins begged at every traffic light. Thousands of people on the road...everybody in hurry to go some place. "I must find happiness, I have to" I mumbled "Today I must find some happiness on Mumbai streets..

And happiness I did find, in the familiarity of the place, in the security I felt while returning back from late night shows, I found happiness in the warmth of my fellow Mumbaites.

There is some magic in Mumbai city that people outside my city might not know.

Mumbai is my true home.

So here I am, with the project of ‘100 Happy Days’I am posting pictures each day here on my blog then sharing the link on my page on FB too. You can enjoy my work either here or on my page at FB at Pushee’s World

100 Happy Days: Day 41 Running Errands.

Happiness is having friends to run errands for you when you are unable to do it yourself.

Friend says to call her if I need any help. But then all friends do and they complain if I don’t remember them when I am in pain. I often ask them how they can release me from pain, it’s a cross I must carry it alone; all I need is to rest for few days and nurture the power to deal with it. I am not the person to take advantage of their offer and trouble them for every small favor.

But sometimes, it cannot be helped and I have to seek help.

My reading glasses spat out one glass off the hinges. Now, walking to the repair store meant daring to walk in my lane that is getting a new facelift. There is dust and pebbles strewn all over the street. I am too scared to walk on broken roads and risk another fall, need to heal first from the previous one.

So, I remembered my friend who will run this errand for me.

Such bliss!

So here I am, with the project of ‘100 Happy Days’I am posting pictures each day here on my blog then sharing the link on my page on FB too. You can enjoy my work either here or on my page at FB at Pushee’s World

Mumbai Rains

Every morning, since last ten days, I am dressed to go out to complete some errands like marketing and a visit to the bank. Before stepping out, I look up in the sky, the thick dark clouds are very discouraging, I change my mind. 

I am restless.

It is raining non-stop. I am not very brave to venture out in heavy rains. The recent fracture was very inconvenient and had me home bound for three months. The memory of pain has not yet faded away. I am afraid to go out on wet streets. The roads in Mumbai are slippery. There is puddle everywhere. I am always afraid of losing my balance. 

My errands can wait. But how long? 

This Sunday I decided to go to my sister’s place for lunch. Sundays is family time. I am too lazy to cook and spending time with my sister’s family is always a better option. 

It was raining heavily. I could have called my nephew to come and fetch me but then ruled out against it. I decided to hail an auto-rickshaw instead. Walking slowly at snail’s pace, puffing at every step, I reached down to the gate, and was surprised to see stream of water running closer to the footpaths. I stood at curb, waving at every auto-rickshaw. None was willing to go in the direction that I wished to go.

I decided to walk. Taking each step slowly, under heavy rains, balancing an umbrella and my handbag I waded through water. “Go back home, go back home” my inner voice prompted me. Many times I was tempted to turn back to the comfort of my home. The umbrella served no support against strong winds and rain. Soon I was drenched from head to toe by passing vehicles that splashed water from the puddle on my clothes.

Cool, wet breeze blew against my face. Suddenly I realized that I was enjoying the walk in the rain.

Memories of childhood cascaded in my mind. I love rain and have walked in the rain many times. During my growing up years, I never missed school if it was raining.  Many times have run down the steps into building compound to get drenched in the first showers of the rain.  There have been long bike rides with my friends under dark skies to the lakes. The sound of the rain is music to my ears. Mumbai city gets paralyzed during monsoon, it’s nothing new but I have walked in heavy rains in the past and have enjoyed every moment of it.

The same wave of pleasure enveloped me once again.

I walked in the rain for quite a distance till I found an auto-rickshaw.

Finally I saw Venice on the linking road.

People continued to go about their business, rain scares nobody

A common sight of vehicles that refuse to cooperate.

The little time I spent walking in the rain is the moment that remains etched in my mind. Maybe I should walk again.