When Good Turns Bad

Jan 6

For the last two days I'm in Indore, the cleanest city of India.

This is the city that has been declared the cleanest city in India for the sixth consecutive year.

This is the city which is known for the 7-storeyed Rajwada Palace and the Lalbagh Palace of the 19th century Holkar dynasty.

This is the city where I have spent my fifteen years of the most crucial, creative and professional life. I am proud of this city, which is the most important commercial centre of M.P.

This is the city, where the 17th Pravasi Bharat Convention is going to be held from January 8 to 10 that will provide an important platform to engage and connect with the overseas Indian community.

Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas (PBD) is celebrated on January 9 to commemorate the day Mahatma Gandhi returned from South Africa to India in 1915. It's observed to mark the contribution of the overseas Indian community to the development of India.

Entire Indore is being decorated like a bride for this convention. Road dividers are being painted across the entire city. Road bridges, public walls and heritage and other buildings are being painted and renovated in a grand manner to make the city more beautiful and attractive.

But there is another side of the story, when good turns bad. Even in this new year and newly decorated city, there are some people who are working day and night to make both ends meet, to earn bread for two times.

Earlier, a lot of polythene and saleable waste materials were lying on the streets of Indore. But ever since Indore became India's cleanest city, and also the first 7-star garbage-free city of India, litter on the streets has become a rarity.

But today itself, I saw a poor old woman trying hard to collect polythene and saleable garbage on the streets with a bag slung on her back. A rag picker amidst all this pride? A tragic irony indeed!

The compulsion of that woman is that if she does not get enough garbage, her stove will not burn at night. Until such people do not get job security, some sort of livelihood for their survival, all the claims of development and pride are meaningless.

I would request the civic authorities and public representatives of Indore to look into this human issue. Either such people should be absorbed in the cleanliness drive itself, or should be given an alternative.

The best option to my mind is to enter into an arrangement with banks which will provide them small loans to help them start small businesses like selling tea, bread, eggs, snacks, toys, fruits, vegetables and other daily use items.

I hope and believe that the responsible authorities will definitely take note and find a concrete solution.