What can you say about people who are determined to live in their own trash? A country so filled with trash, you fear you might drown in it. With every breath you take, you can taste it and smell it. Today, I took a long walk along the Juhu beach, a prime location in Mumbai, and during this long walk, I learned that in India trash is inescapable. Even the ocean spits its trash on Mumbai’s shores!
During a conversation I had with friends a few nights back, one raised the question, "What would Mumbai be without the sea?”. The other replied, "What would the sea be without Mumbai?" If he had asked the same question now, I would undoubtedly answer, "CLEAN!”
But thinking back to that night and that contemplative moment between two Indian friends, I realize just how much Mumbaikars really love their city. They love Bombay the way I have never loved Los Angeles. So, one has to ask the obvious question, "If they love this city, then why do they insist on treating it like a large garbage bin?" Here, no one thinks twice before throwing trash out of a moving car or off an apartment balcony. In fact, such behaviour is encouraged. On more than one occasion people have looked at me, puzzled, while I searched for a trash bin at an open mall, or at a bus-stop. I can see their confused faces, "You’re looking for what? Just throw it there," as they point to some street corner or stoop.
So I ask, "What would India be without trash?" I guess it would not be India. Even as I write this, I notice a dark middle-aged man staring at me. Standing about two feet away from me, he is making no attempt to hide the fact that he is staring at me. In fact, he has this rather annoying grin on his face. I bet no one ever taught him about privacy or personal space - luxuries we enjoy in the western world. I just look up at him and ask him if he needed something.
Unfortunately, he sees this as an invitation to talk. What do I do now? I articulate very clearly that I am unable to understand Hindi. You’d think that would be enough, but this only encourages him. He crouches down beside me despite my "please, go away" and my big flailing arm gestures that indicate, “Shoo! Don’t bother me!”, that I could have sworn are universal. I am incredibly uncomfortable as he continues to ramble on in Hindi. He has a big smile on his face and I can see the black lining between his teeth. I wonder what you have to do to get your teeth to look like that. I try ignoring him and continue to write. He does not give in. He keeps talking. I keep ignoring him. I decide to change tactic and plead with him to leave. I even make gestures like I am about to get up and leave. He says ok, ok, as if he is about to go, but then he sits back down and rambles on. He is relentless.
What a determined and uncompromising man! And then it hit me - what a determined and uncompromising people! From the baker, to the carpenter, to the cleaning lady, each stands his / her ground trying to make a living, fighting against life. In a world like India no one can afford to care for other people’s needs. Each person must focus on achieving his own needs. So what if I need my space? So what if the price is too high? So what if you want your internet today? So what if the things I do or say inconvenience you? This mentality is seen in all aspects of Indian life. You see it in the street vendor bargaining to sell a 10 cent T-shirt for ten bucks. You see it in the electrician who says he’ll report at 9 and does not show up until 2. You see it in the beggar who tugs at your shirt although you have made it clear that you do not want to give him any money. You see it in the friends who say they will pick you up at 7 but who do not show up until 10 and you see it in the stewardess who tells you the flight is leaving, even though you see no indication of the fact that the flight is anywhere near being ready to depart.
In India, people just say - they do not mean. So what if I said this or that? It doesn’t mean anything! It forces you to pay attention to context, to circumstance and to constantly be aware of your surroundings. You simply cannot depend on the words that you hear. So, looking at this man who is rambling on, I realize that even though he says he is leaving, he does not seem to have anywhere to go and given the fact that I am alone and attractive, I can reasonably assume that he is not going anywhere anytime soon.
So, I finally get up and walk away, frustrated by this man’s unwillingness to let me write in peace - his unwillingness to change and adapt to modern codes of conduct. I have had enough of this dirty beach - a beach covered in trash - and I retreat to my apartment before I drown in it. It is a shame that we Indians, being culturally so rich, cannot keep our cities and surroundings clean.
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