It was our little family outing after a whole semester;Yes, H graced us finally. No trip to Bombay, the popular maya nagariya, seems complete without a trip to Churchgate, a walk down Marine drive. It was a little exercise I found rejuvenating, motivating in a weird sense. Little kid in the big city, walks around with the cool breeze of the sea on one end, the high rises on another, a dream to be a part of it all one lucky day. A wish to rise to the sky like these scrapers do, walk the paths of the rich and famous, to breathe the air that felt awefully familiar.
And with that same wish, I returned today, to be welcomed by the new facade to the drive. With the pavements being rebuilt and environment going through a face lift of kinds, it was going to be a difference walk, after all. Having read a ton about the men and the idea behind the whole reclamation scheme, I felt energised, motivated to be a part of it. As we treaded down, I looked out to all the new additions, recollecting details about the sit outs and bus lanes, little bits of information I got back from the reading.
It was with the same energy levels that I chose to cling on the wastes from an icey treat in BR. I insisted on my family following suit too, we were not going to emulate the family on a holiday trip from SOTC's latest ad to Save Mumbai (by the way, searching for this as Shahrukh Khan's campaign yields a more definitive result that anything else. We love our film stars, don't we.!). As we walked the way from Ambassador Hotel to Girgaom Chowpatti, we held on to our takeaway tubs and tissues, a keen eye on the look out for a waste bin to dump our refuses into.
Half and hour's walk and a kilometre or two later, there was no respite in sight; all we were left with were sweaty hands. It was with a total feeling of losers that we carelessly flung the tissues by the sidewalk. No, we were being stupid trying to be ideal citizens in a city where nothing that is promised ever gets to your hands. Might be the family that dumped waste all around them was right in doing so, did they have a choice anyway?
We have ministers and mayors and film stars publicising a scheme to promote a promenade that doesn't have dustbins for meters together. Keep Mumbai Clean.! But how, may I ask, Sir?? And there are dreams of Shanghai! Grow up people.!!
