I have to thank Sparky for allowing me some venting space here. He is a good boy, my spark! He knows when to give me some leeway and here is the perfect spot to rave!
Last week, as is the norm, I was walking around the neighbourhood park, briskly and with music blaring in my ears. This habit of walking fast and stuffing my ears with earphones has two advantages: One -it helps to make my otherwise boring and oh-I-cant-wait-to-get-home walk [ I assure you I do it only because my good doctor has ordered it.] And two- it discourages anyone from walking beside me and chatting up with me, something I detest even more than the walk itself.
Anyway, so here I was walking my regulated 5000 steps and I happened to spot a car entering the new building on our block. The lane being too narrow, I had to slow down to let the car take its arduous turn into the building, and at that same moment, two things happened. Two women who I know reasonably well, also approached and attempted to pass me, and as they did, a large coconut came hurling out of the back window of the car as it entered the building and ALMOST landed on my friend's head, missing it by mere milliimetres.
Needless to say, this made my blood boil. Shaking my earplugs off, I called back to my friends who were stunned but had decided to continue on their walk, and I marched upto the gate and yelled for the young lady who had alighted from that car. Seeing me yell and wave my hands she gingerly approached me, guilt written large on her face, but determined to get away with her mindless actions. This is how the short interaction went:
" Hey, dont you have a garbage can in your building or flat? Why did you chuck the coconut out of the car ?"
Her lame reply- " I am sorry aunty, but its bio-degradable, na?"
" What do you mean? Cant you see that it almost hit us on the head? And just 'cos its bio-degradable, does that allow you to litter the streets?"
At this moment , a man who seemed to be her father appeared, and realising that the girl was getting deeper and deeper into it, had the good sense to apologise.
" I am sorry, it wont happen again" and started leading her back into the building.
" Educated people like you should not be doing this." I had to get my last salvo in, of course! They both turned to me briefly, smiled weekly, and walked away. Till the next time she decides to chuck missiles out of her windows.
This unfortunately, is how most of us so-called- educated Indians behave. I am hoping that my daughter's generation will be more mindful of littering, garbage, and other burning issues, simply because their study books have chapters and chapters on protecting the environment. So they have to read, understand and reproduce the stuff in their exams.
Because left to my generation, there's no hope, really of any progress.
And while on the subject of missiles, I have to admit to the absolute despondency I feel when I see people throwing stones at dogs. You all see it everywhere around you, and it never stops. Its happened twice in the last 2 days that I've had to stop, reprimand and teach a 10 year old boy and a grown man the ills of stoning a dog, and the alternate ways to get a dog off your back. The boy had the grace to look embarrassed and promised he would never do it again, but the man was unrepentant and believed that it was the only way to prevent the dog from entering his building compound! What pleasure does this simple yet maliciously vicious act gives people, I will never ever understand.
Last week, as is the norm, I was walking around the neighbourhood park, briskly and with music blaring in my ears. This habit of walking fast and stuffing my ears with earphones has two advantages: One -it helps to make my otherwise boring and oh-I-cant-wait-to-get-home walk [ I assure you I do it only because my good doctor has ordered it.] And two- it discourages anyone from walking beside me and chatting up with me, something I detest even more than the walk itself.
Anyway, so here I was walking my regulated 5000 steps and I happened to spot a car entering the new building on our block. The lane being too narrow, I had to slow down to let the car take its arduous turn into the building, and at that same moment, two things happened. Two women who I know reasonably well, also approached and attempted to pass me, and as they did, a large coconut came hurling out of the back window of the car as it entered the building and ALMOST landed on my friend's head, missing it by mere milliimetres.
Needless to say, this made my blood boil. Shaking my earplugs off, I called back to my friends who were stunned but had decided to continue on their walk, and I marched upto the gate and yelled for the young lady who had alighted from that car. Seeing me yell and wave my hands she gingerly approached me, guilt written large on her face, but determined to get away with her mindless actions. This is how the short interaction went:
" Hey, dont you have a garbage can in your building or flat? Why did you chuck the coconut out of the car ?"
Her lame reply- " I am sorry aunty, but its bio-degradable, na?"
" What do you mean? Cant you see that it almost hit us on the head? And just 'cos its bio-degradable, does that allow you to litter the streets?"
At this moment , a man who seemed to be her father appeared, and realising that the girl was getting deeper and deeper into it, had the good sense to apologise.
" I am sorry, it wont happen again" and started leading her back into the building.
" Educated people like you should not be doing this." I had to get my last salvo in, of course! They both turned to me briefly, smiled weekly, and walked away. Till the next time she decides to chuck missiles out of her windows.
This unfortunately, is how most of us so-called- educated Indians behave. I am hoping that my daughter's generation will be more mindful of littering, garbage, and other burning issues, simply because their study books have chapters and chapters on protecting the environment. So they have to read, understand and reproduce the stuff in their exams.
Because left to my generation, there's no hope, really of any progress.
And while on the subject of missiles, I have to admit to the absolute despondency I feel when I see people throwing stones at dogs. You all see it everywhere around you, and it never stops. Its happened twice in the last 2 days that I've had to stop, reprimand and teach a 10 year old boy and a grown man the ills of stoning a dog, and the alternate ways to get a dog off your back. The boy had the grace to look embarrassed and promised he would never do it again, but the man was unrepentant and believed that it was the only way to prevent the dog from entering his building compound! What pleasure does this simple yet maliciously vicious act gives people, I will never ever understand.
