Where do you wish to live Paradise or purgatory?

Ever travelled in train and observed, amidst the scenic beauty there comes a patch, which has become a wasteland with all kinds of plastic layered at that spot.

People throw away their garbage from a running train. When you ask them the reason they say, "What will ragpickkers do if we do their job?" Educated people coming from a good family, making such a statement sounds appalling to me. I am shocked. Even when there is dustbin in the running train, bins on platforms. Which they don't even bother to check,(hath khidki k bahar dalna zyada easy hai na(it's easier to throw garbage out of the window, it seems))

Throwing plastic here and there from the train. What is your intention people? Are you sending the ragpickers on a treasure hunt? There is no jewelry laced on the single use plastic that you throw away from the train.(nai toh phekte kya?) It flies with the flow of the wind and sits exactly where you left it to be. Waiting for more plastic buddies to join.

Be it north, south or west(I haven't traveled to the east for a long time. So I won't comment on it) India. It's the same. If you don't see a single plastic bag lying along the railway line. Let me know. 

Stations in South India are comparitively cleaner than their counterparts in north and west. But once the train leaves the station, it's the same.

I belong to the category of people who don't blame the government for everything.(if you have read my earlier blogs about election and environment. You might know this about me.) But this time I will blame the government along with the locals and the people in transit. All are equally responsible or equally irresponsible if I state literally. This is exactly the, "It takes two to tango" situation.

 Everytime, I ask people to act responsibly (people known to me, not strangers) in this matter. Some listen, when I tell them, "Let me keep your garbage with me. If it's such a pain for you." While others are so adamant about their decision. That they ignore my wailing and throw garbage anyways. Saying, "waha already kachra hai beta". (There is already garbage stacked up in that place child) To such people I want to request. Please clean the garbage stacked in your brain first. (I can't say it to their face, so, saying it here)

I am sorry to say. The worst kind of animal on this earth is the Humankind. Still, we have animal control department and humans have 'Azadi'. Yet, we want azadi(freedom) to unleash more more garbage. 

Dear readers, this is not a meticulously written blog. This is me venting out on the litter spreading little insignificant human. 

This topic might sound trivial to you, but let me tell you why this is important. There is a saying in Hindi language, "Boond Boond se banta hai sagar"(Each and every drop cumulates into an ocean). We are slowly surrounding ourselves by the ocean of litter. By scattering it wherever we want.

Help me spread this message. If you and me are on the same page.

"We were given a PARADISE by some force, unknown to us and we want to keep calling it Paradise, not purgatory."

-

Swati Iyer

(Iyerwrit)