The impetus for this letter comes from Jairam Ramesh through Rajan Parrikar. See his message:
"Message: 4 Date: Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:35:15 -0800 (PST) From: "Rajan P. Parrikar" <[email protected]<http://in.mc940.mail.yahoo.com/mc/[email protected]> > To: [email protected]<http://in.mc940.mail.yahoo.com/mc/[email protected]> Subject: [Goanet] Indian govt agrees with me, says India is filthy Message-ID: <[email protected]<http://in.mc940.mail.yahoo.com/mc/[email protected]> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 To Goanet - News Flash - In a rare display of intelligence and wisdom, the Government of India has officially agreed with what I have been saying the past several years - that India is one giant filthy toilet. Today's TOI reports an Indian govt turkey named Jairam Ramesh declaring: "If there is a Nobel Prize for dirt and filth, India will win it, no doubt." ... I don't want to participate in the thread Parrikar has initiated because given the manner in which he has framed the issue, it will inevitably end in non-ethnically-Goan bashing. However there is something interesting about Ramesh's statement. It is plain wrong I feel when one thinks about how Indians and that includes Goans I suppose ;-) deal with dirt and filth privately. Go to the house of most Goans / Indians and most usually one finds that no matter how humble the person, and how poor the dwelling, the surroundings are kept as clean as possible. The problem is in public spaces. Nobody, and here I include myself and most of the NRG crowd that populate GN, gives a crow's droppings for the way they treat the garbage that they generate in public. The same rubbish that the Dubai or America or Singapore lads and lassies would scrupulously put in their pockets or handbags or scooped into their doggie-bags is just unceremoniously flung here and there when they are in India. (OK ... OK ... agreed that for the first few days they do make an attempt to keep up to their pardesi habits, but allow them to stay here in India or Goa long enough, and these habits are soon forgotten.) Why is this? Of course I'm not excusing the desi-based folk in this regard. Why are we all not so concerned about filth in public as we are about it in our own homes? I am not beginning to examine the way we treat filth in our official public capacities at work whether in government or non-government sectors. {BTW Instead of 'filth' I might have substituted 'safety' 'environment conciousness' and other such terms but that would complicate the argument unneccesarily complicated.} I don't think it is because Goans / Indians are inherently filthy, as can be observed when one visits the homes of rich people (who can hire other people to do menial tasks) but more especially the middle class and most especially the poor - who make time to clean their surroundings at home in spite of all their other commitments. Of course those who are completely destitute and can lay claim to very few possessions - forget a house if they have clothes and something to eat they should be considered lucky, and who will have little to care for about public cleanliness given their hapless state, should be kept out of this discussion - except for pointing out that they do not generate (because they simply cannot afford to) too much of non-bio-degradable waste, which is the root cause of most of our concern regarding filth. My guess is that our dirty public habits stems down to ancient ways where menial work was regarded the preserve of lower castes. Hence most Indians / Goans who live in Dubai or America or Singapore or Japan or England readily clean filth and dirt which they observe especially in public and most particularly when they are employed to do so - as in the glamorous cruise ship line of employment (although they may not be so scrupulous at home ;-P as they are so dog-tired after a hard days work) will shudder to do the same in India. About us residents no comment is needed. Nobody wants to lower their social status by allowing others to observe us doing the work of a Bhongi or a ... in Goa ... even if one gets paid more doing this here than by going to the Gulf or whereever, where one has to do the same job for less the pay!! What's the solution? Think Augusto -- Augusto Pinto 40, Novo Portugal, Moira, Bardez, Goa, India E [email protected] or [email protected] P 0832-2470336 M 9881126350
