The Dirty Picture

On a popular talk Show in Australia Radio Jockey Kyle Sandilands recently uttered some uncharitable words about India that incensed many of the Indians staying in Australia.
Kyle called India a shithole besides adding another expletive –calling the Ganges a ‘Junkyard’.
A Spanish diplomat recently aghast at the lack of dustbins in Delhi, volunteered to buy them and arranged to place them at strategic locations across the city to further the cause of hygiene as the roads earlier were strewn with trash.
This was perhaps the most humiliating incident which should have woken up the govt. authorities from the deep slumber rather than making an issue over the war of words expressed by the westerners who shudder at the apathy and the callous attitude of most of us Indians.
The Holy Ganges as it is called comes from the Himalayas and is in the most sublime and pristine liquid form, full of the mystic faith, that pervades within itself. The water is pure and clear and is known to cleanse all evils and sins in its path.
The gushing water later enters the plains, and at various pilgrimage destinations like Varanasi and Hardwar untreated effluents from various leather tanneries are released into it shedding all inhibitions, half burnt corpses are disposed off the burning ghats without any remorse and untreated sewage from the cities too makes its contribution to the muck factor that is lot more polluted than a ‘’JUNKYARD’’.
The word FILTH is synonymous with the Indian sub-continent .There is no need to zoom into the ‘subject’ you will find the same, at every opportune place.
People relieving themselves at the nearest corner, the so called educated people travelling in the 1st Class compartment throwing/spitting the wrappers /fruit peels/ghutka /pan contents out of the train windows, people residing in the slums/chawls recreating their own virtual dust bins on the roads by throwing the waste from a long distance (akin to a professional NBA basket –ball player) very often missing its target.
The Municipal Corporation with its corrupt and lethargic attitude cannot be expected to clean this muck alone, which mounts at an alarming rate often threatening the area with epidemics like cholera and malaria.
The Plastic Industry has successfully managed to stem the reported BAN on plastics by meeting high- profile politicians who deliberately dilly dally on such issues. Plastics act like a catalyst creating huge stagnant pools which serve, as a perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes and rodents which forage on decaying matter emitting nauseating and sickening odour leading to people gasping for breath of fresh air besides aggravating the ailments.
Crores of money has been spent on cleansing the Ganges at strategic places which has gone down the drain as NO real effort has been made to arrest the release of the various pollutants which negates the effect of the Cleaning Campaign.
Western countries have openly aired the dirty culture pervading the Indian sub-continent which is mistaken as an attack on our glorious past and incredible Culture.
Apologies followed later on as usual but honestly I feel Kyle only expressed his disgust at the mindset of Indians who when holidaying abroad adhere to all the rules and rave about the cleanliness but do not think twice before chucking cigarette stubs/spitting out of the car windows on landing back.
The comments though provocative certainly doesn’t fall within the purview or ambit of any racist slur.
Our self- respect and ego are easily hurt by the comments but the DIRTY PICTURE is not viewed in the right perspective.
Perhaps we have got so accustomed to the filth around us that, we have started to ignore it as a malady which is incurable.