Virendra's Blog

Recently there was a news in most of the dailies about a German tourist – Marc Stollreiter. He was visiting the “Dharti ka Swarg” Kashmir’s capital, Srinagar. He was taken aback by the cleanliness of Dal lake and decided to do something about it. News was he and one another Belgian tourist pooled between them around Rs. 35,000, hired some porters and boats, and then accompanied by another sixty volunteers removed several tonnes of plastic garbage from the lake. He was hoping that people will now do something about it, may be out of shame that someone else is doing their job. “Out of shame”! In India!! Mr. Marc certainly needs to spend more time in India to understand her people and that time shouldn’t be spent cleaning a lake, but pondering – why the hell should he clean it at all ?

What does he thinks of us Indians? We do not clean garbage and we under no circumstance work for free.

Do you know that Indian and Kashmiri governments have a separate fund for the cleaning of Dal lake worth a few million dollars? Do you know there is union of house-boats and shikara owners in Srinagar? And, yet Dal lake is as polluted as ever. And then there is this tourist guy with just 35,000 Rupees who could get the work done. And even more interesting aspect was the 60 or so volunteers. ROTFL (sorry could not stop my self laughing). Population bursting to seams and for a good work you get just 6 idiots? The boat owners are not getting many tourists but, instead of polishing their and their lake’s image, chose to do nothing. Not even provide manpower to a cause. About our bureaucracy (read Babudom) – lesser said is better. Those millions, kept aside for cleaning Dal, certainly would have helped many to finish constructing their bungalows and their kids’ education in phoren university.

I remember after the Tsunami there was a documentary about Indonesian universities, where student volunteers spent the whole of the next semster working – removing dead bodies and providing food/medicines to effected people. Our newspapers meanwhile, were reporting about the highest gross salary package given to one person (out of over a billion in India) from IIM. I certainly felt proud of being Indian.
You know what, there is a solution.
We need to transfer this work to some multinational company run by the white people. Then they will outsource it to India for a tenth of cost, and then we will happily do it. Then we will even feel proud to be linked to such big multinationals. Even while working night shifts.

PS: After Mr. Marc’s comment I made changes to story. There were indeed more than 6 volunteers. I could also find a link to his deeds with a photo of the gentleman- <http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?234995> .    Thank You Mr. Marc.