Let us keep public places very clean
This incident happened some four years ago. Members of the public seem to assume that it is their birth right to spit in any public place. I was about to board a bus to Vellore from the prestigious Koyambedu bus station, in Chennai, and said to be the largest in Asia.A very young man, hardly 25 years old, spat at the cemented platform near the front wheel of the bus and when I advised him to not do so, he shouted back saying that he had the right to do so and that am not a Member of the police force. There was a policeman some ten meters away and ran upto this person. I knew that if I miss that bus, the next bus would be there in less than five minutes. I just did not bother at all.
In the meanwhile, the young man stayed where he was and was seemingly waiting for me to come back. To my horror and shock, the policeman did not take it seriously, commenting that he was awaiting a call from his boss and that I should tell him later. In any case, he never appeared serious.
Understanding the futility of the situation, I went forward to catch up with a friend who was waiting to board a bus bound for Tiruchirapalli. This friend simply shouted at me, saying that there were gangs operating to just pick up a quarrel with passengers and demand money when the situation became close. So, why bother?
I was even more frustrated. Unless we change our mindsets nothing can happen. Public places are not meant to be dirty. We all have a duty and we should spit only in the wash basins, even if we are unwell.
