This morning we thought we would write a happy story of achievement for the work we were about to carry out today, but instead here we are, questioning ourselves why we did it! Thanks to a Mr. Balaji Shastry of Basavanagudi, a 75-year old well-educated man (or is he we wonder!). Here’s how the story goes.

We were approached by “Swachh Basavanagudi” team to accompany them for their continuous campaign to keep Basavanagudi {the “gudi” of R K Narayan’s Malgudi Days} clean. We squeezed this into our schedule on an early Sunday morning! When most of Bangaloreans were fast asleep, we covered our faces with masks and hands with rubber gloves, and started to clean the illegal so-called dump yard near Vidyapeeta Circle.

Buses plying to various parts of India come here for pickups and travelers are forced to bear the stench of walking along the stinking dump to board their buses. Some part of this disgusting smell also gets into the passing buses, disturbing many a sleeping passengers. Whenever the dump piles up to an uncontrollable level, it gradually spreads out to more than half of the road creating one of the infamous Bangalore traffic jams. Placing photos of Gods by the residents from in and around the area also didn’t help this sad state of affairs!

We thought supporting young lads at “Swachh Basavanagudi” was a step towards making our city a cleaner place. We got our hands dirty and using detergents, bleaching powders, oxides, paints, and colours, we changed the look and feel of the place in a mere 5 hours on a Sunday morning! BBMP also joined hands and were very co-operative. Onlookers gave us a pat on our backs and we were overjoyed that our mission was accomplished. We thought no one would continue throwing garbage here, considering how clean it now looked. How can a sane person dirty a clean street after all!

Story should have ideally ended here. But thanks to Mr. Balaji Shastry, the 75-year old man, our intended story took a different turn. After the cleaning task, we were scheduled to another meeting with beneficiaries of KYS scholarships– 3 economically backward guys pursuing their 12th grade. It got over in 3 hours, and with the content of a fruitful Sunday, we were heading back home.

And then came an impulsive thought of going back to the area we cleaned up this morning. We wanted to click a selfie around the newly painted walls. But what welcomed us was no less than a shock. Just a couple of hours had passed, and there were fresh garbage bags thrown on a freshly cleaned footpath! We could just not believe our eyes. We looked again to make sure we are standing at the right place!

We decided to stick around longer and keep an eye out for an hour. More than 5 residents of the area came with their garbage and we sent them back after narrating to them what happened here this morning. They appreciated our efforts and decently considered our request. We were happy that they were at least heeding to what we preached.

Then came this unbelievable man, Balaji Shastry, on his two-wheeler with 2 gunny bags full of stinking garbage. We placed the same request to him. He got into an argument with us and told us that it is his birthright to throw the dump on the road! He clearly looked down upon us and went on to convey that the youth cannot change the country. We tried to not lose our cool, out of respect for his age, but he just wouldn’t stop!

After a heated argument, he ended it all with a wicked grin on his face, and said to us- “For how many hours will you police around and keep the place clean? I’ll come again in the night and throw the same garbage right here. My name is Balaji Shastry and do whatever you can to stop me!”

This is why Swachh Bharat Abhiyan will never be successful in India. This is why Bangalore is slowly transforming into a Garbage City from a Garden City. People like Mr. Shastry are the reason we cannot progress. They don’t help to grow the country for a better future, but at the same time do not blink before pulling others back. People like him have forgotten that we have not inherited this earth from our ancestors, but in fact from our posterity!

We are not giving up. We have decided to go to the same place every Sunday morning to clean it. We will fight every single Balaji in the area. If you want to join us in the mission of restoring Bangalore to its popular tag of “Garden City”, please tweet or write to us on FB. If you can’t help us, then please help yourself. Fight the Balajis of your locality. It’s up to all of us to teach this section of unmindful people what a strong intent can result into. Even if you and I change the mindset of one person, it’s a job well done and a night soundly slept! Well, sometimes, like they say- Child is the father of a man.

ARE YOU WITH US?