Team ResponsibleA man who started the “World’s largest beach cleaning project”
It was the following day after Ganesh Chaturti, therefore the crows were having a gala time having their share of treat from the leftovers, dumped at the beach. My house overlooks Versova beach and every year I silently observe the sand and water being violated in the name tradition and custom. But that day and the days that followed were different observe the sand and water being violated in the name tradition and custom. But that day and the days that followed were different
I was looking for Ambika in the entire house we had to go buy material for her science project, topic was SAVE THE ENVIRONMENT. She was standing by the window gazing at the flying crows. We made our way out quickly. Ambika and I crossed the beach and I once again in my mind passed a judgement that how our civic bodies were failing to do their job.
We nonetheless, carried on and discussed the list of things to buy. Back at home, the unfortunate beach now completely thrown into oblivion as I got busy making dinner and helping Ambika to do her science project.
The next day Ambika did not return home by her usual time. She had gone out to play with her friend, I had asked her not to go at the beach for few days. But I had my doubts about her obedience, she loved to play in the sand. The idea of giving a mobile phone to a 12-year-old child doesn’t appeal to me but I was seriously considering it.
Ambika came home, she looked disheveled and her clothes were soiled. Before I could express my displeasure of her being so late. She started narrating the reason for the same. She and her friend like I had imagined, were playing on the beach when a man came with another really old man and started picking up plastic and other waste from the beach. Ambika and her friend joined the men in their task of cleaning up.
I stood there listening to her, I was proud and ashamed at the same time. I patted Ambika’s back and told her she did a great job, I also promised her to join them the next weekend to clean the beach. I later found out that this man was Afroz Shah, he was not a BMC employee or a government worker. He was a lawyer who cleaned Mumbai beaches on the weekends. I felt tremendously little at that moment. Here was a man who loved his country too much to waste time in deciding whose work is it to clean. He did not like the beach dirty so he cleaned it, it was so simple!
The only difference between him and is that we don’t take up the initiative because we don’t think it is our responsibility and Afroz felt very naturally responsible towards his city and country. For the first time, I understood what Mahatma Gandhi meant by saying “be the change you want to see”.