Where did that
hesitation disappear? Why was it there in the first place? Where did it come
from? I have no clue why I didn’t do it all these days what I finally did
today. I was so happy doing it that I actually messaged AM saying that, “feeling
like I am the heroine of the movie called PB!! Enjoying the ward walk and
talking to new people!”
All this while, I was
feeling that I am stuck because I don’t have anyone with me to do it. But when
did I start having this need of having someone with me. I used to tease my
friends in school and college that they needed someone to go with them even to
go to washroom. I never needed one like that. Even to explore the world beyond
the college life, I travelled alone to far off places in India, stayed in
people’s houses whom I met only after reaching there, ate the local food even
when my eyes couldn’t control flowing for its spice, drank the milk of camel in
the Calotropis (Rui) leaf for the want of a container, rode on the
bike of strangers to reach even more unknown places and people and so on.
But everything is changing,
so am I. I felt stuck. I needed someone to walk with me in my ward. I was
asking help to other group members and to friends to join me. I was procrastinating the
action. Finally, I could feel that the pressure is getting built within me is
because of the non-action. I must do it. Let it happen the way it would happen
but let me just do it, even if I feel unprepared for it.
It reminds me of James clear’s article
on 2 minute rule. Just decide to do it for 2 minutes whatever you are
unable to do. Once you start it will take you along and you wouldn’t realize when
the 2 minutes became 2 hours.
I had decided to take
just a small part of the ward which was walk-able in one go. I took the closest
road from where I was. A laminated map in one hand, a blue umbrella in another
and the mobile purse in the neck, favourite walking shoes for the feet, a smile on the face, curiosity and
inquisitiveness in the eyes, enthusiasm and empathy in the heart, I was ready
to go.
For the first time, the road flex boards made
some sense to me. Now I know why they are there. I don’t justify them,
especially the way an-aesthetically they are put and for the apparent reasons
they are put for. But at the same time they serve as the Non – Virtual Public
Information System!! Whoa!! Sounds a big name for the poor flex boards!
I came across an Auto Riksha Stand and started
reading the board. I had some questions and asked a Riksha Driver waiting for
customer. Interestingly, after I told the purpose of this inquisitiveness, he
offered me to come to their annual meeting which happens around the planning of
Shravan celebrations. He was open to exchange the contact numbers and we
did that promising to meet for the Annual meeting. He also shared the nuances
of their relationship with other Riksha drivers from other areas who are not
member of this Auto stand.
Going ahead, I see a vacant
patch of land behind a shop on the road. I casually ask the owner of the
temporarily constructed shop about the ownership of the land and he knows it.
This shouldn’t come to me as a surprise for sure. The neighbourhood always
knows more about each other. Around the corner I see some Yuva Munch and I
inquire about them. I couldn’t see the person who runs it but surely could
secure his contact to go meet him later.
The laminated map of
my prabhag (electoral ward) told me that I was crossing the boundary of
my prabhag, but I was very much in my admin ward. Pune has 14
Administrative Wards and every Admin Ward has 4-5 prabhags leading to
total number of 76. The road ahead looked interesting for there existed no
traffic, farms on one side, big wide divider without any cement blocks. I had
been on this road to some extent before but had never checked where it leads. It
was a lonely and lovely road. I came across few school children playing along
the road. To my obvious question their answer came in such an obvious tone as
if the entire world knew where the road lead to except me. The cheerful faces
encouraged me to go ahead.
Towards the end of this
road at the wide divider some plantation was on. I greeted the gardener and
inquired about the species of the plant he was planting. I knew it was Golden
Duranta as they call it. It is used heavily as a hedge plant. The trend is to
make a complete monoculture of it for that purpose. In itself, Duranta is not
that bad as many insects visit its flowers and fruits. But monoculture is
something not very healthy for the environment. We don’t care of our own health,
when will we think of Environment health though for our own selfish motive?
Also, I had recently learnt from the PMC authorities that the government
nurseries no more harbor exotic species. They are now completely native plants’
nurseries. The new plantation done by PMC are of native or naturalized species.
They are also trying to phase out the exotics already planted. This is what
intrigued me to explore who is planting Duranta?
A discussion with
these gardeners led me to a big residential development project getting
constructed at the end of the road. I tried tracking down the person who could
be taking decisions about what to plant where but with no success. While returning,
I happened to speak to the gardener again and enquired about him and let him do
the same about me. I divulged the details of PB and the purpose of my walk. He seemed
impressed and told me how he works in 2 shifts in the Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) just opposite the construction which I had already visited. I felt disappointed
by my nonobservance that I would have missed out an important place if I hadn’t
spoken to the Gardener. But now I realizing that my low observation is
compensated by more listening. I ask questions and like to listen to their
answers, not to argue but to know them genuinely. I do that with almost every
informal sector person around me.
I rushed back and
entered the building like a queen to meet the head of the STP. I was lucky enough to be able
to meet the lab-in-charge lady on the field itself (not in the office). She
took me around and showed what stages our toilet waste goes through before meeting
the river. It was much better than my visit to the biogas plant and the organic
Waste composting plant which exist and operate very well in my ward. I always
wanted to visit one and here I was visiting, so much by chance!! The lady
seemed so interested in her work and felt completely at home at this plant.
I am so pleased to meet all such wonderful
people in the system which we keep cribbing about without knowing anything
about it. I enquired with her about being part of the IBA (Inquiry Based Approach)
team and she seemed completely on board.
The capacity of the
plant is 30 MLD and is generally underused except for monsoon where the inflow
increases. The local residents are generally not ready to the work as it
involves working with dirt while people from rural area forms their crew.
Thanking the gardener
I decided to call a day and headed back when an informal settlement attracted
my attention. These were the labours of the construction work and were staying
on the builder’s land (!) itself. I didn’t know how to and what to interact
with migrants though we had briefly talked about it in one of our meetings. I
somehow tell them the purpose of my unsolicited visit and get nicely shocked (a
little less than that) by their direct questions, “what exactly do you want to
do?”
I head back and prefer
walking on the other side of the road to not miss out on things on that side of
the road. A blue colored industrial looking shade amidst the farms waiting to
be developed (!) into counties and villas asked for my attention. Siesta occupied
that space owing to the time of the day and the hard work the women must have
put into in the morning making the food for Anganwadis of Pune. The
shyness which couldn't be dissolved by my soft skills could reveal only this
much along with the name of the person who was in-charge of the place.
I was thirsty and
really wanted to go back and share the success of the ward walk which I had so
much hesitated all this while. I was happy that I had gone alone which helped
me explore according to my pace, curiosity and empathy. I didn’t have to deal
with somebody else’s hesitation and mental blocks. I saw so many new places
which are at a distance not more than a km from where I sit every day.
This reminds me what
the snake-friends tell about snakes, ‘they are always around us but we see them
rarely.’
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