A sad day

Rajendra Valmiki told me he was happy working as a waste collector in Phase II of Vrindavan society.

"There were fewer apartments to visit and the hours were manageable. I could leave for work at 6 a.m. and return home by 1 p.m. or 2 p.m. At least, I was able to do that until the recent lockdown," he said.

For apartment-owners like me, it is easy to forget worldly troubles especially during this lockdown. We don't have to commute. We don't have to talk to those irksome people in the office and most importantly, we don't have to worry about the Mumbai rush-hour.

Our short respite is so refreshing that we at times forget that there are people who still continue with work as usual.

This realisation hit like a lightning bolt on seeing Valmiki's shivering hands as he went about his work sans gloves and mask.

"I try not to think about what would happen if I get infected. I worry more that I might infect my children. But those worries come later because there is still so much going on in everyday life," he said as he picked up a large, red dustbin, held it over his head and waited for the guy standing on top of the garbage truck to take it.

"Keep it down! Keep half of it down and wait for me till I'm done!" snapped the guy on top. He used a long bamboo stick, his only tool to push down the garbage on which he stood.

"If you people had not taken a day-off yesterday, I wouldn't have had to take two trips to unload all this crap!" he said as he descends the vehicle.

" Now wait till I'm done."

Valmiki shook his head.

"What could I have done?" he asked, "If I try to stay at home this guy gets angry. If I leave my house, the police come to my slum and yell at us for roaming about. I don't have an official id to prove my employment. Either way, my head gets bitten off."

Garbage collector Valmiki's question stuck in my head longer than any Ramayana verse possibly could have.

What could I have done?

Was it even his responsibility to do something? 

Most of the times, my reporting ends with me wondering how much of what I have seen is the government's fault and how much of it is accountable to the people involved.

To me, it seemed Valmiki had done everything in his power to keep his job while not killing himself simultaneously. So when he asked me if I could persuade the society-members to leave the garbage at the building entrance, there was little I could do except say yes.

The good news is that it didn't take a lot to convince the Secretary to accept Valmiki's request. However, at the same time, I was aware that this measure is temporary and that after these 20 days of lock down, the situation will go back to its original state.

I guess part of the Secretary's willingness comes from sympathy, part of it from boredom of being stuck inside the house. It's sort of saddening though that for us apartment-owners this proactiveness only kicks in when its convenient for us.