Friday 29 November 2019

The girl and her cart on Chennai streets

A young woman on a powered cart with a huge plastic trash bin fixed before her. Today afternoon.
Dressed typically in the three quarter skirt, with hair piled on top in a bun. Wearing many colourful bead chains and many bangles. A very pretty young woman.
Till yesterday she used to go around with a large sack slung on her back and a long pointed stick. Collecting plastic trash from the garbage bins with the stick. Today she had set together a contraption. And was whizzing by. In style.
And yet, she had to look into the garbage bins.
At soiled diapers ? Used menstrual pads ?
That one human being uses and throws and another handles.
I have never used either. And it's never been a problem. Cloth did very well when our child was an infant. Yes, it was a lot of washing and drying in the first year, but then a baby is about work anyway.
Cloth has served very well in lieu of sanitary pads also. Down the years. Cloth washed, dried and reused. During travel, during droughts, during good times and bad.
When we use and dispose. Anything. We would do well to always remember that there are very likely other human beings at the other end. Who face it.
Like the woman in the powered cart, with her three quarter skirt and hair ties into a high bun.
Remember her ...

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