One place different worlds!

Each day in life is an opportunity to learn something new: like 19^th of May 2011, when I realized the meaning of “one place different world”.

19^th of May 2011, 11.30 am, I attended a meeting of stakeholders of this city on Solid Waste Management. The programme was good, the agendas were good too. In fact everything went good. The best part was a row among stakeholders to be in the committee for managing the solid waste of the city. But, there was no one to talk about what job they were particularly going to do, what responsibilities they were going to undertake, in fact the hot cake was only to get the roles. At that moment I wished they talked about the rights of the poor to get a better environment; I wished they dreamt that there would be no more child dying out of diarrhea in the city. The noise that was gaining some more decibels made me wake up from my dream and see what was going on in that meeting room.

19^th of May, 3.30 pm, I had to attend a meeting in the community (153 out of 153 households in this place have no toilets). The meeting was to aware people about adopting better health and hygiene practices, sensitizing them to build toilets and make use of such so that their environment would be clean and they more healthy, training them on washing hands with soap. They are poor and I feel that, toilets for them would be just like a desire for them, the way we desired an “i-phone”, and if only they would know that the latrine is more important than an “i-phone”. This was a different world to be, a different experience to learn. And, I wished that the stakeholders would have to listen what their actual needs are. I dreamt that, the stakeholders would use a “bottom-up” approach to design programmes to raise demands on their rights to water, sanitation and health. And, their raising discussion on when to start the construction of latrines, their new asset, woke me up from my dream.

19^th of May, 4.45 pm, I was returning from the community, racing towards my office, 55 kmph read the speedometer of my bike, I felt a sudden rush of air crossing my left ear, and another bike overtook me. Riding the bike was a boy who was wrapped by arms of a girl with long, dark hair. I dreamt of the days when I was in love. And, an announcement about a musical concert that was today woke me up from my dream. I overtook the rickshaw that made the announcement.  I guessed the boy and the girl on the bike were late for the concert. They would have no idea that a committee on managing solid waste was being formed in the city and that there are people in the city who have no latrines and have to defecate in open.

19^th of May, 4.50 pm, I dreamt about the days when I was in love and thought where I have come today. I saw a beautiful girl and thought why I don’t have a girlfriend. A cow that rushed to cross the road pulled my attention back on my route. Why don’t they form a committee to manage such cattle? Tomorrow, I have a meeting on another community where we have to train about the use of toilets.

This mixed up world in the same place, makes me feel unity in diversity, at least a physical unity- the same place, and different worlds.