In Hindi, the term is 'shauchalay'. Crudely, it is also called 'sundaas', and all over India people comprehend the term 'toilet'. But in Japan they do not, except for the English speaking persons. When visiting any foreign country, and even in India, you can easily find a toilet, if you visit a mall.
In Egypt, that was difficult, because travel demands self control as the roads are bordered with farms or stretches of sand. Stops are far between and toilets are not so well maintained in most places, especially at the pyramids and the Valley of the Kings. Entry is restricted with strict rules of scanning machines and electronic detectors. Even bottle openers and nail files are confiscated before entry into the pyramid sites. Very high tech, and the guards, both male and female are very tough, but the washrooms on the premises were disgusting and dirty and unclean and stinking.
In many places in India, and specifically in Mumbai, it is the same story of unhygienically maintained loos. Very often, there are no public loos and it is an embarrassment if you need to answer nature's call at a place like Crawfrod Market, or at most of the local stations or at any place around Mumbai, unless the 'shauchalaya' board can be seen, and even then, you may be out of luck, if it is shut.
While at Crawford market, there is one restaurant, that is popular, because it allows its customers to use a decent loo, otherwise there is no option, except to control your urge. Sometimes I wonder why so many shop keepers and workers suffer the absence of this basic need. I have witnessed many of the hawkers and 'tokriwallas' urinating in the narrow gaps between building in the area. Since the roads are narrow and crowded, there is no option while one is walking there, but to suffer the sight, as they do it in full public view. If you visit the Gateway of India, you will find the public washrooms in the area just before the check-in point on the right. There are long lines and it will be at least 15 minutes, before your turn comes.
Chowpatty beach is an open toilet for the beggars and squatters. As is the state of many of Mumbai's beaches. If you are walking along a footpath, you should be careful that your foot does not fall through the gap dug onto one side of the sewer lid, or even the MTNL lid. These gaps are dug by the pavement dwellers to dispose of their human waste. Because even if there is a public toilet nearby, they will not pay to use it.
At the CST station, the toilet is over crowded and the doors do not latch. But a new shauchalaya in the island across GPO, is a very clean, free and well maintained toilet. There is an interesting fish tank at the entrance and it is spacious and hygienic. Such a loo should be replicated at every local station of Mumbai.
While travelling in Mumbai locals, one must suffer in silence, as there are no toilets on most stations. Once we did find a toilet at Charni Road station, but the ladies toilet was locked. It was about 11 in the morning, and yet the loo was locked? Bandra has a very dirty toilet, in a forsaken corner. Virar has a shabby pay and use loo near its entrance, but the window slats are broken and you have to be aware that the passing public can see you go about your task.
Most Indian males have no qualms about urinating in full public view, near any wall that takes their fancy, or where no one will shoo them away. So it is only in India, that walls have tiles of 'gods and goddesses' embedded into them, to discourage males from defacing them with urination. But the Indian male is so blunt, that I am aware of at least 4 such facebook dps, where they have displayed themselves urinating near a public road, disgusting mentality. Are they trying to show that it is a great picture and that it should be eternalised as their dp? Please note guys, such pictures only show that you have a crude mindset that has not evolved into a higher level of gentlemanly expectations.
The worst scenario is at the Saifee Hospital Chowk. One side of the road has this world class hospital, gold jewellery shops, expensive electronic showrooms, the famous diamond merchant's enclave, banks, a famous college and on the other side of the road is the Charni Road station, and at any time you can view a few male travellers, urinating against the station's built in pillars within, before they board a train for their long journey home.
Mumbai is divided into various municipal wards, so that these can be maintained well by the local bodies. They have done stupid things in the last few months, like installing garbage bins exactly at a bus stop, and exactly at the opening of a zebra crossing. Why does the local body not understand the need for public toilets, at least for the 'izzat' of females, but please do not build them exactly near a zebra crossing.
Upto now, I can say that the most impressive toilet was the one at the Paris airport. It was very clearly visible with larger than life male and female figures painted very aesthetically. The interior was very clean and the large mirrors were spotless. Each cubicle had the option of soft music and perfumes, and the loo lighted up when in use. My description belies the beauty that I beheld in that washroom. In Japan, you needed to find a mall or a restaurant with the facility, and of course all the tourist spots had clean loos. In most places in Japan, the loos had electronic options for warming the seat, music, automatic washing etc. It was like 'wow'.
Also they have painted on each cubicle door the option available, western or western with a baby holder, or a child option, or a Turkish toilet (similar to our Indian loo, but with a ceramic hood at the lower side. In Japan, the toilets are very child friendly, and lots of options are built in. Near one Japanese shrine was a very small washroom, about 2 feet square, with a small squatting style loo, and a flush tank behind it, and a wash basin above the flush tank, so that when the basin was used to wash hands, that water would fill the flush tank and be reused to clean the toilet. It was a very innovative idea and should be replicated everywhere.
I can comment on the state of Indian loos, especially at major train stations, bus depots and tourist spots, because of my bad experiences at each place. Kurla terminus, Bandra terminus, Mumbai central station, at the zoo, at Crawford market, at Mahim station, at Matunga station or even outside the station, there is no toilet or a very dysfunctional one, with broken windows, torn curtains instead of doors, no lights, sometimes locked. And these are places where I have gone specially to shop for hours and hours.
Recently, Mr. Rishi Kapoor, our famous Bollywood actor of yesteryears aired his disgruntlings about famous landmarks being named after the Gandhi Nehru family. It is very interesting to note that the Congress party, inaugurated a public toilet with the legend 'Rishi Kapoor Shauchalay'. He should be proud of this because at least the public in that area have a clean washroom now.
I sincerely request all our famous and fame-seeking fraternity to sponsor public washrooms at strategic spots, thus earning the gratitude of the public at large and to further our prime minister's dream of a clean India in one small way. Also for the comfort of tourists, who will then remember their names as a novel contribution to the public.
In Egypt, that was difficult, because travel demands self control as the roads are bordered with farms or stretches of sand. Stops are far between and toilets are not so well maintained in most places, especially at the pyramids and the Valley of the Kings. Entry is restricted with strict rules of scanning machines and electronic detectors. Even bottle openers and nail files are confiscated before entry into the pyramid sites. Very high tech, and the guards, both male and female are very tough, but the washrooms on the premises were disgusting and dirty and unclean and stinking.
In many places in India, and specifically in Mumbai, it is the same story of unhygienically maintained loos. Very often, there are no public loos and it is an embarrassment if you need to answer nature's call at a place like Crawfrod Market, or at most of the local stations or at any place around Mumbai, unless the 'shauchalaya' board can be seen, and even then, you may be out of luck, if it is shut.
While at Crawford market, there is one restaurant, that is popular, because it allows its customers to use a decent loo, otherwise there is no option, except to control your urge. Sometimes I wonder why so many shop keepers and workers suffer the absence of this basic need. I have witnessed many of the hawkers and 'tokriwallas' urinating in the narrow gaps between building in the area. Since the roads are narrow and crowded, there is no option while one is walking there, but to suffer the sight, as they do it in full public view. If you visit the Gateway of India, you will find the public washrooms in the area just before the check-in point on the right. There are long lines and it will be at least 15 minutes, before your turn comes.
Chowpatty beach is an open toilet for the beggars and squatters. As is the state of many of Mumbai's beaches. If you are walking along a footpath, you should be careful that your foot does not fall through the gap dug onto one side of the sewer lid, or even the MTNL lid. These gaps are dug by the pavement dwellers to dispose of their human waste. Because even if there is a public toilet nearby, they will not pay to use it.
At the CST station, the toilet is over crowded and the doors do not latch. But a new shauchalaya in the island across GPO, is a very clean, free and well maintained toilet. There is an interesting fish tank at the entrance and it is spacious and hygienic. Such a loo should be replicated at every local station of Mumbai.
While travelling in Mumbai locals, one must suffer in silence, as there are no toilets on most stations. Once we did find a toilet at Charni Road station, but the ladies toilet was locked. It was about 11 in the morning, and yet the loo was locked? Bandra has a very dirty toilet, in a forsaken corner. Virar has a shabby pay and use loo near its entrance, but the window slats are broken and you have to be aware that the passing public can see you go about your task.
Most Indian males have no qualms about urinating in full public view, near any wall that takes their fancy, or where no one will shoo them away. So it is only in India, that walls have tiles of 'gods and goddesses' embedded into them, to discourage males from defacing them with urination. But the Indian male is so blunt, that I am aware of at least 4 such facebook dps, where they have displayed themselves urinating near a public road, disgusting mentality. Are they trying to show that it is a great picture and that it should be eternalised as their dp? Please note guys, such pictures only show that you have a crude mindset that has not evolved into a higher level of gentlemanly expectations.
The worst scenario is at the Saifee Hospital Chowk. One side of the road has this world class hospital, gold jewellery shops, expensive electronic showrooms, the famous diamond merchant's enclave, banks, a famous college and on the other side of the road is the Charni Road station, and at any time you can view a few male travellers, urinating against the station's built in pillars within, before they board a train for their long journey home.
Mumbai is divided into various municipal wards, so that these can be maintained well by the local bodies. They have done stupid things in the last few months, like installing garbage bins exactly at a bus stop, and exactly at the opening of a zebra crossing. Why does the local body not understand the need for public toilets, at least for the 'izzat' of females, but please do not build them exactly near a zebra crossing.
Upto now, I can say that the most impressive toilet was the one at the Paris airport. It was very clearly visible with larger than life male and female figures painted very aesthetically. The interior was very clean and the large mirrors were spotless. Each cubicle had the option of soft music and perfumes, and the loo lighted up when in use. My description belies the beauty that I beheld in that washroom. In Japan, you needed to find a mall or a restaurant with the facility, and of course all the tourist spots had clean loos. In most places in Japan, the loos had electronic options for warming the seat, music, automatic washing etc. It was like 'wow'.
Also they have painted on each cubicle door the option available, western or western with a baby holder, or a child option, or a Turkish toilet (similar to our Indian loo, but with a ceramic hood at the lower side. In Japan, the toilets are very child friendly, and lots of options are built in. Near one Japanese shrine was a very small washroom, about 2 feet square, with a small squatting style loo, and a flush tank behind it, and a wash basin above the flush tank, so that when the basin was used to wash hands, that water would fill the flush tank and be reused to clean the toilet. It was a very innovative idea and should be replicated everywhere.
I can comment on the state of Indian loos, especially at major train stations, bus depots and tourist spots, because of my bad experiences at each place. Kurla terminus, Bandra terminus, Mumbai central station, at the zoo, at Crawford market, at Mahim station, at Matunga station or even outside the station, there is no toilet or a very dysfunctional one, with broken windows, torn curtains instead of doors, no lights, sometimes locked. And these are places where I have gone specially to shop for hours and hours.
Recently, Mr. Rishi Kapoor, our famous Bollywood actor of yesteryears aired his disgruntlings about famous landmarks being named after the Gandhi Nehru family. It is very interesting to note that the Congress party, inaugurated a public toilet with the legend 'Rishi Kapoor Shauchalay'. He should be proud of this because at least the public in that area have a clean washroom now.
I sincerely request all our famous and fame-seeking fraternity to sponsor public washrooms at strategic spots, thus earning the gratitude of the public at large and to further our prime minister's dream of a clean India in one small way. Also for the comfort of tourists, who will then remember their names as a novel contribution to the public.
No comments:
Post a Comment