In November 2014, there was an ad, (or was it a news item?), which invited people to do the following. It is on their website if you wish to see it..
JOIN EQUAL STREETS EVERY SUNDAY!
There was an invitation to join them as they reclaimed their streets, to walk the line and join the journey:
They wanted to make a difference together. Then there were pictures in the Times of India almost every week, showing how well dressed people sat on the pavements while their children played on the streets, how some people displayed their craft to others, how some people taught children how to do things and have fun. The initiative was jointly with Times of India, and there was a lot of publicity. There were no cars permitted on the said roads at those times.
I wonder why these elite people took so long to see what the poor masses of India have been doing all along. Boys have been playing cricket on the roads irrespective of the traffic on Sundays and holidays. According to law, it is a crime to play on the road and obstruct traffic. When it becomes too much, sometimes police come and drive the boys away. Other children play other games on the streets. They do this because they have no playgrounds, no money to pay for club memberships, and anyway those clubs would not take in such poor children in rags. Then one wonders why these people who move in cars and create the traffic themselves on other days want to play on the streets and block traffic.
Is it slumming? For those who do not understand what is slumming, the meaning can be found by doing a Google search for "to slum". I found the following meaning.
To slum: to spend time at a lower social level than one's own through curiosity or for charitable purposes.
I cannot find any charitable purpose in this movement, but there could be some purpose that does not meet the eye.
JOIN EQUAL STREETS EVERY SUNDAY!
There was an invitation to join them as they reclaimed their streets, to walk the line and join the journey:
They wanted to make a difference together. Then there were pictures in the Times of India almost every week, showing how well dressed people sat on the pavements while their children played on the streets, how some people displayed their craft to others, how some people taught children how to do things and have fun. The initiative was jointly with Times of India, and there was a lot of publicity. There were no cars permitted on the said roads at those times.
I wonder why these elite people took so long to see what the poor masses of India have been doing all along. Boys have been playing cricket on the roads irrespective of the traffic on Sundays and holidays. According to law, it is a crime to play on the road and obstruct traffic. When it becomes too much, sometimes police come and drive the boys away. Other children play other games on the streets. They do this because they have no playgrounds, no money to pay for club memberships, and anyway those clubs would not take in such poor children in rags. Then one wonders why these people who move in cars and create the traffic themselves on other days want to play on the streets and block traffic.
Is it slumming? For those who do not understand what is slumming, the meaning can be found by doing a Google search for "to slum". I found the following meaning.
To slum: to spend time at a lower social level than one's own through curiosity or for charitable purposes.
I cannot find any charitable purpose in this movement, but there could be some purpose that does not meet the eye.
