Dr.Jasmine embarks as our Citizen on Patrol to persuade people not to spit. The reactions from anger to denial to embarassment have been captured by Speak Up.
Before the BMC hires private clean-up marshals, our Citizen on Patrol goes around Mumbai to convince people not to spit. Speak Up captures the reactions of offenders caught red-handed
Citizen on Patrol profile
Name: Dr. Jasmine
Profession: Dentist
Mission: To stop people from spitting in public
TARDEO, 3.45pm
Response: “I’ll never do it again”
I noticed a person sitting at the bus stop and spitting nonchalantly on the street. I requested him not to spit. I asked him if everyone in his family spits inconsiderately on the streets. He was embarrassed and said, “I promise never to do it again.”
I asked him not to spit and to discourage others from doing the same.
AC MARKET, 4.10pm
Response: Ignored!
A man standing on the pavement was brushing his teeth before his evening snack at a tea stall. I asked him why he spat on the already dirty road. He ignored me and continued with his act.
On seeing what was happening, the stall vendor intervened. He started telling the other man off, “You cannot eat here if you are spitting near my tea stall.”
HAJI ALI, 4.20pm
Response: “Who, me?”
Yet another paan-chewing champion, this time a man rushing for a job interview. Like most others of his ilk, this youngster was spitting the thick, red juice every two minutes.
When I confronted him, he blatantly denied that he was spitting. He was embarrassed and after much deliberation, he apologised for his act and walked away.
WORLI NAKA, 5.10pm
Response: “I don’t care”
Just a few kilometres away a taxi driver spat right out of his cab. I forced him to pull over and asked him why he did it. The man had no defence.
He said he felt like doing it, and so he did. “It doesn't make any difference to me. I will do it over and over again and nobody can stop me,” he replied arrogantly. I was shocked and walked away.
My verdict
Ban must be enforced strictly
I spent a day going around the streets of Mumbai asking people not to spit. At the end of the day I realised that the city needs something more than just a handful of spirited individuals dissuading people from spitting.
I will consider my efforts to be fruitful if even one of the many people I met today stops spitting on the road. However, seeing the attitude and the overall response, it doesn't seem as if they will mend their ways. Where request and reasoning doesn't work, the law must step in. The ban on spitting in public should be enforced strictly. Only then will there be some change.
The penalty should be heavier than what it is at present. Also, we need to look at more innovative ways of punishing the culprits so that the message is advertised in public.
Being a citizen journalist was terrific. I felt I had all the power in the world. After today's initiative, I will continue walking up to people asking them to stop spitting.
—Dr. Jasmine
It’s time we legalise spitting
Spitting can be ranked as the third favourite national pastime in India; after scratching private parts and digging one’s nose, of course.
I feel spitting should be legalised in India. After all, it’s just another way of relieving yourself from the misery of carrying saliva in your mouth, right? Imagine how fatal it can be if we keep the paan -masala and other harmful substances inside our mouths for so long. After all, health is important, isn’t it? So what, if in the process, others have to bear the stench and a possibility to contract a disease the saliva may be carrying with it?
Better still, we can come up with various ingenious methods to ‘utilise’ this wonderful product of mankind. Imagine all the money we can save if we ask these good samaritans to scale scaffoldings of a building and ask them to spit their hearts out. We would not have to hire local painters to do the job. We can use the money saved to manufacture some more paan-masala. Besides, think of all the exercise our jaws would get.
What a colourful world we would live in if we could spit in all possible colours, instead of the possible red. We could applaud anyone who comes up with a unique ‘blob’ of art and award him for his efforts. — Sharan Bhalla
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