Mumbai is nicer

I came back to Mumbai to visit family and friends after nearly 2 years and was very very pleasantly surprised to see some things that had changed for the better (IMO anyway). Here’s a short list:

• The city is much cleaner. Not compared to the USA but compared to what it was before. Too often I couldn’t even walk on a road without covering my nose or side-stepping garbage. So this is very cool.
• Women cab drivers in the airport at midnight. How cool is this? :). Hopefully cuts down rapes to zero.
• Waterless toilets at the airport, trying to conserve water in a state perpetually in drought.
• Dry and wet waste segregation, trying to promote more recycling. Waiting eagerly for composting to kick in next 🙂
• Plastic bag ban everywhere forcing people to bring their own bags each time they step on to the street. Sure there’s illegal bag handing out even now (I accidentally accepted one once) but it’s progress.

So there we go. I don’t know who is responsible and which party will claim credit for this (its toxic, mud-slinging election season here) and I don’t care one bit. It’s progress. It’s good. People need to realize this and try and help the elected reps who did try to positively change things. For starters stop throwing things out of local trains on to tracks and into water (Mankhurd bridge, Mahim creek) in the name of religion. Please.