Often times when i come across certain issues, i tend to push it away & move on. However, this time it’s different. I have decided to write it down here. This story is about a very complicated relationship Mumbai & India as a whole shares with cleanliness.
Mumbai is a city i was born & brought up in. Yes, i have moved houses but i have lived in this city my whole life. Mumbai is home to 90% of my friends & family. My great grandfather to my father, we have all seen this city grow. This city is always alive & busy. I can confidently walk on the streets at 1.00 AM in the night and catch a taxi without feeling threatened. However, one thing that has always bothered me is the dirt.
The other day, a man driving the Auto rickshaw decided to spit on the road. I was taken aback & politely told him not to. Twenty minutes into the journey, he decided to spit again. Like any other human being who wants to keep the city clean. i was disappointed by his actions. I wondered whether i should repeat myself or i would look too patriotic/ persistent fool.
A school bus carrying a bunch of 8 year olds stopped at a crowded signal. I could see a green packet dangling outside the window of the bus. I was of the opinion that a child was playing with it and in seconds it was on the floor. A clean road ruined by an eight year old. Could we blame a child for this? Not really. As grown-ups, we’re responsible for what we teach the young ones. To put it other way, we influence their actions.
My mother & i teach a small group of kids on how to make eco-friendly crafts. She also uses creative ways to teach kids on how it’s wrong to throw garbage on the streets and also how important it’s to plant more trees. To my surprise, the other day a 3yr old came up to me and handed over a chocolate wrapper instead of throwing it on the floor which is an easier route. This is a really small way on how i contribute to this city. Ofcourse, have seen people do bigger tasks. I wanted to put this out there because currently i am sitting at a cafe and as i write this story, i see a man walk by me who conveniently decided to spit on the road. Well.. it’s either time to ignore it or do something about it.
ABOUT THE SHOOT
I shot the images below at Kala Ghoda as i always wanted to shoot against this piece of art. I was keen to try just wide angle shots as the protagonist of this post is the background. Whenever i shoot, i make sure to do quite a bit of research on the location & decide on the angles. If you see my notebook, i scribble and sketch the type of photos i require. It includes the concept and composition of the photos as well. With this in mind, I am every photographer’s “Dream” & “Nightmare”. Dream – because i come up with interesting concepts. Nightmare- because i am a perfectionist and if something goes wrong, i do it all over again.
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In other news, i am on the lookout for Fashion & Social Media interns. You can drop in an email to work@giasaysthat.com with a short write-up about yourself.
Dress: Forever21 (Got this during SALE) | Bag: Zara (If you follow me on Snapchat, you know the story behind it) | Heels: New look | Watch: Marc Jacobs | Glasses: Zara
Photography: The Orange Booth | Concept & Styling: Gia Kashyap
