New Delhi

Inside delhi

As the city folks rushed back home, to hotels, to parties and to wherever they chose to ring in the New Year, a family of three sat huddled under the open sky. A stone’s throw from the posh, glittering Khan Market where festivities were hard to miss, they sat around a weak fire to keep themselves warm. Watching the milling crowd disappear, the family soon had company in a hefty dog, well equipped for the winter. The dog’s sporty red chequered coat caught the little one’s fancy. And as the dog lay curled up next to the fire, the intrigued little one cautiously at first and then with abandon ran his fingers all over the stylish coat.

Just when the onlooker was about to turn away and leave the family to its own little New Year’s Eve, the child’s mother quickly undid the dog’s coat and the three hurried away. Left behind were a surprised onlooker, an unperturbed dog and the dying fire.

Smriti Kak Ramachandran

Safety first

Several Delhiites ended 2008 on a rather triumphant note, opting to usher in the New Year with a large dose of precaution instead. Many party hoppers who love their drink but wanted to stay in the good books of the traffic cops hired cabs to enjoy the night.

“We wanted to have a relaxed fun night without any brush with the law and thought that the best way out was to hire a taxi for the night. But when we called the taxi stand, we realised we were not the only ones who had decided to play it safe. There were no vehicles available, and the few that were available were being hired at double the normal rates because of the shortage. Also since the weatherman had predicted a foggy night, I decided that this was the best way to go,” said a friend who ushered in the New Year in a safe manner. “I even managed to cut cost by asking some friends to pool in with me. Going by the shortage of cabs on December 31 night, there were a great many in the city who decided to be safe rather than sorry,” said the friend.

Bindu Shajan Perappadan

A dream moment

It was a proud moment for liberated untouchable families from the remotest parts of the country as they shared their food with Professor Rajmohan Gandhi, the grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, at Sulabh Gram in Delhi’s Mahavir Enclave on Monday. Prof. Gandhi enthusiastically took part in common dining with the families of erstwhile untouchable scavengers and the families of those in whose houses they used to clean bucket toilets earlier.

“My grandfather Bapu as he was fondly called by countrymen and even now by all those who love him wanted to unite people irrespective of their cast, creed and religion. I think we need to organise such meal sharing events in future also so that his vision of uniting society can be achieved,” said Prof. Gandhi.

Organised by Sulabh International Social Service Organisation, the event saw a large number of liberated scavenger families of Alwar in Rajasthan breaking bread with their earlier masters of higher caste. “This act will help remove to a considerable degree social untouchability and discrimination from the cast-ridden Indian society. A shameful practice attached to centuries of social prejudice, untouchability will hopefully become a thing of the past. Since 1968 I have been trying to realise Mahatma Gandhi’s dream to restore human rights and dignity to persons engaged in manual cleaning of human excreta,” says Bindeshwar Pathak, founder of Sulabh movement.

Madhur Tankha

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