Delhi’s slums can surprise one for the amenities a lot of them contain. Almost all slums are electrified ~ it’s another matter that the power is usually “stolen” from the main supply. This power is used not just to light up the dwellings but to run a number of gadgets like refrigerator, fans and coolers that almost all of them possess. Despite being familiar with all this a colleague was, however, left speechless at what she saw outside a mud house on the Yamuna Bank.

Taking the Metro towards Noida, as our colleague watched the familiar Yamuna river and the fields alongside, her attention was caught by a small clearing around a mud house, which was probably inhabited by a farmer family. She first noticed a dish antenna atop the thatched roof. Then, she saw two solar panels on the ground, positioned to catch the sun. From a small battery set next to it emanated wires that entered the house. “Innovative” was what she first thought before realising that there were no overhead wires or another electricity source nearby from which power could be tapped.

This was not only a wise choice of the power supply but also a lesson for the more “privileged” population of the city, who spend a fortune to buy power.

Wet ride

One has come to expect a certain standard in Delhi Metro. So much so that one often comes across passengers ticking off their co-travellers if they happen to litter. Moreover, whenever someone drops a cold drink bottle or food, the housekeeping staff in one of the subsequent stations is generally alerted and they clean up the mess. However, this is not always the case, as a colleague noticed. On her way to Noida on the Blue line, she boarded a train at Rajiv Chowk and was taken aback by a puddle of water in the middle of the compartment. Then she noticed it was from a leaking overhead AC duct. The puddle caused a lot of inconvenience to passengers as they strived to keep clear of it.

The dripping water was also splashing on the seats. However, what bothered our colleague was that nobody attempted to do something about it. People were gingerly moving around, even sitting on the wet seats, but none bothered to lodge a complaint. Children, being children, were seen playing in the water but their parents hardly objected. Our colleague wondered whether the driver was aware of the downpour in the compartment. It could be dangerous, she surmised, as the water may perhaps cause power to leak. There could even be a mishap as a passenger may slip in the puddle. The DMRC authorities should take care to prevent such incidents, she thought while equally blaming the mute passengers sitting around.

Tailpiece

At last, the world of sports-lovers in India has divided ~ World Cup or India-Afghanistan cricket matches. A difficult choice!

Contributed by: Rakesh Kumar, R V Smith, Harshita Saini and Asha Ramachandran