When city falls asleep, a faceless group of scavengers The Ugly Indians clears the streets of muck and eyesores, and that too without making much hullabaloo
When city falls asleep, a faceless group of scavengers The Ugly Indians clears the streets of muck and eyesores, and that too without making much hullabaloo
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Claiming to be media shy, the group comprising of self-motivated working professionals clears the streets of muck and eyesores, and that too without making much clamor.
"We don't want unnecessary publicity, as it can be counter-productive," said a member of the group. He added, "We come from a gamut of different professions that mirror the quintessence of the city.
Pictures of a footpath on Church Street before and after it was cleaned by The Ugly Indians
Besides, we get support by those in government departments, as we prefer working in an informal public-private partnership."
When asked what gives them the drive to keep going without any recognition, we replied, "Activism can sometimes be misdirected.
Also, if results are not immediate, people tend to get frustrated. Far more can be achieved in three hours with a broom, pickaxe, paint and cement than going on a protest march."
Is the BBMP getting jitters with The Ugly Indians prodding on their territory? "They are as much part of the initiative as anyone else.
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Simply blaming the BBMP is a pointless. We are realists that accept that it's difficult to manage a city that comprises of over 90 lakh 'ugly Indians' who refuse to follow basic civic rules. Thus, we see how we can help the civic body do their job in a better way," he said.
Limited resources
The anonymous member added, "The hands of those working for the civic body are tied. Most of them are always under the threat of a transfer.
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Hence, the enthusiasm to be bold and innovative is very low. Besides, they are always in crisis, be it the shortage of manpower or money. This, it's hard to get results on 'your street' as a priority."
Like numerous Bangaloreans, even the chief engineer of the BBMP was unaware of such a group. "I don't know what this Ugly Indian is," said Somshekhar.
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