It
took weeks of intensive planning and careful coordination over coffee and
whatsapp to bring to reality an amazing event such as this!
Indeed,
this edition of APJ Vision 2020, going by day-end output, was a great success by
all means!
The
events of the day included cleaning up the two bus stands, sprucing up the
compound walls by cleaning and white washing them, planting tree saplings (my favourite hobby), and clearing garbage in the vicinity.
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| committed to the core :-) |
We gathered sharp at 7 am at the Mogappair West Bus Terminus and were surprised to
find more than 200 volunteers from apartments and avenues in the vicinity, vibed up in elegantly-uniformed tees, geared up in gloves and smoke masks, and cleaning, scrubbing,
washing and painting implements in hand! It was indeed a great motivating sight to behold!
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| young and old |
Yes, even the
by-standers, on-lookers and passengers were one curious lot, trying to
come to terms with the this ‘hullaballoo of sorts’ within their bus terminus.
As
time passed by, the volunteers gathered in strength. Obviously, today being a Sunday,
many would have wanted an extra hour’s harmless dozing off, we presume! And, we
were all on our mark… get… set… and there we go!
Well,
well, well, it took just a matter of one hour flat (unbelievable to the core!) to
white wash the entire stretch of the compound wall that bulwarks the huge bus
terminus.
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| entrance to bus stand |
Paint
brushes and distemper buckets of all hues and shades were seen all around the place and girls and
boys, men and women of all cultures, languages and states exhibited a spirit of
camaraderie and a joie de vivre that propelled and motivated all of us to
further move on!
Even as we moved on cleaning up the vicinity, we realized that
there is great happiness in keeping our surrounding clean, and still greater
joy when we step outside from our ‘narrow divisive walls’ and come together
with ‘one goal-one aim’ in the interests of society, with the bonhomie, the camaraderie
and the spirit of unity that pervaded the hearts and minds of all of us
gathered over here!
Well,
on the lighter side, how can we forget the tea/coffee that came in at the right
time (with sugarless/sugarfree for the oldies too!!!) and the other food items
that gave us the gastronomical prop and the much needed respite from work!
The
neatly-cemented bus stand had loads of dust accumulated on its surface down the
days (ages?!) and it took nearly 50 of us to clean up the platforms much to the
joy of the passengers and satisfaction of the MTC staff!
The
conductors and drivers also chipped in at times with their ideas and
suggestions!
One
episode that added a little shock to the event was the mysterious disappearance
of a young and mischievous boy who was part of our group.
This little lad was
happily whiling away his sweet time trying his little hands at wielding the
brooms and the mopsticks and also taking turns to play within the buses that
were lounging in the bus stand. In one
such instance, he comfortably perched himself in the corner seat of a bus in
the terminus. (77 J)
Expecting an added amusement ride in the bus, he was
overjoyed to see the bus driver start the bus and drive down the road towards
Guindy. (Well, we assume that this little guy must have been all along under
the impression that kids were given joy rides in buses on Cleaning Days!!!)
The
bus was on its way - more than three kms - when the parents realized their ‘missing
son’.
Soon, the members of our group swung into action, and the staff at the
MTC terminus contacted the conductor of 77 J who, confirmed the presence of
this mischievous little imp of a lad, and promptly handed him over to the
nearest police station!
The
kid was quickly ‘retrieved’ (rescued) and brought back! He, unmindful of the
perturbed look on his parents’ faces, took a broom and started his quota of ‘cleaning’
the bus stand!
Mid
way through his ‘cleaning’ work, he asked, (albeit with innocence-writ-large on his little visage) to one of the
members, "Uncle! Why did the conductor take me out of the bus midway???"
He
had us all there!!!
We
couldn’t find a possible cure for our belly cramps that followed ;-)
Slideshow on the Great Transformation wrought!
