Purola

Just before Purola I have to walk close to a ugly dump, and it’s burning. Cows are looking in the rubbish and smoke for something to eat. Surreal.

Coming to Purola I see some benches, surprise. That’s somehow rare. The town started to collect the rubbish? So the town is somehow clean, also not so dusty. People maid feel the difference. But the dump problem is not really solved, but it’s a little start towards the right direction. It need a real waste incineration plant.

I tried to find someone, who can tell me about Uma, is she in the area or not. Only after I decided to take a hotel for 300 Rupies suddenly information flows. Gangaram, the assistant of Uma, knocks at my door, Uma is for another 10 days in Delhi. He shows me on his phone videos of her and her garden. Just beautiful. A real nice open heartful moment with him.

Next morning I somehow feel not to move on. My body or what… I don’t know, does not want.

The nature around is so beautiful. My room is towards the river. There is even a terrasse towards the river, but only rubbish bin there. No consciousness towards having a rest there, maybe 2 chairs and a little table?….

Looking down towards the river, people still burn there rubbish and use the river side as dump area. The river takes it all….

I went to the hotel owner to tell him. I need some bags, I want to clean up the area. This is now happening already 2 days. I report on Facebook: ‚Thomas Heinrich Schmöckel‘ about it.

Within hours at the first day I have 1 TV station coming for interview, a newspaper, lots of neighbors get so interested. Everyone likes what I am doing, but they are kind of in a mind shock.

One guy, later another one says to me: no-one ever has done this in our town.

A 10 year old boy says worried: but if you are going again in a week or so, they will again start throwing things in the river and burn rubbish.

Second day in the morning a hotel worker want to come and burn rubbish. ‚No, not anymore at the river side, the rubbish has to go to the rubbish collector car, which comes every day‘  (I would love to plant 2 or 3 trees, exactly at the spots where the burning places have been…. don’t know if I have enough money for that)

I have to speak to the chairman of this town. We have to find a solution, to bring the recyclable trash towards Dehradun to the recycle companies. Until now there is no transport system for it. I am also happy to help some people to find a clean-up group.

Let’s see what happens the next days.