IF YOU THOUGHT that Bajan men were the only ones in the world who pull out their dingalings out of their zips and pee wherever the urge hits them, at the side of the road, on a tree, on a paling, in the sea, in a gutter, on the back wheel of a bus, in a sweet potato field in the country or an alley in the heart of the City, think again.
YouTube is currently soaked by thousands of hits for a video, which, as reports indicate, relatesto the fact that urinating in public is also a bighabit and a great a problem in Asian countries, especially India.
They note that it’s not uncommon to see men urinating on walls, in alleys and on corners. Sounds just like Barbados and so we could probably call ourselves, or they themselves, Barbindians.
The condition, as is in Barbados, particularly Bridgetown, has to do with a lack of public toilets, together with poor understanding of hygiene andpublic decency.
Apparently, many attempts have been made to solve the problem by activists and different organisations, including public campaigns in Delhi, cleaning and painting of walls, and shaming offenders in Rajasthan by drumming and blowing whistles. But those efforts have had little visible impact.
So how can India stop people from urinating in public? Probably through the latest attempt being made in the city of Mumbai where “The Clean Indian”, an anonymous anti-public urinationactivist group, has rolled out a possible solution to the problem.
If you go on YouTube, there is the video of “The Clean Indian” in action with what they call their“pissing tanker”. The members wear masks and patrol the city on a giant yellow water tanker spraying any and everybody they see urinating in public.
Their action has been greeted with mixed reactions from Indian citizens with many supporting the effort. It has also been highlighted in an article published in the BBC News online magazine and, according to the reports, there have been interesting debates about whether it is a cultural issue rather than hygienic, whether it is a problem and whether people should bother.
So do we in Barbados need a “Clean Bajan” group driving around in a refurbished old Barbados Fire Service tanker dousing any men caught with theirdoggies out and in hand, letting it flow wherever they feel like?
The only problem I perceive is that on Kadooment Day, when revellers along theroute have little or no alternative but to pee in public, a large number of the people being doused will be female.
Al Gilkes heads a public relations firm.Email algilkes@gmail.com
