We started our morning by waking up for a 7:45 a.m. breakfast, the breakfast was not something we never tried. It was idli, savory rice cake accompanied with sambal and chutney as well as boiled egg. We were so excited for what was to come after breakfast.
Today’s plan is to meet with The Ugly Indian organization. Yes, that is right they called themselves Ugly Indian! Ugly Indian is a non-governmental organization that transforms dirty areas, and helps the people around the area to maintain it. They basically clean, paint, and make the area beautiful.
The project manager Aneruth is one tough project manager. He told us the name The Ugly Indian comes from being conscious and admitting that India is ugly because people do not care about the area and environment. The Ugly Indian philosophy is “Kaam chalu mooh bandh” it means "Stop Talking; Start Working." He also said that transforming the area without maintaining it means the same thing—it will get dirty again.
We cleaned up the area near Bangalore Cantonement Railway. The railway is important to the public because there are a lot of people from outside the city that come to the city. This is the first area that they see. It will give people the perspective of Bangalore. The pictures below show the big difference between before and after.
There are a few reason why The Ugly Indian picked the background color terra cotta color. First of all, the color does not correspond with any political party. Second of all, it is like the spit after people chew on paan (betel leaf). Indian tends to chew on paan because it helps with digestion. Finally, it is a beautiful color that should encourage people to not throw stuff on the area. The lotus flower is a symbol for perfection and it is a local Indian flower. At the end, we were rewarded with fresh coconut water!
-Juan M.
