The Subcontinental Menu

Why are Everest climbers in Nepal moving to China? Why are unemployed young people now selling Pakodas? Read all the juicy gossip here...

Latest Issue

Adivasi Literature
Why Tribal Literature Cannot Be Divided Into ‘Folk Literature’ And ‘Nobel Literature’

Adivasis don’t fall into the lingual traps of modernity. In their philosophical tradition, they are more realistic and scientific than any society

Vandana Tete
Adivasis in Sport
The Tribal Sporting Spirit And Dominance Of Tribals In Indian Sports

Tribal sportspersons have amazing talent. They are devoted and have high endurance. They are comfortable playing even on the hottest days without losing their spirit

Dr Shahnawaz Quraishi
Gandhian Philosophy
Most Of The Tenets Of Gandhi's Philosophy Come From Adivasis

The Gandhian philosophy holds that morality is a holy divine system, which a person experiences naturally and internally on his own. This moral awakening arises from sensing divinity.

Ashwini Kumar Pankaj
Civil Society
Are Adivasis Being Taken For Granted?: The Politics Of Activism Among Adivasis

Contrary to what upper caste activists tend to project, Adivasis can negotiate with the Indian state on their own terms

Uday Chandra
Tug-of-war
Will Adivasis Be Able To Stave Off Attempts To Saffronise Them?

The assertion of an Adivasi identity has stonewalled the Sangh Parivar’s project in Jharkhand to incorporate Adivasis into the larger Hindu fold

Kunal Shahdeo

Outlook Web Desk

More from Outlook Web Desk

View All

Updated: 11 Feb 2018 5:23 pm

Garbage Singh Fine

Gabbar Singh rode in on horseback, flanked by a troop of henchmen, terrifying the denizens of Tikarpara, a posh area in Raipur, Chhattisgarh. He turned to his accomplice Samba, asking “Kachra fekne par kitne jurmana rakha hai re,” (what penalty has been announced for throwing garbage) to which the response came: “Rs 5,000, sarkar”. Local ward member Ejaz Tewar essayed the role of the iconic Sholay character, transformed into a garbage looter in this street play for a cleanliness drive initiated by the Raipur Municipal Corporation as part of Swachh Bharat. The press quoted a corporation officer as saying, “We had rehearsed the drama well before starting the street play... People, in fact, were surprised to see ‘Gabbar Singh’ among them saying he landed in their area to loot garbage to generate awareness among them on cleanliness.”