Sustainability, the word, phrase, label of the century: Overused, over-talked, lifesaver of all, spoken on many podia over coffee, breakfast, lunch and slept over cocktails.
The nearby pan shop/petty shop lets you light your cigarette free even if you have not bought it from there. The value of one free strike is the gratification of the first puff. It is the bonding, a symbiotic understanding between the two and the eventual friendship.
You are stranded in the rain late in the evening and the auto rickshaw driver drops you home which is some 15 km away. He asks for extra money over the meter or a flat amount, you argue, negotiate, etc , finally give in and you are home, what a relief you feel when you step in and then forget everything. The auto rickshaw driver has reached you ‘home’ with maybe a little extra. The value he offers is immeasurable. He has no insurance of any sort, no medical claim, no reduction in children school fee, etc and he has to follow the Govt. stipulated structure, a quazy worker in khaki.
This service needs to be really understood and thought through for the benefit of all users and providers and not left quasy. Because it has proven to be a very workable mode of travel in our congested cities. Relook by design. management and administration will make this service sustainable in real sense.
In real sense sustainable thinking is about value.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
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