Do we need clean toilets or more shopping malls in Mumbai? I would say more shopping malls.
My story…
Once I gulped two glasses of water and rushed for my lecture at a design school in South Mumbai (Sophia Polytechnic) at Peddar Road. The 1.5-hour travel was now waiting to answer nature’s call. I had to urinate and found the school gate closed. I had reached the school early. I desperately started searching for a toilet nearby. But there was none. I asked the security guard in the adjacent building for any public toilet around. He answered in Hindi, “यहीं पे कर लो कहीं.” (that translates, urinate somewhere nearby in the open). So, did I pee in the open? No, I could not find a public toilet nearby and had to wait for half an hour until the school gates opened.
The male and female story…
Urinating in public spaces. Sounds strange, right? But unfortunately, it is true at times in Mumbai and India. Males peeing in the open is common. As nature’s call gets urgent, males try to find a hideout and urinate. However, the same is not valid for females. They hold on to nature’s call until they find a toilet. Else they make sure before they travel, they visit the restroom or not gulp too much water. To locate clean public restrooms in the city has always been a challenge for both the genders. However, it generally does not occur to males, about how females manage this problem. And as a cultural norm, this is a topic that should not be discussed publicly.
Why more shopping malls? What is the connection?
The picture [ Image 1] above is of a public toilet at a railway station. They are often a space of public nuisance and ill-maintained. Unfortunately, they announce their presence by the stinking smell of the urine. It is an unpleasant experience, and every Indian knows this. Therefore, I vouch for more shopping malls as they became the new alternative to a guaranteed cleaner toilet for a few people in the city.
Why did I say for a few people?
Because as Aditi Kulkarni — alumnus IDC School of design, IIT Bombay adds that the ability to use toilets in malls and cafes is limited to affluent women only. For most working-class women, especially in the informal sector, it is not even a choice. They may not be allowed inside (your appearance matters), or the women themselves may feel too intimidated to enter such establishments. Many professions in which women are on outdoor duty face problems, such as women bus conductors and policewomen.
My story…
Once I gulped two glasses of water and rushed for my lecture at a design school in South Mumbai (Sophia Polytechnic) at Peddar Road. The 1.5-hour travel was now waiting to answer nature’s call. I had to urinate and found the school gate closed. I had reached the school early. I desperately started searching for a toilet nearby. But there was none. I asked the security guard in the adjacent building for any public toilet around. He answered in Hindi, “यहीं पे कर लो कहीं.” (that translates, urinate somewhere nearby in the open). So, did I pee in the open? No, I could not find a public toilet nearby and had to wait for half an hour until the school gates opened.
The male and female story…
Urinating in public spaces. Sounds strange, right? But unfortunately, it is true at times in Mumbai and India. Males peeing in the open is common. As nature’s call gets urgent, males try to find a hideout and urinate. However, the same is not valid for females. They hold on to nature’s call until they find a toilet. Else they make sure before they travel, they visit the restroom or not gulp too much water. To locate clean public restrooms in the city has always been a challenge for both the genders. However, it generally does not occur to males, about how females manage this problem. And as a cultural norm, this is a topic that should not be discussed publicly.
Why more shopping malls? What is the connection?
The picture [ Image 1] above is of a public toilet at a railway station. They are often a space of public nuisance and ill-maintained. Unfortunately, they announce their presence by the stinking smell of the urine. It is an unpleasant experience, and every Indian knows this. Therefore, I vouch for more shopping malls as they became the new alternative to a guaranteed cleaner toilet for a few people in the city.
Why did I say for a few people?
Because as Aditi Kulkarni — alumnus IDC School of design, IIT Bombay adds that the ability to use toilets in malls and cafes is limited to affluent women only. For most working-class women, especially in the informal sector, it is not even a choice. They may not be allowed inside (your appearance matters), or the women themselves may feel too intimidated to enter such establishments. Many professions in which women are on outdoor duty face problems, such as women bus conductors and policewomen.