Today I Have Cleaned Other People’s Shit

Trust me — it’s easy if you try

In the afternoon, I wanted to have some fresh air and see some birds. So, I went to the lakes near my house.

Though Dhaka is a densely populated city with terrible traffic and noise, I live in a beautiful area with lots of green and serenity all around. We are here, in this Airforce cantonment, for almost six years. My father is a government employee still working for Bangladesh Air Force. And in my culture, we all live with our parents together even when we grow up.

Anyway, there are a few lakes in proximity to my house. And I love a particular place where two adjacent lakes separated themselves only by a tiny road. The road has many trees on both sides, and they are the birds’ territory.

Anytime you go there, you will hear birds singing, dancing, fishing, and flying around.

I took a book, a pen and then headed to the place. After a one or two-minute walk, I was there. The place was less-crowded and free from any noise except bird-chirping. I sat on a bench with ease and freed my eyes on the water in front.

Look, that’s a heron — white and big — sitting quietly on the bank to hunt a fish. Amazing! I love white heron when it contemplates on a fish. They wait quietly on the bank — without any movement — and then, within a flash, bang!

As the surroundings were lovely to enjoy, I decided not to read the book I had with me. So, I concentrate on what I was seeing. I started to count the herons.

One, two, three, four,…, eleven, and more.

Suddenly, a flock of migratory birds flew over me and landed on the other lake, opposite the one I was experiencing. I was overjoyed to see the migratory birds in my area. They are mostly ducks — Greylag Goose, Ruddy Shelduck, Pied Avocet, and more. They travel a long way every year — from a faraway land, Siberia, to Bangladesh — in search of a warmer land.

They come in abundance, stay a few months, and then take leave. We are always happy to host them. And see, they are now close to my house. I felt the urge to observe them more closely. So, I took my belongings, crossed the road, and found another bench to observe their activities in that lake.

But when I sat on the bench, I felt heartbroken to see the surroundings.

Chips packets, cold-drinks can, polythene, masks, chocolate’s package, plastic water bottles — everything was there on the grass. If you sit on the bench and put your eyes on the grass, you will feel devasted to see the advertisement of human stupidity and selfishness. I felt terrible and, at the same time, made up my mind.

Though I had nothing with me, not even a pair of hand gloves, I decided to clean other people’s shit.

I found a plastic-bin(people are supposed to put their waste there) lying empty a few yards distance. I took it, tied it in a place so that wind might not take it away, and then started my rubbish collecting job.

The road was not empty, and a few people were walking and watching me silently. I don’t know what they think of me. Of course, I felt uneasy a bit. But if I kept the place as it was — it bothered my mental peace.

So, I collected the plastics, bottles, chips-packets, polythenes, tissues, masks, etc., and placed them in the bin. I touched the garbage with my bare hands.

When I completed my business, I felt happy and content. It is the best thing I did today. Believe me — when you do something for the environment, you do it for yourself and the future generation.

The people who saw me collecting other people’s shits with bare hands, a few of them will certainly think twice before throwing plastics into the environment. At least, I hope it happens.

I didn’t stay there for long to watch my lovely darlings flying in the sky. I left the place quickly as I needed to wash my hands — but I felt really good in the end.

For those who are reading this article, I request you to be mindful and not to throw plastics or any kind of waste directly into the environment.

Keep your surroundings clean and plastics-free. Trust me — it’s easy if you try.

Thank you for reading.

Read the following articles about the environment and wildlife and take action to save the planet.

Mike Alexander * Are We Greenwashing Ourselves? * I Saved Three Turtles and a Dolphin Yesterday * Spare a Thought for the Ordinary

S M Mamunur Rahman * Add ‘Environment’ to Your New Year’s Resolution * An Average Person Eats 70,000 Microplastics Each Year * Don’t Advertise Your Stupidity