Mumbai Masala: The Honest Cabbie Who Restored Faith In Kindness

Recently, Mohitta, a corporate communications executive, lost her mobile phone in a cab. The phone contained hundreds of important contacts, leaving her devastated. A friend dialled her number, and cab driver Jairam Parab answered, assuring her the phone was safe. He waited patiently at the same spot until Mohitta arrived to collect it. Though she offered him a reward, Parab – who also works at a tyre company during the day – politely declined. It is people like Parab who truly define the spirit of Mumbai.

The growing crisis water waste and dependence

Mumbai’s Achilles heel remains its total dependence on rainfall for water supply. Rainwater stored in lakes sustains the city through the year, but for decades little effort was made to develop alternative water sources. Only now has work begun on a desalination plant. Equally alarming is the huge quantity of water lost through leakages while being transported from lakes to households. Citizens, too, waste thousands of litres daily washing cars and through careless consumption. The question remains: when will civic sense prevail?

A life dedicated to cleanliness, civic action and humanity

One of Mumbai’s most active social workers, S Ganeshan, passed away peacefully recently. A highly respected director of a large corporate, Ganeshan never hesitated to pick up a broom and sweep the streets himself. He believed that keeping Mumbai clean was not just the responsibility of the BMC, but of every citizen. His main area of work was Pestom Sagar in Chembur. He would wake up at 4 am and clean the streets, astonishing early morning walkers. He also coordinated with BMC sweepers and motivated them to improve productivity. Ganeshan founded the Pestom Sagar Citizens’ Forum, which championed several public causes, including the development of a large garden that became a major community asset. He also launched the Chembur Chakachak project and persuaded the PWD department to build a pedestrian subway near his colony to help residents cross the Eastern Express Highway safely. At a recent condolence meeting, citizens paid rich tributes to him. One speaker recalled how Ganeshan could not afford college education. A Christian priest offered to help him on the condition that he convert, but Ganeshan declined, saying his parents would not approve. The priest helped him nevertheless. In gratitude, Ganeshan always kept a picture of Jesus alongside Hindu gods in his pooja room.

TAILPIECE

Why can’t you trust an atom? Because they make up almost everything. (Compiled by S Balakrishnan)

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Published on: Monday, May 11, 2026, 09:03 AM IST