Robotics engineer now Delhi's swachh poster boy

For 8 months, Tarun Bhalla were wading thru a 'sewage lake' to achieve his office. Stinking sewage water was leaking onto West Delhi's Satguru Ram Singh road, the place his robotics company is housed. His workers visited native elected officials, but nothing modified. Bhalla, 39, who had taken to wearing gumboots to paintings - each out of helplessness and as a "visual protest"- made up our minds to take issues into his own problem-solving arms.

"We call ourselves an emerging superpower, a trillion-dollar economic system, but we let our people live in this inhuman way. The flowing water we might see each and every single day was literal shit. One day, I saw an AAP poster speaking about how CM Kejriwal has talented our neighbourhood a brand new toilet, and I just snapped.

Tarun Bhalla

If they are going to put up posters, so will I," says the robotics engineer and entrepreneur. So, Bhalla were given large three posters made - one each and every for AAP, BJP and Congress - which read "Tum mujhe vote do, main tumhe dengue, malaria aur keechad doonga (You give us votes, we will give you dengue, malaria and sewage)."

Chaiwala’s plight triggered ‘shame’ match that forced authorities to behave

Next, he put in combination an match inaugurating the open-air sewage lake, and sent invitation cards to their native representatives - MP Meenakshi Lekhi and MLA Shiv Charan Goel (either one of whose faces additionally embellished the posters). The match was attended through a couple of hundred native trade house owners, and several other curious passersby. "I made sure my 11-year-old daughter also came for the inauguration, so she sees you have to fight for things in life," he says. A ribbon-cutting ceremony took place, laddoos were passed round, and there were chants about "our progress as a country". A couple of hours later, it in spite of everything took place - motion was taken.

"The event was at 11am on Saturday, March 3, and in about half an hour, a PWD truck showed up. We thought they had stopped for a cup of tea. Another truck came, people started working and it started getting cleaned," says Bhalla. By Monday, the water was long gone, the sewer were given fixed, and the three taunting posters were taken away through MCD staff. "Clearly they always had the means to fix it, but didn't bother until they were shamed. I'm sure it being election season also helped."

Why this distinctive way of protest? "I'm not interested in being violent, I don't want to grease the palms of some MCD officer to make this happen. As a common man, my strength is in numbers, and having a sense of humour," he adds.

The overflowing sewage were hampering native businesses for months. A car showroom on the road needed to close down. "They got into a few tussles with customers and clients because when the cars would come out of servicing, they would drive into the street and need servicing yet again," says Bhalla, who discovered the 'lake' to be a turn-off for prospective workers - they'd go back without giving the interview.

It was in truth the travails of the native chaiwala that in spite of everything brought on Bhalla into motion. Shatrughan Rai says his earnings came down from Rs 2,000 per day to Rs 500 a day. "It was a horrible eight months for me. My stall was fully surrounded by sewage. I tried to clean up around me as much as I could, but no one wanted to come and buy here. I didn't want to sit in the filth all day either, but what choice did I have?" he says. He adds that he's very relieved to be able to get back to trade as same old.