High art is rubbish

These days we dread to walk out of our office building. No, we are not afraid of becoming terror targets; rather two innocuous blue dustbins are the source of our unease. As a precautionary measure after the blasts, the keepers of our civic aesthetics — the municipal corporations — have decided to keep dustbins upside down. This ultra low-tech security measure was prompted by the fact that the terrorists had planted the bombs in dustbins.

Pre-empting attacks and taking measures are a part of any effective security drill. Therefore, the babus have decided to go one step further: they want to replace all steel and plastic dustbins with transparent ones made of plastic and unbreakable glass. We do welcome such creative handling of crises, but the sight of a bin filled with multi-coloured refuse right at our doorstep makes us a little uncomfortable.

If we can’t make the municipal corporations reverse their decision, we will also have to think of something smart. One suggestion: may-be we should start seeing these see-though bins as art installations. If a shark in formaldehyde can make the cut, we are sure transparent bins with half-eaten burgers mixed with a plate of chhole bhature can also pass muster. It’s all about viewing it within the context, you see. Now, we only have to think about a catchy title for this sort of futuristic artwork.