So in the midst of having all this fun . . . we did manage to do some work. Here is my first video on e-waste recycling in the informal sector:
META STORY–Wild Goose Chase turns into Caged Pigeon Chase: Drupad Parsai and I hunted far and wide for people who would show us the acid baths and open flame aspect of recycling. We visited Shastri Park, Turkman’s Gate, Mayapuri, etc. But it takes place inside at night, because people are afraid to be caught doing it now, as its legality is suspect.
But some contacts we made said of course we will take you to see this done. We were introduced to the brother-in-law of the city councillor of Old Delhi, who is all connected up in the informal sector, along with his associate Ichi, the mosquito hunter. They took us all through Old Delhi, but nobody would ante up with the acid. So they ditched that plan and decided to be hospitable. They took us to the top of the highest house in Old Delhi to see the pigeon coops.
Apparently during the British Raj, the Brits would keep pigeons for sport, training them to fly in formation over their estates. It became a sport that’s still practiced–mostly in southern India. But we got to see Ichi’s neighbor’s pigeons, fat and happy, with bracelets around their legs.
The pigeons didn’t look like they fly around all that much, but I would have liked to. The view was amazing. The Red Fort and Jama Masjid straight down–the rest of Delhi merging into the haze to the south.
