‘Global Citizens’ Leave a Royal Mess at Coldplay Concert in Mumbai
People acquired tickets by pledging to be ‘Global Citizens’ and care for hygiene, sanitation and cleanliness.
It actually happened. Coldplay actually performed in Mumbai’s Bandra-Kurla Complex on Saturday night. And while amazed fans put up pictures from the concert (and quoted ‘Fix You’), there was another visual from the venue that has gone viral.
Many of the nearly 70 thousand people, who attended the concert, had acquired free tickets by pledging to be ‘Global Citizens’ – a cause that talks about ‘eradicating poverty’, ‘sustainable development’ and ‘sanitation’.
Now, while these ‘Global Citizens’ were congratulated by the Prime Minister, other politicians, and a rather long line-up of Bollywood stars, the pictures above leave room to seriously question this arm-chair philanthropy.
It’s all good to get free tickets and a great concert, but will the Global Citizens take the cause forward? Or only pat themselves on the back and move on?
In response to this story, Global Citizen India reached out to The Quint to say the organisers had carried out a cleanliness program after the event.
The spokesperson added that the “five lakh Global Citizens in India are primed to make sure that leaders uphold and deliver on commitments.” But what of their personal commitment?
The same people who pledged to help eradicate poverty and improve sanitation, left litter behind, expecting that someone else – perhaps far less privileged than them – would clean it up.
So while the organiser’s supposed efforts to make the event a ‘net zero waste’ one can be appreciated, given the nature of the event and the principle it espoused, the need should not have arisen.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)