We were probably on our third or fourth visit to Elephanta Island. After the scenic boat ride from the Gateway, where sea gulls and flamingoes gave us company, and where we tested our eyesight until the city's fading skyline was a blip in the horizon, the historic island's treasures — natural and manmade — beckoned. It had been a gap of a year since our previous visit. But the signs of neglect and vandalism had increased sufficiently for us to cringe within the first 100 metres of our walk. Plastic bags had got entangled along the few mangroves by the jetty. Litter in the form of tetrapaks and empty bottles were strewn along the toy train track. And graffiti greeted us everywhere, as if to remind us that couples had run out of space elsewhere to proclaim their love.

We shuddered to imagine what would be in store as we progressed to explore the island and its historic caves. In fact, after the 120-odd-step climb, we noticed a spike in the number of stalls and vendors along the way. The less said about the garbage and lack of bins to counter this, the better. The uncontrolled number of visitors to the UNESCO site and their irresponsible antics is something that we encountered all the way. How authorities continue to turn a blind eye to this burgeoning issue is something we've always been baffled about. And then there remains the insensitive restoration of structures within the site. It would require wide-ranging discussion in a separate column altogether.