Swatch Bharat Abhiyaan

bmaquarius · Oct 1, 2015

2nd October tomorrow, hallmarks the new Prime Minister's initiative of Swatchta Abhiyaan.* Modi took the nation by storm,* when he picked up the broom, sweeping many off their feet* and shaking few others out of apathy.

A year later, not much has changed, because we are Indians, and resist change of any* kind. Old habits die hard, nasty ones even more. Well, we do what we do, merrily spitting, littering, dirtying everywhere.*

Last year same time we* pledged to outdo the world in cleanliness, plunging into spirited drive and organising clean ups.* Many who never picked the broomstick all their life,* were the initiators -sweeping across offices buildings, compounds,* wash rooms, streets, gardens, beaches, not stopping at anything. Like most good things, this too had to end.

Once again, things got back to normal- our roads littered again,* garbage bins and* gutters overflowing with filth,* public buildings offices,* staircases,* elevator, corridors, cupboard corners*-* no place spared of the gory pan and gutka spittle. We never think twice before spitting, do we, and continue to remain a nation of spitters and ****ters.

Added to our woes is our love of plastic- bags, bottles and disposables strewn around, filling garbage bins, choking gutters, streets.* Ever realised that how much waste our homes generate, when in fact our families shrunk. Our throw aways exceed our take aways.

Residential buildings are not any better either - our children may study in English medium schools, but when it comes to littering, we are perfectly desi.* Why don't we ever start them young?*Sadly, parents are a bad example themselves; when swanky cars roll down windows to spit or throw, how can the children get any better.

Playgrounds and gardens and public spaces are frankly disgusting.* People have no qualms throwing empty biscuit packets, snack cartons, fruit peels, water bottles around- these very folk are their best behaviour abroad, fearing fines and stringent punishment. So it's not we do not follow rules,* we do so only by the stick.

I remember an incident in the local train in Mumbai. A group of* young college girls nonchalantly threw their snack packets under the seat. A conscientious fellow passenger rebuked them, and all hell broke thereafter, ending in scuffle. So even if wrong, we will not stand being corrected.

Railways are one of the worst hit in cleanliness. We are one of the last nations of the world without sanitation facilties on our railways, soiling railway tracks and human scavengers cleaning after us.* And yet we talk of supersonic trains, smart cities and digitalisation.*What sort of nation are we, inflicting humiliation of the worst kind on our fellow beings.

I don't see much chance of change. You see, sermons, pleadings or cajoling won't work much for us. We are an indisciplined bunch and* unless punitive punishment is enforced, we will never change.
Sab chalta hai people,* that we are.

jayasala42 · Oct 2, 2015

Your snippet is reflective of what every one feels, but even hesitates to express for fear of being bullied.Strict punishments, as you say, may bring about a change. But the law makers are the law breakers.They have to get the taste of sticks in the first instance, soon to be followed by others.
An introspective snippet worthy of nomination.

jayasala 42

Akanksha1982 · Oct 3, 2015

Great observation and nice write up.

I think the problem is that by marketing campaigns with politicians and celebrities will not help to make the cities clean. It has to be cleaned first and kept clean, then people will stop rubbishing the place. When people go to 5 star hotels, they don't throw around wrappers. Why? Because it is clean in the first place and no one would like to be the first one to dirty it. Why the place is clean? Because there is are many thrash cans around and secondly enough staff to keep it clean. It is just like our house, if we woman keep our house clean, then our hubby and kids will also keep it clean (i know it is an illusion about hubby, but at least somewhat clean).

Disneyland, with so many people visiting daily is clean. Why? Again trash cans everywhere and many people ready to clean it off.

People don't throw stuff in planes - the air hostesses collect the garbage and there are garbage bins in the wash rooms.

Why can't we have garbage bins in trains?

Whenever i am in India, my purse ends up being a thrash bag as most of the times I can't find trash cans.

I have traveled to countries like Taiwan and Vietnam and the cities are much cleaner than India although they have a similar population density. The reason being the same, placing of trash cans and frequent cleaning. The high speed train in Taiwan has bins for trash and recycle. The attendant collects the garbage and a person routinely cleaning the floors while the train is in motion.

So if initiatives like hiring people for cleaning, keeping trash cans is taken at the society level, street level, state level and at center level, eventually, everything will be clean.

How can a person feel guilty if everything is dirty in the first place? They always feel, that it is much dirtier than my little wrapper so what difference does it make.

Reminds me of Birbal story. Akbar wanted to find if his people are honest and asks birbal to take a test. Birbal creates a big vase with small opening and a notification is sent to all villagers to drop a glass of milk in the pond at night. There were no guards or no one watching. In the morning, the vase contents is dropped in a pond. It was filled with water. Everyone thought my little water is not going to impact the milk. The same thinking happens.

satchitananda · Oct 3, 2015

Unfortunately @Akanksha1982, it does not always work like that. Here is an example. I was travelling on a LH flight starting from Vancouver via London to New Delhi. I boarded at London. After a few hours I needed to visit the loo. Believe me, it was so FILTHY, I decided against using it. The passengers, sad to say, were mostly Indians. How is it that an airlines which has a reputation for being so spic and span was so filthy? How often can we expect the staff to keep cleaning up the toilets? They are human too. The attitude of 'tere baap ka hai kya' if anyone tries correcting anyone else is simply abominable and nothing can done unless there is a stick.

I call a particular driver when I have to go long distance every now and then. He is very politically and socially 'conscious' and has plenty to say on each subject. The other day he was complaining about all the filth in our cities and saying the government does nothing about it. This is the same guy who at every other traffic signal opens the door and spits out tobacco. Have told him so many times not to do it. Will he listen? That day I told him about personal responsibility after which he shut up.

pumpkin01 · Oct 3, 2015

I totally agree with @satchitananda, it'll be a clean India only when people realize they have to keep their neighborhood clean. many times people think it's somebody else's responsibility to clean but no theirs.

We recently moved to B'lore I see everyday the bin collecting people are coming to take the bin but still we see so many plastic bags, cartoons lying outside in the road.... it's just because few people are too lazy to put their household bin in the bin bag instead they feel free and less guilty in throwing the bin next to their house.

Akanksha1982 · Oct 4, 2015

satchitananda said: ↑

Unfortunately @Akanksha1982, it does not always work like that. Here is an example. I was travelling on a LH flight starting from Vancouver via London to New Delhi. I boarded at London. After a few hours I needed to visit the loo. Believe me, it was so FILTHY, I decided against using it. The passengers, sad to say, were mostly Indians. How is it that an airlines which has a reputation for being so spic and span was so filthy? How often can we expect the staff to keep cleaning up the toilets? They are human too. The attitude of 'tere baap ka hai kya' if anyone tries correcting anyone else is simply abominable and nothing can done unless there is a stick.

I call a particular driver when I have to go long distance every now and then. He is very politically and socially 'conscious' and has plenty to say on each subject. The other day he was complaining about all the filth in our cities and saying the government does nothing about it. This is the same guy who at every other traffic signal opens the door and spits out tobacco. Have told him so many times not to do it. Will he listen? That day I told him about personal responsibility after which he shut up.
Click to expand...

Hey Satchi, yes it takes two hands to clap. People should also be responsible and Government should also do its own part. The government needs to increase the trash cans, have the garbage collected more than once a day. Slogans and photoups will create some awakening but it will be temporary. Individual societies need to keep their buildings cleaned and fine up residents who throw garbage from the windows.

Yes about Indians (sorry to say that) misbehaving and dirtying the airplane, i had a similar experience going to Mumbai from Tokyo. A few men were standing near the restroom, they were completely drunk and used harass the air hostess by demanding more alchohol. It was even difficult to walk by them and go to the rest room which was filthy.

surekhap · Oct 4, 2015

@bmaquarius great snippet.

one thing i want to mention swachatha is not a one day process or it would be achieved by organizing of any such programs . It should be our daily life practice. why should we first spread the litter and then why should we be organizing special programs for cleaning it.

when we talk about this type of topics it just would be like standing in a crowd and saying that it is c rowdy. we are the people who make the crowd and we are the people are the people to comment on that.

any pledge could not make such programs success unless awareness in the people develops. how many of us even after knowing that usage of plastic bags is a threat to the environment can resist using them. any punishments could not work on it.
we see many people parking the car or vehicles in the no parking area even after paying the fine for two or three times.

swachtha thought would be a success with self practice from each and every individual of our nation. that is the only way.