Being judgemental and opinionated by nature, many human beings would say or do things that may have little relevance in the bigger context of the world operations.
As citizens of India, we would (and still do at times) wonder why India could not be as clean as Singapore and why it did not develop at the rate Singapore did. The action plan implemented by Singapore after it got independent status from the Britishers was quite different to that of India. Although they faced similar problems of poverty and management issues, they adopted a strict and a no-nonsense policy that turned them around in less than four decades and made them what they are today. We can not refute the difference in the count of people for each country- the vast population of India and the cultural diversity that we interact with pretty much assimilate the world into it.
As kids, we were sworn in by our school authorities not to throw garbage on the road and I remember following it from early days of my life itself. Needless to say, I had to go through comments like, "Are you mad, no one cares.", "there is so much of garbage here, what difference will it make if you don't throw?", "I can't let my car be dirty so it is better to litter on the road" etc. I stuck to my view of no littering. AT that time, I just knew of a neighbour who followed the same policy. Today, I see people being receptive to it. They might not follow it but are respectful that someone else does. People who go out with me definitely know that they can't throw things out of the window, on the road...
With Mr. Narender Modi launching "Swach Bharat" ("Clean India") Campaign on the birth date of the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, the country seems to be on a upswing in terms of some REAL development. I would never negate the importance of economic and political aspect; the development of people's mindset, for me, is what develops a nation, in reality. In the awe of Mr. Modi, many people are likely to take up the initiative of cleaning their cities, their work places and their homes...
Let us see if governance like that of Singapore is required to keep it clean or a campaign launched by the Prime Minister is enough. I am sure he will not hesitate to administer a fine on the people who litter on the road if they don't "get it" in this polite and a humble manner...
Along with cleaning our surroundings, why don't we take a step ahead and clean our past, clean the "garbage" of our lives, clean up with people and give up grudges that have never served us and will never do? Think about it!
As citizens of India, we would (and still do at times) wonder why India could not be as clean as Singapore and why it did not develop at the rate Singapore did. The action plan implemented by Singapore after it got independent status from the Britishers was quite different to that of India. Although they faced similar problems of poverty and management issues, they adopted a strict and a no-nonsense policy that turned them around in less than four decades and made them what they are today. We can not refute the difference in the count of people for each country- the vast population of India and the cultural diversity that we interact with pretty much assimilate the world into it.
As kids, we were sworn in by our school authorities not to throw garbage on the road and I remember following it from early days of my life itself. Needless to say, I had to go through comments like, "Are you mad, no one cares.", "there is so much of garbage here, what difference will it make if you don't throw?", "I can't let my car be dirty so it is better to litter on the road" etc. I stuck to my view of no littering. AT that time, I just knew of a neighbour who followed the same policy. Today, I see people being receptive to it. They might not follow it but are respectful that someone else does. People who go out with me definitely know that they can't throw things out of the window, on the road...
With Mr. Narender Modi launching "Swach Bharat" ("Clean India") Campaign on the birth date of the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, the country seems to be on a upswing in terms of some REAL development. I would never negate the importance of economic and political aspect; the development of people's mindset, for me, is what develops a nation, in reality. In the awe of Mr. Modi, many people are likely to take up the initiative of cleaning their cities, their work places and their homes...
Let us see if governance like that of Singapore is required to keep it clean or a campaign launched by the Prime Minister is enough. I am sure he will not hesitate to administer a fine on the people who litter on the road if they don't "get it" in this polite and a humble manner...
Along with cleaning our surroundings, why don't we take a step ahead and clean our past, clean the "garbage" of our lives, clean up with people and give up grudges that have never served us and will never do? Think about it!
