Saturday 29 November 2014

SPEAKING OUT FOR A CLEAN INDIA

Source: www.cleanmyindia.co.in/

"The World Suffers A Lot...Not Because Of The Violence Of Bad People, But Because Of The Silence Of Good People" - Napolean Bonaparte

The Government at the helm of affairs at the centre has changed, with the help of a massive public mandate. The mantra of 'Down With Corruption' was loud and clear, and with the power of their precious votes, the people brought in a government that they deemed was 'clean' and 'focused on development'. The Prime Minister, massively popular and gifted with commanding oratory skills, launched the Swach Bharat mission. Since then, it is a regular sight to see hordes of people, celebrities and laymen alike, going on their own 'swachhta' drives, sweeping localities clean of grime and dirt.

The mission is a welcome move. I personally know of some foreigners and NRIs who say the country looks a lot better of late. The cleanliness drive is working wonders, and this is commendable. Why the previous government's similar drive named 'Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan' did not get such support among the masses (did we Indians love our country less then, and does it take a special PM to make us love our country more?) is a different matter that can be talked about in another post. But yes, it is nice to see India getting cleaner. On the other hand though, no matter how clean our roads and localities get, can we really say India is becoming clean?

Being clean transcends beyond merely maintaining physical hygiene and looking good. Cleanliness is much more than taking out the garbage and making your surroundings spic and span. It is like purity, and being pure is being clean both physically and in spirit.

We Indians have made a good start with these cleanliness drives. But we need to introspect and clean out some really heavy garbage. We need to get rid of dirt like:-
  • Corruption
  • Crime
  • Bribery
  • Religious Intolerance
  • Casteism and Racial Discrimination (we Indians are absolutely 'dirty' in this sense)
  • Dowry
  • Female Subordination
  • Oppression of the Poor
  • Absolutely unethical business practices
  • Greed, among others
These social evils are very much a reality. They've existed since eternity. Where there are humans, there are bound to be social evils. But evil acts take place only when the evil-doer has confidence that no one will stand up to them. In other words, if you want to reduce evil, speak up against them whenever you get to know about them. Let the evil doers know that someone will stand up and object.

But we all have evil within us too, don't we? We all need to clean up our own dirt too. That doesn't mean we should stay put and resolve our own issues first. We need to be proactive. Learning comes with experience. Good comes with cleaning up evil, whether or not it is your own. Goodness and cleanliness always rub off. 

#AbMontuBolega is a campaign that talks about the Power of Voice to Clean India. This power vests in each and every one of us. Whether it is places that need cleaning, or people who deserve your attention, or persons in authority who need to pay attention to your opinions, it encompasses each and everyone out there! It's time to cease being silent spectators, and to raise your voices to make a difference.

We all have the power to bring forth a Swach Bharat. Let us use that power wisely and responsibly.

Kyuki Bin Bole Ab Nahi Chalega #AbMontuBolega.

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11 comments:

  1. Yeah ! High time it is to speak ! Noone takes subtle hints anymore !

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    Replies
    1. Subtlety works best with 'sensitive' and humane humans. We're running short of such people these days

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  2. Cool Thoughts. Clean streets do not necessarily mean cleaner hearts.
    Best of luck with the clean drive. You write well.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for the compliment :) Keep visiting

      Delete
  3. You are right. We have to clean our minds first too for a better India.

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  4. This is such a timely campaign. And it's not only about cleaning dirt. It's a holistic approach.

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    Replies
    1. Very true. It should be a frequently revisited campaign. Human memory is very short after all.

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  5. mental dirt needs urgent cleaning. Nice post!

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  6. i think napolean was wrong.good people can never remain silent,they go silent after raising voice and when they don't find support and when they suffer after raising voice.

    celebrities are using swachh bharat campaign to promote their movies,to further their image.for example, hritik roshan who does so much action in his movies could not sweep three dry leaves properly with a broom.he used this campaign to promote BANG BANG.these half-hearted campaigns are like ice bucket challenge.i don't find any change in my city which is a metro,people still pee and spit on roads,you don't find single garbage bin in streets and you find dead cats and rats decaying on roads with drainages over flowing with unattended muncipal workers.

    clean india campaign is same as independence day celebrations where we decorate and sing national anthem and speak of great integrity and forget next morning.first change will start when educated drive responsibly on roads without violating traffic rules like driving in wrong direction,taking over vehicles when you don't have enough space,honking even when traffic signal is red.i don't find difference between educated and illiterates in india.

    its not negativity,you will hardly find good people in india and when they raise voice,majority indians will mute them.simple example is yesterday's tennis match in itpl,goran ivanisvic and novak djokovic had tough time playing tennis in delhi. tennis referee asked people to remain silent when the game was on but people were whistling and shouting like stray dogs.are n't people who watch tennis are educated.

    napolean may not be good guy so he made a false statement.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Although we are running short of genuine people, we should not lose hope. If you feel the pinch and your conscience hurts, there might be others who are going through similar feelings and desire to change things.

      Thanks for the comment :)

      Delete

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