Look at the way the broomstick is held in these two very different campaigns. Do you know what the humble broom said to Arvind Kejriwal?
“Sir, you didn’t know how to hold me in the right position
in your election campaigns, otherwise you’d be not only winning with a sweeping
majority, but sweeping the corruption away!” However, this was not to be. As we all know, the
story took a different turn when the honourable prime minister Mr.Modi launched the broom as a
weapon to fight for clean and green India. Are we ready to make small changes to our lives, may not be sweeping though, to be clean?
Perhaps the humble broom never got such media attention as
it is doing today. It really has traveled a long journey from the hands of the aam admi to the rich,
the famous and the powerful, making it to the national headlines all over the
country.
The taste of Hyderabad in Swachh Bharat campaign
Some snippets from conversations in the heart of Hyderabad:
In a wholesale shop in Begum Bazar...a customer looking at
the almost empty stack of brooms:
“Arre jhadu poore
khatam ho gaye kya... mereku dus hona tha”
“Hau bhai jhadu ke achhe
din aa gaye lagra...supply ich nahin hai ... itta demand bad jaara roz roz. Sab logan jhadu leke safai shuru kar diye...apni
Sania ko dekho tennis chhod ke jhadu pakad li...”
In an early morning shift, two GHMC women sanitation workers
looking at a picture of the film stars wielding broomsticks on the roads of
Banjara Hills:
"Chusinava akka, pedda pedda actorlu, ministerlu andaru cheepurlu pattukoni photolu digutunnaru...mana
photolu eevaraina teesinara?"
"Aunu nijamee...idi
manam roju chese pani kada eevaru pattinchukuntaaru?...ippudu mana udyogala
sangatenti?"
In an undergraduate college, the campaign coordinator,
preparing the team of volunteers:
"Listen all of you, please come dressed up in your Swachh
Bharat T-shirts, the brooms and the cleaning material will be available on the
spot. You don’t need to worry about selfies, we have hired a photographer to do
the job!"
It is really heartening to see the enthusiasm and involvement
from all walks of life in this much needed campaign. It’s nice to see everybody
talking about it. But how do we move from ‘talking’ to ‘taking and owning
action’? Especially, when we have always considered littering as our
birthright! Imagine the humongous challenge that our country faces – with ever
increasing consumption patterns, lack of organised waste disposal and an
ingrained apathy towards the ownership and maintenance of public spaces. Unlike many other
top-down campaigns, Swachh Bharat is as basic and essential as the requirements
of food, clothing and shelter. But somewhere down the line, there’s an
apprehension that this well-intended initiative may become a symbolic episode if we don’t take some
immediate actions, of course, besides the high-profile campaign with top celebrity endorsements.
Six points that can make Swachh Bharat a reality
Inculcating a sense of ownership of public spaces and
natural resources– the roads, the common amenities, places of tourist interest
and historic value, the lakes, the rivers, forests, the buses, the trains, the railways...the list can go on. The problem
is that our notion of cleanliness has long been confined to the walls of our
homes and this will take a long time to change!
Imbibing, sharing and spreading “I-care-for-you" attitude – Most apathy and negligence
comes from the fact that we are self-centered that we literally ignore what is
next to us. When we start caring for something or someone other than us,
automatically we will make a positive difference in the public domain.
Recognizing efforts at grassroots level – Sure, there are
plenty of stories of how people have taken exceptional steps in making their
villages, towns and cities clean. An award or incentive or some form of public recognition for the cleanest town or a part of a
large city, based on some parameters could make it more participatory and
competitive.
Dealing with culture and mindsets – For ages, we've been producing tonnes
of waste and garbage in the name of religious festivals. It’s time people are
educated about the impact of such practices in protecting the environmental
disasters, besides creating a nightmare for the sanitation workers.
Including formal learning and training – Nothing like catching them
young – if children can pester their parents to buy the choicest brands of TVs
and cars, why not use their pester power to keep our surroundings clean. I’m
sure schools are already trying their best to tell the children that if they
wish to earn their right to a clean and green India, it is their responsibility
to teach their elders.
Introducing fines and penalties – Bitter pills work like miracles on
most maladies. It’s high time people are fined if they litter, spit or urinate
in public spaces, however harsh it may sound. But then, it really needs some political faith to impose such things without hurting the public sentiment.
Public campaigns have their limitations. They can inspire and incite. But, the duty and responsibility remains with us at the grassroots to do our best. It's as simple as owning something (materialistic or non-materialistic) and flaunting it proudly and caring and sharing and taking responsibility for it. Isn't this what communities and societies are built around?
