PM Modi has highlighted within the first few days in office our seemingly minor problems of cleanliness and sanitation which are actually surface reflections of a much bigger and deeper malaise. While my blog may often seem to center around Indian politics and political leaders, SPEAK UP is more about PEOPLE'S role in shaping our democracy. I will continue to be critical about our role as citizens even though popular media is more about accountability of the government and I support free media for ensuring that. You can’t clean a
ditch by swearing at it. You have to put your hand in it. Thus, the Nov 1 editorial piece in the TOI, by Chetan Bhagat was a breath of fresh air because it reinforces my belief that -
I believe Mr Modi is addressing this larger problem of National Pride. As Indians we are more proud of our past than our present. Once revived, our Pride in this great Nation, will itself do wonders. For a long time, the imagination of a nation has not been fired by a national figure. Modi is doing a very dangerous thing. If awakened, at least the Gen Next of India will help strengthen the Institution of Democracy and will reduce the absolute power of political parties that they currently enjoy. Great for the nation, bad for the corrupt politician. I did a quick google search for National Pride to check if there was an index, and to my surprise I found a couple but with limitations (National Pride in the Americas http://www.vanderbilt.edu/lapop/insights/IO899en.pdf and another 2009 survey of only 33 nations by the Economist).
Please don't miss the larger picture of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan (Clean India Movement). In the process of keeping my street, my city and my country clean, I will regain my sense of ownership and will fight all other "dirt" that defines my country today. What an idea, Modiji!
I like Chetan Bhagat's article because
Cleanliness Begins at Home
The Times of India, Nov 1, 2014
He has not referred to the Larger Picture but I'm convinced that if we can Clean India we can Win India.
- Governments are mere enablers, WE have to do what we have to do. Government should just get out of the way.
- The Political class and the Administration should give back the country to the people which they usurped decades ago from the British. (Lets not live under the illusion that we are a free nation and we elect our own representatives who shall act in the true interest of the people. Most recent example is how the elected representatives of Maharashtra are squabbling for "plump posts" in the cabinet. Power corrupts, but that's the topic of another blog post.) Back to my concept - the people of India must reclaim their country back from the rulers. Sorry, not rulers, claim it back from the Public SERVANTS.
- With Ownership comes Pride.
- PRIDE DRIVES EVERYTHING ELSE!!
- Poverty, illiteracy, lack of administrative support, etc are no hindrance to a Swachh Bharat.
I believe Mr Modi is addressing this larger problem of National Pride. As Indians we are more proud of our past than our present. Once revived, our Pride in this great Nation, will itself do wonders. For a long time, the imagination of a nation has not been fired by a national figure. Modi is doing a very dangerous thing. If awakened, at least the Gen Next of India will help strengthen the Institution of Democracy and will reduce the absolute power of political parties that they currently enjoy. Great for the nation, bad for the corrupt politician. I did a quick google search for National Pride to check if there was an index, and to my surprise I found a couple but with limitations (National Pride in the Americas http://www.vanderbilt.edu/lapop/insights/IO899en.pdf and another 2009 survey of only 33 nations by the Economist).
Please don't miss the larger picture of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan (Clean India Movement). In the process of keeping my street, my city and my country clean, I will regain my sense of ownership and will fight all other "dirt" that defines my country today. What an idea, Modiji!
I like Chetan Bhagat's article because
- As usual its in simple language
- He reminds us that fundamentally Indians are clean, so why a million excuses for dirty public places?
- It addresses the root cause of the problem - We the people
- It addresses the larger picture of the Indian mindset
Cleanliness Begins at Home
The Times of India, Nov 1, 2014
He has not referred to the Larger Picture but I'm convinced that if we can Clean India we can Win India.
Modi it seems has done deep thinking over his entire political carreer and has now got the power to implement each one of his ideas. He will not stop at Clean India or Make in India, but will try to revolutionalise how the world works. World Yoga day is just one step in that direction. Soon you will see the world asking him solutions ! He is positioning India as the top exporter of services,manufactured goods as well as culture.
ReplyDeleteSardul Singh Minhas, Anaheim Hills, CA, USA commented via email to me:
ReplyDelete"Jayesh, great write-up. Yes, it is all about ownership. Nehru wanted to dismantle the civil service, but Patel talked him out of it. I don't know what replacement Pandit ji had in mind, but he blew a great opportunity to return the country to its masses. The civil service was conceived to control the country, first by and for the British, and then by the brown sahibs.
I would like some cooperation in sending one message to the PM; his being overweight sets a very poor example for the country. I tweeted a few times (by linking it to Mr. Modi's tweets as a reply) that he should lose 25 kg. We all know the man can fast for a week, surely he can reduce his regular intake by about 30-50%. My suggestion may seem silly but I am very serious. Mr. Modi's new lean and hungry look, if he can get it, will do wonders for the health of the country.
Sardul"
One of my favorite pieces of poetry is the last stanza of a poem by Robert Frost, "Two Tramps in Mud Time", which is an allegory on life. It reads:
ReplyDelete"Only where love and need are one
"And work is play for mortal stakes
"Is the work ever really done
""For Heaven and the Future's sakes."
So if people are to do something day in and day out, they must perceive not only the need to do it but also the joy of doing it. And if the thing is innately good for man's body and mind, persistent practice can help people perceive this need and joy. Till this happens, people will need to be persuaded, cajoled, goaded or even compelled to practice the activity. Once they perceive the need and the joy, their attitude will change, and the activity will become a habit, a reflex that does not require conscious effort for occurring. Only thus can a movement succeed.
Such movements, and efforts to make them succeed, are necessary not only for visible things such as cleanliness, but also for nurturing proper thinking and values. And all these will culminate in nation building or shaping the character and capability of its people.