When we go abroad and see the clean cities, we start wondering why we too should not live in such healthy environment. What is it that we lack in this country which the western or more advanced nations have?. Always the first answer we get, among other reasons, is that we are a poor nation and they are a rich nation. Their life style is backed up with their income earning capacity and it makes them to live in a pollution free and healthy environment. They have money to spend and have less population. Further they are helped in their development by other rich countries. Whereas we have to depend on own our resources and we have to first alleviate the misery of the poor people. They should be first provided with roof over their head, food, clean water and electricity.
It is true that we are a densely populated country. Our per capita income is very less. We have no health programmes which we can compare with other western countries. They are the real problems but it looks as though they are mere excuses like a dancer complaining about the uneven level of the ground when he could not dance.
According to me we lack respect for our fellow human beings and to instill this important trait in the people, perhaps no money is required. Our former President, Mr. Kalam asked children at a gathering why is it in Singapore they do not spit on the road whereas we happily spit on the road, walls etc. Pan chewing is our culture and spitting every where is also our ‘culture’ Some people may say that it is the strict enforcement of law in Singapore, they do not spit on the road or throw garbage on the road. But law alone is not the reason for that discipline.
Let us ask why and how can we spit on the road which is also being used by another fellow citizen? Why should we violate his right to walk on spittoon free roads.Why should we throw garbage on the road, when we know that is the not the place to throw.
Once I was in Delhi at a bye lane of Connaught Circus from where a DTC bus was to start for ‘Delhi Dekho’ trip. There was a foreigner sitting by my side. He said India is beautiful but people of the country spoil it. They make it dirty. No attention is given to cleanliness. I gave him my stock answer that it was not fully true but there might be some truth in that. I said these people are illiterate and due to population explosion, and want of funds, Govern- ments find it difficult .to keep the cities clean. He said ‘you are not right’ and he pointed out an urinal which was located near the place where the bus was parked. I saw a person easing himself outside the urinal on it’s outer wall. He said ‘why should he do it outside and not inside. Does he not see people walking around and he openly defies them and shows disrespect to them’. Then he said ‘this is what is lacking in this country. People do not respect each other from their heart’ He admired our sense of showing respect to elders but he said ‘what is required is human relations. The moment the person who was there outside the urinal starts thinking of his fellow members of the society, he would avoid it’. Therefore he said that respect for fellow human beings is lacking here.
One cannot but agree with that foreigner. The principle should be that one should not do anything which perhaps he himself may not like others doing it. If only one thinks in this way, then he will not spit on the road, will not throw waste matters or garbage on the road, will not clean his shop and throw the dust and the previous day’s garbage on the other side of the road ( he does not throw it in front of his shop). Ultimately our cities will also become clean and tidy. Cleanliness is godliness. We can also have clean cities as in the west.