India is a country of great potential and Indians too are extremely capable people . Indians performing superbly in India and abroad is testimony for same . Its also true that India while making progress, is also a TOTAL MESS today in every aspect . We are developing in a totally messy manner. The way our cities are growing and developing is an indication of things to come.Traffic in India is symbolic of many things in India . No doubt we are making progress , but considering our collective capability , are we achieving anything to really improve the quality of our lives and make it similiar to the quality of life in developed countries or say newly de-veloped and other developng countires like even Indonesia . My answer is NO.
We have some of the best brains in the world ... in any field you name . Then why is it that none of these brains / intelligence / capability / enlightenment / brilliance that we Indians have is not finding its way into the planning and organised development of India . We Indians run some of the finest Cos in the world , we run some of the biggest banks in the world, we design some of the best software in the world , we write some of the best books in the world , we manage some of the best consul-tancy cos in the world , we are one of the best negotiators in the world .... the list can go on . Then why is it that when it comes to planning and development of India , its a MESS ???.
The answer is WE INDIANS DONT CARE ABOUT INDIA . WE DONT . Let us be honest and accept that everyone of us including myself ONLYCAN THINK ABOUT OUR-SELVES AND OUR NEAREST FAMILY MEMBERS . Individually are we willing to make any con-tribution to make this country “more livable” ?
I have travelled around the world including to countries like HAITI .Believe me there is no other country in the world where people are willing to live in such filthy surroundings . Dung, be it goat, cow or human fecal matter is common on the streets. In major tourist areas filth is eve-rywhere, littering the sidewalks, the roadways, you name it. Toilets in the middle of the road, men urinating and defecating anywhere, in broad daylight. Whole villages are plastic bag was-telands. Roadsides are choked by it. Air quality that can hardly be called quality.There is no place in India without it , save Kerala . In my opinion the filth, squalor and all around pollution indicates a marked lack of respect for India by Indians.We are one set of people who have NO CIVIC SENSE AT ALL .If we dont care about the surroundings we live in , are we going to care about the COUNTRY we live in ??
Is it surprising that we Indians (most)are often termed as rude people who don’t know how to behave ?Is it surprising that Indians now have the highest incidence of Stress related diseases in the world . We are being subject to tremendous amounts of Stress due to our chaotic and filth surroundings , which unfortunately are our own creation. Scientific evidence also proves that a)immediate environment have tremendous influence on the way people behave b)our inner states are 50% also the result of our outer circumstances c)behaviour is a function of social context (Note: as a society we Indians are degenerating while only making economic progress in terms of GDP & GNP). d) it is possible to be a better person in a cleaner environment.
The FILTH all around India is a symbol of the collapse of the entire system starting right from OUR OWN ATTITUDES, OUR HOMES and the STREET we live in right upto our Government .
While living in Chennai , I have battled with my neighbours in a upper middle class locality, to make them stop throwing garbage oustside their grand mansions and onto the road . This kind of neglect for ones surrounding does not happen anywhere in the world except India . It pains me to hear from foreigners that " India and Indians are very dirty ". I never argue because its true . Sorry to generalise , but its a fact that a very vast majority of us Indians dont mind livng in filthy surroundings , provided just the premises inside our four walls is relatively clean .
I have just mentione 1 factor . Infrastructure , a government run by nincompoops, rampant cor-ruption , crumbling healthcare , antiquated judicial system,..chaotic traffic ……... everything is a mess. And lately our dear politicians have been bought over by the MNCs for introducing GM Crops in India. The havoc GM crops have caused already and the scientific evidence avilable against use of GM crops is being ignored by the politicians and our policy makers . All for money . And will we Indians do anything about it ?Soon GM crops will be growing in our farms and vil-lages and the havoc it will wreak over next 10 years is unthinkable .
We say that our government is inefficient.
We say that our laws are too old.
We say that the municipality does not pick up the garbage.
We say that the phones don't work, the railways are a joke. The airline is the worst in the world, mails never reach their destination.
We say that our country has been fed to the dogs and is the absolute pits. We say, say and say.. What do WE do about it?
There is a lot to be done for our beloved country India . We all can talk and write and discuss . Collectively we can achieve much , provided only if individually we can make a contribution . ALTRUISM is the answer .Unselfish devotion to the cause by every Indian . It must come from within us. Educated Indians , NRIs, bankers , Corporates , Scientists , Students , Teachers , Pro-fessonals , Sportsmen ,Moviestars - can each of us make an individual contribution , starting with making an effort to cleanup our OWN surroundings ?. If we succed in that , we can succeed in cleaning up the MESS THAT IS INDIA .Else there is no hope .
When it comes to us actually making a positive contribution to the system we lock ourselves along with our families into a safe cocoon and look into the distance at countries far away and wait for someone else to come along & work miracles for us with a majestic sweep of his hand or we leave the country and run away.
Indians and India have many wonderful things to offer the world, but I’m far from sanguine that India will amount to much in my lifetime unless we Indians change our attitude and start think-ing and caring about INDIA instead of just “ me , my home and my family “.
I REITERATE :There is a lot to be done for our beloved country India .There is no dearth of ideas or suggestions . Collectively we can achieve much , provided if and only if individually we can make a contribution .CAN WE ? Are we willing to step forward and say “ I will do this “ – even the smallest of contributions will do –like sponsoring 1 childs education in India without any publicity OR calling your own street members and organising to ensure your 20 Meter long street becomes the cleanest street in your colony . If individually each of us can do something , collectively it becomes an epidemic. Rememeber the great plague- it didn’t start in a group – it started with 1 individual . Else we all can talk and write and discuss & NOTHING will come out of it .
If something is pricking your conscience and saying " YES I CAN ", please step forward and do your litlle bit first .Join the " CHANGE INDIA BRIGADE". Then come forward and say in this very forum " I did this little work /contribution for India ". Let us call it " MY 1 CENT WORK FOR INDIA " .
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