The lack of civic sense in India is often lamented. The lack of civic sense leads to garbage strewn streets and visible ugliness in the Indian landscape both in the urban and rural settings. Concerned Indians look at their fellow citizens with frustration and helplessness. Foreigners who appreciate the positive aspects of Indian culture, react to this sheer lack of civic sense with surprise and despair. Others look at India with scorn and disdain. The vast majority of of our fellow Indians seem quite indifferent. The possible reasons for this perplexing lack of concern for the cleanliness of public spaces are many and have been explored by us in a previous posting.
Many behaviours contribute to unclean public spaces. Littering, dumping, spitting, public urination, open defecation and improper disposal of sewage water contribute to this ugliness. Some of these problems are more difficult to solve than others. They are all rooted in deep cultural attitudes and practices. These attitudes and mindsets have to change to alter public behaviour in order to create clean public spaces and maintain them.
There is no one way to achieve civic consciousness among the Indian public, because our country is so big and diverse. Many strategies need to be thought about. Not all will work in all settings.
1. Laws and Punishment:
For any civilized society a set of rules and laws are needed to codify acceptable behaviour. A land without laws is no better than the jungle and we are not animals. Thousands of years of human civilization have come about because people started observing certain societal norms. Eventually these unwritten codes became formalized as a set of laws by which every member of society abides by and non subscribers are forced to comply with by punitive measures. As societies evolve, so do the laws. The formulation of these laws is ostensibly to promote the common good. If clean public spaces are a common good, then a set of rules and laws have to be in place to achieve them. People who defy these rules should be warned and punished. From fines to incarceration, there are incremental punitive measures available to any society.
Punishment for civic misbehaviour leading to uncleanliness has been rarely seen in India. The rules are there but the authorities have always been lax in enforcing them. Part of the reason for this is that these rules do not reflect the expectations of society in general. In many ways India is a law abiding country and laws do work here. When it comes to major crimes such as murder, rape and robbery, our police forces are second to none in their prosecutorial zeal and our judiciary is quite capable of meting out fair justice. However when it comes to civic behaviour there is no commitment in enforcing the law nor in handing out adequate punishment.
Laws cannot work if the majority of people do not abide by it. In large countries such as India, the vast and varied population cannot be policed unless the majority cooperate. Smaller countries do achieve this as they are easier to police. A case in point is the small city state of Singapore. A stringent set of laws, strictly enforced have managed to create a beautiful, clean and modern city out of the mess that the British left behind at the time of independence.
Nevertheless laws are needed and they have to be enforced in India to shape civic behaviour. At the outset it would be difficult to make people comply, but as more and more people become compliant the policing will become progressively easier and cheaper. There has to be commitment from the government at the national, regional, state, district, state, town and village panchayat level to achieve this.
2. Awareness and Education:
One reason for the indifference people feel towards their surroundings is a lack of awareness. Some people just do not understand the ill effects of unclean public spaces. Once aware they might be more receptive to change. They are also oblivious to the existence of cleaner places elsewhere. But in the information age any Indian anywhere has to be aware of other places in the world unless they are living under a rock somewhere. Movies, television, the internet and the print media all have images of public spaces in other countries that people cannot fail to notice.
Clean up campaigns contribute to increased awareness. So do innovative campaigns via a variety of media. To change the adult mind the message has to be persistent and sustained. The media in India have a great responsibility in this regard. Journalists from both the traditional as well as social media should utilize their talents and resources to spread the message. It is part of their social responsibility. The government should be the prime driver but sadly in India governance has been a let down in this regard over many decades. Non governmental organizations and corporate entities should take this up. Celebrities should be involved. A cleaner India benefits all sectors of society.
Education is more in-depth and will bring more sustainable change in people's mind sets. It is a longterm effort and has to started early in life and continued for years. The target of course should be young children starting at a very early age. Schools should make it a part of the curriculum. The government should mandate it. Teachers should teach civic values with enthusiasm. Religious institutions should concentrate on inculcating a sense civic responsibility in children rather than propagating hatred towards other communities that share this great country.
3. Pride and Patriotism:
Genuine change in a society society will come about only when people believe in it. People have to embrace it and practise it on a daily basis. They have to value it. Only then can the change be sustainable and permanent.
Indians are a proud people. We take immense pride in our culture. We shamelessly flaunt our ancient civilization and its timeless wisdom. We strut and swagger when we think about our classical art forms, our literature, our many philosophies and traditions. We look at other cultures with scorn and derision. The same sense of pride has to be instilled in our population when it comes to the cleanliness and beauty of public spaces. Civic pride should be encouraged and valued.
We are also a very patriotic people. We get goosebumps when patriotic songs are sung. We support our armed forces. We cherish our national symbols. We actively participate in politics and the democratic process. Patriotism is alive and well in our country. This love for the country has to be translated in to a zeal to do deeds for the betterment of the country. Keeping the country clean is a very patriotic act and this feeling has to be cultivated and encouraged.
By combining these different approaches, government bodies and other organizations can bring about the change in people's attitudes and behaviour that will lead to sustainable change. Our people are neither stupid nor lazy. With proper guidance they will change and acquire better civic sense. The day is not far off.
