Many of us make New Year resolutions to try and become a better person, achieve personal or professional goals and so on. How about resolving to make India a better place this Independence Day? Why not make a few changes and decisions that will help not us personally but us collectively this 15th August?
The sight of an arm emerging from a swank car to chuck an empty bottle, a cyclist throwing his gutkha packet, a pedestrian spouting a disgusting stream of ‘paan peek’, a man urinating on the side of a road…all too common! Lets. Just. Not!
Ever been enraged by someone cutting a lane in front of you, jumping a red light, parking badly, going the wrong way and causing a jam? Breaking traffic laws endangers us, them and makes roads much less safe. Don’t ever be that person.
Driving on Indian roads is harrowing for the sheer volume of traffic on the roads. Use public transport, car-pool (checkout a car pool app if required), avoid driving when possible and do your bit to reduce congestion and pollution.
I know that is what you were thinking: “kya fark padega”; that your minuscule effort is worth nothing. Quite simply this is a cop-out; an excuse to do nothing and to continue to do what is most convenient and comfortable.
It does not have to be money. It could simply be time. It could be making sure that things you no longer need reach those who do need them. There are so many underprivileged people in India – you have a huge choice of worthy causes!
Education is the single biggest challenge for the future of our country. Only education will resolve issues of poverty, population control and backwardness. Become a part of an education program, donate to an educational charity or simply take some time to educate your domestic help or their child.
Make a new friend from a community you know little about: someone from a part of the country you're unfamiliar with, someone from a minority community (or majority community if you're from a minority community), someone who speaks a different language. This helps destroy prejudices, develop empathy and simply helps make India better.
If you do the above, this one will come naturally. After all, India is the land of festivals. Each community has several and celebrating each other’s festivals comes naturally to us. Celebrating each other's festivals is just about Being Indian!
It is a beautiful document! It tells you why not to condone injustice and not tolerate it when it happens to you; not to stay silent when it happens to someone else either. You may be amazed at how many bullies simply back down when confronted!
If you're reading this, on a device you own, you're already more privileged than a majority of Indians. Acknowledge that privilege. Stop seeing yourself as a victim. Count your own blessings; not those of others.
Once you acknowledge your own privilege it is easy to recognize the lack of it elsewhere; it becomes easier to be compassionate and considerate. It becomes easier to become a kinder, better human being.
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