Jana Gana Mana Adhinayak Jaya Hey…!!
A lump rises to every Indian’s throat when he listens to the initial strains of
the National Anthem, or when the Indian Tricolour raises its proud head in
any world arena. Proud Indians take to chanting, ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’, ‘Jai
Hind’, and ‘Vande Mataram’.
Then many of the same people go out and spit gutkha, staining the walls of
public spaces, or litter indiscriminately. A sea of plastic packets and
wrappers welcome visitors, be it a scenic location or a beach – sometimes
right under a sign saying, “Cleanliness is Godliness”.
Indian cities are now beset with the same issues across the board – air and
water pollution, poor garbage disposal mechanism, littering, unruly traffic,
abysmal public hygiene, harassment of women and irate, impatient people
on a short fuse.
The consumerist approach to life adopted widely with everyone thinking
what he stands to gain in a situation is a big reason. The ‘Hustle Culture’
has turned into the ‘Hassle Culture’ where our own needs are supreme
over everyone else’s.
A far cry from Kabir Das ji’s plaintive prayer –
साईं इतना दीजिए, जामे कुटुंब समाए मैं भी भूखा न रहूं, साधु न भूखा जाए। (God give me
enough to feed myself and my family. The mendicant who asks me for alms
should not go hungry either.)
The old tehzeeb of speaking with dignity and sticking to your words is a lost
art. The tale of the Lakhnavi gentlemen losing their train saying, “Pehle
aap, pehle aap” (You first, you first), illustrates the ethos followed earlier
throughout the country – of extending courtesy to others.
Foreign tourists are shocked to see the garbage situation with massive hills
of trash welcoming visitors to the city, or cascading down a hillside. What
happened to our sense of pride?
National pride is about taking care of what we have as a country, as well as
one another. It is about striking at the root of the problem. Being mindful of
the amount of non-biodegradable trash we generate in our households is
one such measure because that waste will probably outlast us.
National pride is about doing the right thing, right by us, our families, and
also our country. It is about remembering the vision of our Founding
Fathers who were dreaming of a modern India forging ahead, while living
by the cultural value, and sophisticated philosophy of our ancient thought
leaders.
Indian culture is about respect and consideration for all around us,
including plant and animal life. Remember our grandmothers saying,
“Speak only if you can improve on the silence”?
The tone and tenor of our voice decides if a disagreement would escalate
into a fight. “Ten per cent of conflict is due to a difference in opinion. Ninety
per cent is due to the wrong tone of voice,” says a survey cited often on the
Internet.
When you speak softly, you diffuse another person’s stress, give them an
opportunity to think calmly and respond logically. You help them retain their
dignity. In turn, they respect you. And just like that, you spread the
message of our eternal Indian values – one individual at a time.
