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Preaching cleanliness

It goes without saying that cleanliness can only be achieved with everybody's cooperation. Be it the home, neighbourhood, city or…

Preaching cleanliness

(Photo: Facebook)

It goes without saying that cleanliness can only be achieved with everybody's cooperation. Be it the home, neighbourhood, city or countryside, a mere government mission can do little to achieve the goal set by Prime Minister Narendra Modi with his Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. Sadly, in at least two recent incidents people had to pay with their lives for advocating cleanliness.

The lynching of an autorickshaw driver outside a Metro station, when he objected to a man urinating sent shock-waves. This was followed by another incident in Pratapgarh, a Rajasthan town, where municipal officials lynched a man objecting to their photographing women defecating in the open.

Both the incidents display the intolerance that has built up in people as well the adamant refusal to change their "routine" habits and behaviour.

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The cleanliness campaign is nothing new. Mahatma Gandhi was also a strong advocate of this. But one generally refuses to look beyond one's immediate surroundings or house.

And that is where the fight lies. In an almost similar incident, a few colleagues recently got into a spat with a political worker over basic civic manners.

Three women colleagues were at a local Chinese food kiosk when a car drove up. The passengers ordered food and after consuming it rolled down the window and threw out the empty paper plates.

One of the colleagues walked up to the car, tapped on the window and politely asked the person inside to use the dustbin nearby. At this the driver got out and verbally abused the colleagues, asking them whether they had "taken the responsibility of cleaning up the city".

Noticing a party flag on the car, our colleague retorted that cleanliness drive began with political parties before reaching citizens.

However, it was a slightly scary incident for the three young ladies as the car followed them as they walked back to office.

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