Make a difference

Today, I was stuck in traffic and the guy sitting next to me in the rickshaw started cribbing about India, the dirty politics, the rupee issues, the rape cases, the filthy roads, the pot-holes etc… etc…his list seemed endless. He even asked my view on the current issues. However, I was in no mood to get into a debate. The issues which he raised were very valid; however as citizens of Democratic India, aren’t we responsible for the freedom we have got?

I regularly commute to work by the Mumbai local trains. A common scene in the trains would be ladies eating chocolates and throwing the wrappers in the compartment or outside the window. There are many who leave empty Bisleri bottles, waste papers, newspapers and other clutter in the compartment. Recently I saw a girl, dressed in professional formal clothes, clearing all the clutter in her wallet. She tore old receipts and ATM records and threw it out of the window. And then there are people who complain about the filth all around.

Whom are we supposed to blame for this behavior? As responsible citizens we need to take care of our public property. Last week an office colleague ate chocolates and then threw the wrapper outside the train window.

‘You could have thrown it in a dustbin at the next station’, I said

‘How does it matter Gayatri? See there is garbage lying everywhere. Our country is like that only. One more wrapper from my side, it won’t make much difference’, she said.

Just imagine, if this is what a B-School Management graduate thinks, how an illiterate from a rural area will behave.  Each one of us can make a difference. We need to contribute consciously towards our society. Start from your locality, your building, your house. Bring awareness in the schools and conduct workshops for children.

Then there is a colleague, who never allows her son to do household chores, however expects her daughter to help her in folding clothes and sweeping the floor.

‘What’s wrong in a guy folding clothes?’ I asked

‘It’s a girls job Gayatri, guys won’t do such stuff’, she replied.

Who said guys won’t do such stuff? Parents have to take the responsibility to inculcate right values in our children, for they are the future of our India. Don’t just allow your sons to sit and watch TV and ask your daughters to help you in kitchen. Delegate tasks equally, irrespective of the gender. Make them responsible enough, so that they become self-reliant.

And the end all that matters is these small things. Contribute how much ever possible and wherever possible. It’s our country; take the responsibility to be the change. Instead of asking, ‘Why should I?’ ask ‘How can I?’, and ‘What if I?’ Voice your opinions at the right place and make a difference.

-Gayatri Aptekar

Bio:

I am a working mom, an avid reader and blogger. I also enjoy cooking and photography. I started exploring the creative side after the birth of my daughter. You can drop by my blog http://gsaptekar84.blogspot.com/ to read my views on life, some short stories, poems and parenting tips.

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