I know this guy who supported the Anna Hazare Campaign very vocally in office. The other day, we went out for lunch together and got in trouble with the traffic cops. The same guy pays the cops 50 bucks against 100 bucks fine that he would have normally paid.
Another girl complains very loudly about loo, cubicles, pretty much everything in office not being clean enough for her. Once we got down from the same bus, were walking to office and she very casually threw the bus ticket on the road. Sensitive that I am about these issues, I asked her why she would want to dirty the road. Her reply was a very defensive “I did not throw it on the road; I threw it in the corner of the road where there is already a lot of garbage”.
I just don’t get it. Are we such hypocrites without even realizing it? All of us rant about traffic and how it is so evil and does not let us get home fast and that we are spending most of our lives on road. Do we even for a single split second realize that WE start traffic jams by driving recklessly? We will not stick to our lanes and try to zig zag our way out and even ride on pavements if we own a motor bike.
Every software person settled in Bangalore jumps at any opportunity of going ‘onsite’ akka abroad because ‘oh! There is so much money ’, ‘their roads are so clean’, ‘their parties far more happening’ and ‘there is no corruption because people are oh so honest’ or for whatever xyz reason. Why can’t we stop throwing stuff on our roads so our country can look like that too? Why not say no to bribing anyone at any level, in all forms and make an honest person of us first? Why not stay here and contribute to the economic growth to make our country rich instead?
Candle light vigils won’t work. We have to ask questions to ourselves and stand up for our ideals. Except this time lets promise it will not be just for the television cameras. Let it be real.
