THIS IS HOW WE BEHAVE
Dr. T. Rama PrasadMarch 9, 2017
I am prompted to write this on seeing some sign boards in Singapore today (March 9, 2017). Even when the traffic is chok-a-blok, we incessantly honk horns, an exercise in futility. What a contrast it is to the disciplined silent driving in developed countries ! We demand blaring music to be played in buses and ceremonial functions. We use deafening loud speakers, much against the rules, in public places for social, political and religious activities causing not only nuisance but also illness. We look on indulgently with a proud smile when our children become a nuisance, especially in public places. Even before the aircraft comes to a halt, we get up from the seats and start josling co-passengers and rush to the exit. Foreigners shockingly witness our children's behaviour in airports and aeroplanes. Sometimes we behave as though annoying others is our birthright and one of the Human Rights ! We dump garbage on roads which we consider as our own backyard.
We don't respect traffic rules unless fined heavily, and use cellphones while driving as a 'right' to kill or be killed in a road accident. Unfortunately, cellphone seems to have become an essential commodity, even while either on a toilet seat or a driver's seat. Using the phone while defecating may be harmless, but not while driving !
We seem to have a self-centred attitude with little diplomacy of language and action. See the smiling American saying "Hi" to an Indian stranger on an American road. And the intensive emergency care given by everybody for any accident victim on the American soil speaks volumes of concern for others. In contrast, rarely, one stops his car on sighting an accident victim on an Indian road.
"Education sans civic sense is no education."
-- T. Rama Prasad
DREAM "CLEAN INDIA"
"Dream, dream, dream ! Convert these dreams into thought, and then transform them into action," said our 'Missile Man', A.P.J. Abdul Kalam.
We are dreaming to have a clean India. Once in a blue moon, we go out on to the streets and remove the garbage. Now and then we implement anti-pollution measures. We also experiment with "odd-even scheme" for automobiles in New Delhi.
We dream that the dependence of more than 700 million people on biomass (firewood, charcoal, etc.) for cooking purpose resulting in large quantities of smoke should end. Over 7 million deaths occurred worldwide in 2012 due to air pollution (WHO). More than 300 million people in India have no access to electricity, and as a result kerosene lamps and candles are used widely adding to the air pollution.
It is the culture and civic sense that would contain filth, not the legislation and punishment. Until we develop that, we may have to live with it. It would be a long shot.
In Japan, the city of Yokohama reduced its garbage generation by 60,000 tons in just six years, and Komamatsu has become a zero-waste town, and the eco-conscious Japanese dispose different components of an empty soda bottle (wrapper, lid, washer and bottle) into different garbage bags. In Singapore, people, including children, don't throw even toffee wrappers or orange peels on roads, not even on private roads within their apartments. All this is done out of civic sense, good habits and manners, not because of legislation and punishment (though they are there on paper). From generation to generation, people were brought up with concern for others and good manners. Perhaps, putting up notices as in the attached photos may sensitize persons. Why most of he public toilets are repulsively stinking ? They just urinate or defecate and just walk away. They won't flush, even if there is a facility to do that, let alone wiping the toilet seat dry after use. They have no concern for the next user.
There is one good article on 'Civic sense in India' ( http://www.indiaparenting.com/raising-children/124_3350/civic-sense-in-india.html ). Here is an excerpt from that article: " ... There are spit marks, urine, vulgar graffiti, random garbage and overflowing sewers at every nook and corner of India. NO city in this country has managed to fight the menace. It is easy to pin everything on the government, but people must first question themselves and their own civic sense. Roads are not dirty because nobody cleaned it, but because somebody dirtied it in the first place.
Using 'everybody does it' is an excuse and only an excuse. In India, even prominent personalities indulge in proud displays of lack of civic sense. Take for example, ministers who delay planes with complete disregard for other passengers or companies that freely pollute rivers and lakes. It is difficult for a country to change its mindset when its leaders themselves are setting bad examples, round the clock, all the time.
How can you teach Your Child about Civic Sense? When you teach your child about civic sense, you also teach him/her about civic responsibility. Children need to be taught civic sense early because unlike a specific skill, civic sense is a school of thought in itself. It is belief in hygiene, respect for other members of society, and humane behaviour.
And such dirt and grime is not acceptable to anybody; it exists only because everybody does it. Even swine flu, which is quickly spreading across the country, was caused by the absence of hygiene... And people continue to indulge in such behaviour in spite of knowing the harmful effects.
Using 'everybody does it' is an excuse and only an excuse. In India, even prominent personalities indulge in proud displays of lack of civic sense. Take for example, ministers who delay planes with complete disregard for other passengers or companies that freely pollute rivers and lakes. It is difficult for a country to change its mindset when its leaders themselves are setting bad examples, round the clock, all the time.
How can you teach Your Child about Civic Sense? When you teach your child about civic sense, you also teach him/her about civic responsibility. Children need to be taught civic sense early because unlike a specific skill, civic sense is a school of thought in itself. It is belief in hygiene, respect for other members of society, and humane behaviour.
So how do you go about teaching your child civic sense? Begin by teaching him/her to keep his immediate surroundings clean and tidy. If he learns to appreciate cleanliness, he will be able to practice it outside of home as well. Explain to him/her that just because other people dirty their surroundings does not mean he/she should too. CLEANLINESS IS GODLINESS. Encourage him/her to mix with people from different backgrounds and not harbour prejudice against them. India is a mix of a variety of people and patience and tolerance in your child will make him/her more accepted and respected. You can also tell your child about the relevance of different festivals and explain to him/her the spirit behind each. This way, he/she will not see the differences but the similarities between his/her religion and another's. ..."
MANNERS
Manners matter a lot. We acquire them quite early in life mostly from parents ... much comes from culture and tradition ... some of the illiterate rural parents teach excellent manners to their children, while some children of highly qualified urban parents behave badly. Generally, children emulate their parents -- get their manners, mannerisms, and even their ego and pride. Lucky is the child who has parents of good manners and even temperament.
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| Even the dog is wondering why humans are imitating canines !! |
OPEN DEFECATION
We dream that India should not have the dubious distinction of being the global capital of open defecation, accounting for a 58 per cent of the world population who defecate in the open. People openly defecating in public places, on the roadside, along the railway track and in the fields around homes is an ubiquitous part of the Indian scenery. My writings in The Hindu of Jan 17, 2011 & Jan. 31, 2011 point to the rampant and hazardous practice of open air defecation, urination and spitting in public places in India.
Swapnil Chaturvedi gave up lucrative software jobs in US to provide toilet facilities to the urban poor in the slums of Pune, using ICT, behavioural sciences, analytics and design. He is the ‘Chief Toilet Cleaner’ at Samagra Sanitation. Let us dream to be like Swapnil.
SINGAPORE SMARTNESS
We dream to have Singapore-like smart cities, smart 'Amaravathi' capital, and a smart country. Let us dream and act like Singaporeans. The civic sense of a pet dog owner there is such that when his dog defecates on a public road, he picks up the poop in a plastic bag and walks to the waste disposal bin. Let us dream to have such a civic sense. Dream, dream, dream ... Whenever I go to Singapore, I see the kind of sign boards attached hereunder. A fine city, and a ‘fine’ city too (strictly punished with a ‘fine’ for violation of rules). And I wonder whether we should have such sign boards for humans here !!!
Yes, I doubt very much ... our people just don't take them seriously. Here is an example. Usually, I go to bed very late in the night. So as not to be disturbed while sleeping, I stuck this sign board on the door of my bedroom long ago ... " SLEEPING ... PLEASE DON'T DISTURB" ... it didn't seem to work ... somebody walks in and out, affecting the quality of my sleep.
On 24.01.2018, I woke up due to some activity in the bedroom ... I saw two persons in the bedroom ... giving up the last two hours of my quantum of sleep, I proceeded to the attached bathroom where I found two more persons, engaged in doing some non-urgent electrical work ! Then, I stuck another note on the bedroom door, reading "Read the 'Scribbling: "CIVIC. SENSE. & MANNERS." Of course, I guess nobody cares to read this ... and the 'Indian Sense' would continue to prevail !!!
Just a couple of days later (27.01.2018), this bedroom witnessed another infringement on my right to undisturbed sleep. I was woken up just 3 hours after I went to bed. The reason for the intrusion is this: As usual, the flowers vendor woman came to our house to supply some flowers ... she was having some cough ... so I was woken up to know which cough syrup is to be taken. This is the emergency ! I kept my cool as it's my won't.
On 21.12.2019, my better half was watching TV in her bedroom. To her consternation, the TV was switched off with a grumble that the sound was disturbing ! That's the combination of high education and low level manners.
February 24, 2022
After a lapse of more than two years, I am adding a few words to this subject now. Early tonight, a "Sexologist & Marriage Counsellor" was brought into our bedroom without a warning just to casually introduce me and my wife to him as he happened to be in our campus on some official work. I thanked god for not waking us up in the night to make the introduction. After he left, I was wondering whether we need marriage counselling after crossing the age of 70 !!!
SOME SIGN BOARDS IN SINGAPORE
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