KOCHI: I have been paying attention to the recent series of 'Athithi Devo Bhava' advertisements in the light of the Commonwealth Games where Aamir Khan urges people to extend hospitality to guests visiting our country. My favourite in the series is the one which shows tourists trying to click pictures only to find a banana peel thrown on them from a moving bus, or end up capturing a child urinating from a picturesque bridge. I like the reality in this public message. It is indeed difficult to click pictures without such nuisances from getting into the frame in most tourist spots.
My first impression of Cochin was that of a clean city. What really impressed me was that people did not spit on the road. I seldom had to dodge the slimy red splatter of gutka while walking.
It is too much for a pedestrian to dodge — spit, phlegm, potholes and, honking two-wheelers and buses threatening to run onto the footpath. Hence, even one nuisance less to look out for makes things easier.
Much to my dismay, the scene is fast changing. Take a look around and you will see people spitting and littering indiscriminately. Even when a dustbin is provided, I see litter around it. It is as though people play basketball and invariably miss their shot.
It is common to see people moving in fancy cars lowering the window to throw the remains of their eats. Many parts of the city have become difficult to walk through, as they emanate the stench of fermenting waste.
Why are we so indifferent to our environment? What makes us think that we have the right to litter and dirty our surroundings? What makes us think we can take our dog out of the house when it needs to answer nature’s call, and not clean up after it? It is worth giving a thought as to how the same individual who litters here, changes overnight when he or she is abroad.
Many believe that the imposition of fines and severe punishment does the trick. It is very unfortunate that we need the police to follow us around asking us not to litter and be threatened with lashings to be put in place. We must respect the fact that we live in a democratic country, and democracy in no way implies the right to litter or urinate anywhere you please.
It is every individual’s civic responsibility to ensure that the surroundings are clean. If there is no dustbin in the vicinity, carry the waste with you until you find one. And when you do find a dustbin, ensure that you throw the trash into the bin and not around it.
There is no point in only admiring clean countries. It is much more important to learn from them and practise those steps back home. Oft-repeated statements such as “India can never be a clean country” are mere cynical remarks from those who do not want to make an effort. Begin with yourself before pointing fingers at others. You may think it’s easy to throw trash on the roadside, but would you like that pile of trash outside your own house? Have we become so selfish that these things irk us only when it affects us individually?
It is high time we recognised the importance of tourism in the state. People are enthralled by advertisements of lush greenery and backwaters. ‘God’s Own Country’ we are called. Sounds wonderful, doesn’t? It is up to each one of us to make every effort possible to stay true to this beautiful title. Let’s extend hospitality to each other by taking responsibility for our own actions. Yes, hospitality can be as simple as that!
