Disclaimer first: between my husband and I, we have two cars, and when the news of the odd-even formula came, my first call was to find out about our number plates.
As we debated the pros and cons of this attempt at pollution control by AAP in Delhi, what really struck me was the barrage of complaints the proposal was met with: how will we travel? Knee-jerk reaction, we can't do it...crib, crib and more of crib. Why? Why is the reaction to practically everything that seems a bit difficult a resounding "No". Why don't we want to give things a chance even in cases designed to improve lives?
Question them, of course, point out the loopholes, yes, protest if needed, but surely our reactions can be focused more on solutions, or if we still want to stay with criticism, can we be constructive? Anything and everything will fail if the attitude is this negative to begin with.
It's not about this particular proposal of the Delhi government (which needs a lot of fleshing out); it's about us, are we becoming a nation of cribbers?
Take Swachh Bharat for instance. Is it working? I don't know. What I do know is that we all wait for the government, the administration, that civic worker to come and do his job. Yes, that's expected, and they should, but when is that last time a colony got together regularly to organize clean up drives? Why don't Resident Welfare Associations also take up Swachh Bharat as part of their weekly initiatives along with Tambola at the local club? Try it - it's different and will make for a clean refreshing change!
Visiting a friend recently, I noticed the road to her home was badly broken, full of potholes and realized that in the past year, it had become worse. When I suggested to her about getting everyone living on the same street together and asking the authorities to get it fixed, she said "Manika, the politics in this colony will put the nation's political parties to shame. No one cares about the road, it's all about me, myself." So broken road
chalega, pollution
chalega but no we can't put aside our petty differences to come together for something that will benefit all.
Pollution is a huge issue in Delhi now; some days we are worse than Beijing, the smog capital of the world; our kids' lungs are being destroyed, but our first thought will always be "Oh, what about me? I can't do this because it's inconvenient."
Stop it, stop it now, think bigger.
We didn't even realize it but water purifiers have become an integral part of every middle class home in this country. You can't even think of not having an RO system. Why? Why can't we have water from the tap? I wish someone had woken up and started something 5, 10 years back to ensure we have clean water as a right.
Let's do more before air purifiers are as essential. Also, do spare a thought for those who can't afford these. Many of us will buy masks, gadgets to protect us. What about who can't? Are they destined to live with this killer air? Is there an air equivalent of boiling water?!
We are always told to look at the larger picture, it's time we do.
So the next time there is something around your home or your office that needs fixing, get together, go to your MLA, go to your councillor, go to your MP, make him or her accountable. I know it's easier said than done and weekends and days off are rare, but once a month for a few hours, people could get together to do their bit. Perhaps use that social media for more than pictures and funny videos - look at Whitfield in Bangalore and the way Chennai came together.
It won't be instantaneous and it won't be easy, but after all, as someone once said, "Difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations."
(Manika Raikwar Ahirwal is Managing Editor and Editor (Integration) with NDTV.)Disclaimer: The opinions expressed within this article are the personal opinions of the author. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of NDTV and NDTV does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.