Modi's #SwachBharat Beyond Trending on Social Media

Modis #SwachBharat Beyond Trending on Social Media
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Narendra Modi\'s #SwachBharat Beyond Trending on Social Media. Cleaning one messy house is a big enough problem. Scale it to a neighbourhood, a city, a state and a country – it is simply too huge to handle.

Cleaning one messy house is a big enough problem. Scale it to a neighbourhood, a city, a state and a country – it is simply too huge to handle. While the Swachh Bharat initiative is commendable, one has to admit – it is a challenge bigger than some inspiring speeches, a few celebrities wielding broom sticks, and trending on social media. Unfortunately, one imaginative man can only do so much.

The problem of cleanliness is not a one-time affair. So far, what has been done can be majorly credited to the Prime Minister personally and some proactive, positive Indians. Modi’s exhortations to clean up and his personal gesture of cleaning surroundings of a Police Station in the capital are great. But, what even if a hundred people were to clean up someroads immaculately? Would it prevent the million others from littering it again? Would the hundreds volunteering remain motivated enough in the face of stubborn littering?

As much as it may be a problem to get a thousand volunteers, it is a much bigger problem of stoppingmillion others from littering. Will a pledge be sufficient to do it? Most likely not. It is a deeper problem touching the community psyche. There are several aspects needed to make this movement successful.

At the first level, the movement needs better organization. There are probably several million Indians out there who would be happy to volunteer a couple of hours a week to make their surroundings cleaner. But, as someone who is ready – my first question is how can I help? Unless there a defined way that enables me to contribute, I am more likely to sit on my couch and extend my silent, moral support only. It is natural for most people to hesitate doing something differently than the rest unless they see a social approval of their actions. So, while a hundred people may come out on the streets if they see ten people volunteering every weekend as a routine, the same hundred would most likely choose not to do so on just listening to the Prime Minister’s speeches.

Such an organization should be inviting people all from all spheres and percolating down to the most granular level. It is also important that it be apolitical, though not averse to support individual political parties.

The second element is research and planning. Again, spending two hours a week is great – but, are we addressing the most effected parts of a city? Is there an overall plan of cleaning up a city within a defined period, say a year? Are there are ways for people to report problem areas easily, if they cannot pick up broom sticks. Are there ways for those willing to volunteer to easily participate?

These activities must also include the investigation and development of efficient ways of cleaning. They must alsoensure that efforts of the volunteer force are invested in the most profitable areas. Efficient ways of cleaning may include research on the patterns of dirt or garbage accumulated and figuring standard ways of cleaning them. It may also include the identification of best and economical equipment required for effective and quick cleaning.

The third front involves corresponding infrastructural upgradation. For example, installation of adequate dustbins along streets. To be able to at least provide options to citizens to throw garbage inside a bin is also a big step. Today most places in India lack this basic ‘infrastructure’.

This could also take interesting dimensions to collaborate with academics for technical innovations to build cost-effective street sweeping machines for Indian conditions. This must also include the bigger challenge of waste processing and disposal, treatment or recycling, management of landfills and dump yards. Some of these aspects that lie mostly beyond volunteer reach must also be initiated by the government.

The fourth front that requires a major overhaul is the place of cleanliness in the Indian psyche. A serious education drive needs to be spawned off that would essentially instill the importance of cleanliness in the Indian mind. And then this must percolate into the education system for a lasting outcome – both as a part of academic curriculum and home education. This too has to be carefully addressed to make sure that yet another Swachh Bharatis not needed another decade from now.

A fifth and final element, that in fact is a greater enabler, is the imaginative use of Information Technology in this movement. This does require out of box thought and implementation to ensure that each and every Indian is enabled to participate in the movement in whatever capacity they may want to. If IT-enabled participation is made possible, then it could well make the movement go viral.

Clean India has huge implications. Better health, reduced medical costs, improved productivity, better environment, improved traffic, lesser accidents and increased civic awareness – scale this up to encompass the whole of India and the impact will be revolutionary.

In conclusion, while the Swachh Bharat initiative is great, its success lies precariously placed on the imagination of the one person, the Prime Minister. Unless there is an organizational genius that acts to convert this into a social movement, Indians could find themselves unable to gift a clean country to Mahatma Gandhi on his 150th birth anniversary.

Siddhartha Purkayastha

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