Nagpur has the potential to be one of the best places in the country to live in, but some basic problems need to be addressed. Civic sense is an area which we seem to be severely lacking in. I refer to civic sense with a broad meaning, including cleanliness in public places, respecting public property and respecting the heritage and culture of our area. And trust me all these are actually related. When a person maintains cleanliness around him by not spitting he starts respecting his surroundings. With respect comes deeper awareness of the importance and heritage of public property. In the end, the citizen starts appreciating the arts and culture of the area. I have travelled across the country and to various places around the globe. I still believe that the beauty of the Himalayan ranges is much greater than that of the Swiss Alps. But we lose out on the cleanliness part, and certainly a lot more in tourism. Even in and around Nagpur there is a wealth of wildlife and a treasure of historically important places, but due to the lack of civic sense everything is in disarray.

 

I visited a place near Nagpur where there was a 100-year-old cannon. But slowly it is getting damaged with graffiti, some parts are being stolen by vandals and no one cares. So, how do we rid our city of this civic evil? I believe NGOs in Nagpur will have to start playing a very active role. Awareness has to be created by reaching out to communities at large. Also, individuals should be talking to their friends and relatives, making them aware of keeping the surroundings clean. To start explaining this to complete strangers is of no use, as no, one will listen. I was once walking near Panchsheel Theatre and saw a man spitting on the road. When I told him that he is spoiling the surroundings, he shouted back at me. Well as they say, charity begins at home and hence we must inculcate that sense among the people we know first. Once while waiting at Frankfurt Airport, I saw a small kid putting the chocolate wrapper in the appropriate bin after eating it – we have kindergartens all over the city, can we not have dustbins according to the kind of waste generated in schools - One for paper, one for biodegradable stuff and the other for non-biodegradable! Children can be taught at a young age not only to keep our surrounding clean, but also to do it in the right way. There is no immediate solution to the problem, it is a long term plan that we have to chart out. We have all grown up hearing that ‘Cleanliness is next to Godliness,’ and now is time to live by it. Adults have to set an example for the younger ones. So often adults act in un-civic ways, hence it is not surprising that kids are emulating them. Looking forward to a cleaner Nagpur in the future, and hopefully we can all take concrete steps in this direction.