Narendra Modi’s report card rig-ht now is looking pretty theek thaak — even impressive — compelling critics to concede the Prime Minister has passed his crucial 100 days in office with straight “As”. Nationwide polls have endorsed most of his initiatives and the overall mood in the country is as upbeat as the Sensex. His Japanese jhappis and dhol diplomacy may have upset a visibly grumpy Rahul baba in Delhi, but when Narendrabhai said his final sayonara to the Land of the Rising Sun, what most citizens remembered were the Prime Minister’s magic flute moments. I am not sure the rest of us have half as much to boast about. Forget getting distinctions, I wonder if we can even scrape through in certain subjects.
In the context of NaMo’s virgin Independence Day speech from the ramparts of the Red Fort, it’s worth asking ourselves a few tough questions.
Let’s start with basics:
Cleanliness: How many of us bother with public sanitation? Bother enough to do something about it in areas we occupy and those that are in the neighbourhood? We keep our homes spotlessly clean. But care a damn about maintaining the same high standards in our vicinity. For over two decades, a dedicated social worker in the area where I live has been fighting a lone battle to deal with everybody’s garbage. She has gone from house to house trying to convince indifferent residents to follow simple rules like separating kitchen garbage, not littering the compound, not spitting on the staircase, keeping the landings clean, and contributing towards creating a green environment by planting more trees. Has she made even a tiny dent? Nope. If anything, she is dismissively dubbed “Cuffe Parade’s Kachra Lady.” She soldiers on regardless. I admire her for that.
Toilets for all: Mr Modi brought up what is generally an unmentionable issue (toilets), and embarrassed the nation. We needed to be shamed — it was overdue. Take this situation. We live bang opposite a public toilet that was constructed by a Good Samaritan a few years ago. It is used by hundreds of drivers and casual labourers who work long hours in this crowded, busy area. A small fee is charged for using the facilities. Have I ever stepped inside to check on the conditions? Never! Am I likely to? Nope. I am more than willing to join hands and create new toilets in the sprawling slums close by. Have I taken the initiative to create even one? No. The common toilets that exist in Geetha Nagar are too few in number, forcing hundreds of slum dwellers to use a narrow path jutting into the sea as an open-air community bathroom. At all hours of the day and night, I can see bare bottoms going about their business. It is not a pleasant sight. But where else can these people go? It is the same story across India — no place to “go”.
Attitude of society towards men: Mr Modi went boldly where few have dared to venture in the past. By placing the onus of rape on the men of India, he freed millions of women from harbouring a false sense of guilt, each time a fresh incidence of sexual violence was reported. After hearing Mr Modi’s speech, how many of us have rethought our own approach to this problem and altered our thinking? Talked to the young boys in the family? Opened a fresh dialogue on this sensitive issue?
Attitude of society towards daughters: Mr Modi said one daughter was equivalent to five sons in our society. Truer words were never spoken. It took guts to spell this out in a staunchly patriarchal society such as ours.
And yet, we continue to discriminate against our daughters and treat them like second-class citizens. Has that changed? Will it change? Not so long as the scourge of dowry exists. How many parents of daughters are ready to challenge this awful practice, at the risk of not finding eligible grooms for their girls?
More transparency in public life: If Mr Modi’s government succeeds in bringing about a true transformation in this tricky area, brow beaten citizens will be ever grateful. The cleaning up process has started, but it is too soon to declare it a success. Grand promises of sweeping changes had been made before the elections. Armed with an impressive mandate, the question of delaying overdue reforms and tackling corruption on a war footing therefore did not arise. Things are happening! Finally! Big heads are likely to roll in the coming months. And gigantic egos have already been cut down to size. Have we done the same in our lives? When will citizens refuse to bribe and grease palms? So long as we offer a few hundred rupee notes to traffic cops who catch us for speeding, or we scale up and offer lakhs to a bureaucrat for clearing files, we will remain stuck in the cesspool we claim to detest but occupy nevertheless.
Mr Modi is one of the most watched politicians on earth right now. All eyes will be on him when he makes that historic “working trip” to America. So far, his yatra has not been upgraded to a state visit. Whether or not Americans roll out the red carpet for India’s Prime Minister the way Japan did is not as important as what sort of a rapport Mr Modi establishes with Barack Obama. Forget playing the flute, Narendrabhai.
Just smoke a peace pipe with the Big Boy. Achche din, Amrikan ishtyle are bound to follow.
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