There is a popular dialogue in the cult film ‘Rang De Basanti’. “Koi bhidesh perfect nahihota, use perfect banana padtahai”. (No country is perfect, we have to make it perfect).
Image Credit: youtube
If you have seen a recent video doing rounds on social media, it shows small acts of daily life, that could ultimately help build a greater nation.
There are many little acts of patriotism you can do every day. You don’t have to be one of the soldiers braving it out at Siachen, or volunteering every weekend at Teach for India. You can be involved with your daily life, and still engage in active patriotism every day.
Here’s how.
Turn of the lights when you leave a room. 3 billion units of electricity is wasted in our country every year.
Save water by taking care of leaky taps, and shutting taps tight after a hand wash. 20,000 litres of water can be saved every year if you just close the tap well.
Don’t waste food. If you have too much to eat, parcel it and give it to the poor. India wastes as much food as the whole country of United Kingdom consumes in a year.
Cycle or walk where you can. You don’t have to whip out your car or bike keys to buy milk around the next corner. Environmental pollution could be biggest killer in the next year. And those WhatsApp forwards about Delhi smog could soon be about your own city.
When your instinct drive you to bargain with the street vendor, think of him as H&M, and pay like you would a printed price. Just because he sells goods with a bar code, does not lessen his efforts. In fact, the poor work harder and need the money more than the mall.
It may be as little as buying a notebook for your maid’s kids, but it has a huge impact on literacy rates in India. Here’s the video that shows daily acts of patriotism.
When you go for a trip next time, take an extra bag to carry waste. A small act like collecting the wrappers, instead of throwing them on the street has a huge impact on national cleanliness ultimately. Swatch Bharat is not about a day, or a single selfie. It is about a holistic conscious approach.
Stay fit, not only for your own health and longevity. But stay fit to reduce the national medical expenditure. Our country spends more on health than infrastructure in every budget.
Grow a plant on your balcony. Offer water to the delivery boy. Pack in extra lunch to give to the poor kid who knocks on your car window selling flowers and pencils.
Boys are lucky to help more. They can be of great national service by refraining from eve-teasing the next-door girl. Don’t nudge the ladies on the bus or train. If a lone girl gets a flat tire at night, make her feel safe and help her.
Don’t encourage negativity for forwarding hostile videos on WhatsApp. Nod and acknowledge the colleague at work from the other community. Its fine to share cutting with the queer.
Smile. That could be the greatest national service when the conflicting forces are pulling the society apart. Smile when the Karna Sena threatens to de-nose Deepika. Smile when fundamentalists ban books or thrash minorities. Smile when the flat owners throw the gay couple out. Smile when the perpetrators force victims to post #MeToo. Smile at them, to show them that peace and harmony is a greater power than brute force.
Image Credit: indialivetoday
That cold sarcastic smile will burn through the raw force of the bullies. It will enter their conscious to remind them of their humanness, and bring them back to their national senses.
Patriotism does not need a uniform or a designation. Each of us can be a part of national service by just doing what we have to do.
Read Also: Don’t Wear Your Patriotic Heart On Your Sleeves ‘Literally’
