Moustached babies: Adulthood means certain responsible behaviour
It is time to learn certain expected norms of social behaviour as practised in civilised sicieties. Grown-ups cannot behave like kids.
SWAMI VIVEKANANDA sarcastically referred to adults devoid of civic values as ‘moustached babies’. This showed how peeved he was at the attitude of our people, who did not exhibit expected norms of social behavior. A great thinker that he was, he died at a young age leaving so much treasure of thoughts for his countrymen – attacking age-old cultural taboos relating to irrationality in food habits, he referred to our obstinate reliance as ‘religion of kitchen’ – including on how to conduct oneself in public. A highly irresponsible public behaviour is urinating in public spaces. Khushwant Singh rightly called those urinating on the road sides as ‘slaves of their bowels’. It is so disgusting to find people urinating on Delhi roads in broad day light after parking their cars or scooters. Who are these guys? They are not our poor jhuggi dwellers without a shelter or access to basic amenities.
They are typical middle and even upper classes that pride itself in everything but have no training in basic etiquettes. One needs to ask them why cannot they wait till they reach their place of work, residence or what ever their destination before deciding to make a public display of their prostatic impairment? These people are in need of help. How else could one explain such uncouth and nasty scenes enacted daily on Delhi roads? So if some adults (not old, genuine sufferers) still need to wear their nappies, they can only be called moustached babies.
We are infested with littering bug. Go to any public park, monument, market, railway station, there will be such heaps of garbage that you wonder if the municipal van has just unloaded itself. Fact is, in our total blindness to the surrounding, we revel in spreading filth – it is the duty of the municipal workers to clean the mess that is what they are here for – irrespective of our educational background, cast or creed. No place, whatever number the civic body may employ, can ever be kept clean by some hired hands until the citizenry performs its basic duty to take care and make some contribution towards that objective. The littering habit also shows that we are moustached babies and have grown up without inculcating any of the adult learning.
The lack of any sense of responsibility on the part of sections of the media was highlighted earlier in these columns on the eve of Commonwealth Games. They poured so much mud and scorn that India became a laughing stock before the committee of nations. This section of the media showed almost juvenile exuberance in non-stop mocking at the entire gamut of preparatory exercises that were at very advanced stage of finish. The canard being hammered those few weeks almost put a spanner in the last spell of work till good sense prevailed on some and the non-stop criticism was slightly toned down. Now that the country is covered with glory (except in the area of ticket sale) as reflected in the programme of opening and closing ceremonies of the Games, favourable comments from the international gathering and achievements of our sports persons, what justification do they see in their highly irresponsible earlier utterances? The noise was raised to such a crescendo that people watched with great trepidation, thinking all was lost, till a week before the Games. The calumny that was sought to be spread now lies exposed and the nation’s prestige stands salvaged. The country has heaved a sigh of relief. The doubting Thomases have been silenced. They have made a hasty retreat but without a word of apology to the nation. If anything, the effort on their part would now be to manipulate information in such a way as to appropriate the newly acquired distinction to be of their making. Thus the media’s role prior to CWG in essence depicts every thing that must not be done for adversely impacting the well-being of a responsible and mature society. They are Vivekananda’s ‘moustached babies’, albeit with the difference that babies can be accused of follies but not ranker, which had been so visible in the case of the media.
Swami Vivekanada is not there to guide us. But why do not we ask questions? When I see a person throwing an empty can or pet bottle from a moving sedan after lowering his power window, I wonder what would be his social background. How can a civilized person throw rubbish on the street? Even the JLN stadium was not spared. It was pathetic to find litters strewn all over the place, despite the presence of dust-bins in large number, by visitors who were all ‘well-connected’ and ‘influential’ people and not street urchins.
An interesting booklet by Swami Ranganathananda, ‘Enlightened Citizenship and Our Democracy’ , being a compendium of his discourses given in a symposium in 1980, in a very simple and lucid language, explained his well-researched ideas on citizenship values in Indian context. Even three decades earlier, he was complaining about the absence of civic values, declining standards of urban living, and lack of community feelings. He characterized these negative traits in one phrase, the ‘pathology of law-breaking’. This expression very appropriately conveys the lack of civic virtues in citizens, and one could not agree more. How else would one explain people parking their car or bike and urinating on Delhi streets in broad-day light, jumping the traffic signal, blaring horns like mad and indulging in vandalism at heritage sites? These people are in need of help. They are ‘moustached babies’ of Vivekananda and ‘psychopaths’ of Ranganathananada.
Reflecting on the lack of responsible behaviour, Nani Palkhivala said, “While eternal vigilance is undoubtedly the price of liberty, yet in a more profound sense eternal responsibility is also part of the price of liberty”. Responsibility (of thinking, conduct and behaviour) thus in a manner of speaking becomes the core of citizenship. We may recall that some of these were sought to be ingrained by incorporation of Fundamental Duties in the Indian Constitution in 1976 – though law alone cannot bring about a change should be crystal clear to all. It is a behaviour change communication issue. The need is to make a beginning somewhere. Our urban landscape is in desperate need of reinventing itself in terms of adherence to law and observance of basic norms of civic behaviour. The quality of life defines a place and that among other things depends on the attainment of above traits.
We are infested with littering bug. Go to any public park, monument, market, railway station, there will be such heaps of garbage that you wonder if the municipal van has just unloaded itself. Fact is, in our total blindness to the surrounding, we revel in spreading filth – it is the duty of the municipal workers to clean the mess that is what they are here for – irrespective of our educational background, cast or creed. No place, whatever number the civic body may employ, can ever be kept clean by some hired hands until the citizenry performs its basic duty to take care and make some contribution towards that objective. The littering habit also shows that we are moustached babies and have grown up without inculcating any of the adult learning.
The lack of any sense of responsibility on the part of sections of the media was highlighted earlier in these columns on the eve of Commonwealth Games. They poured so much mud and scorn that India became a laughing stock before the committee of nations. This section of the media showed almost juvenile exuberance in non-stop mocking at the entire gamut of preparatory exercises that were at very advanced stage of finish. The canard being hammered those few weeks almost put a spanner in the last spell of work till good sense prevailed on some and the non-stop criticism was slightly toned down. Now that the country is covered with glory (except in the area of ticket sale) as reflected in the programme of opening and closing ceremonies of the Games, favourable comments from the international gathering and achievements of our sports persons, what justification do they see in their highly irresponsible earlier utterances? The noise was raised to such a crescendo that people watched with great trepidation, thinking all was lost, till a week before the Games. The calumny that was sought to be spread now lies exposed and the nation’s prestige stands salvaged. The country has heaved a sigh of relief. The doubting Thomases have been silenced. They have made a hasty retreat but without a word of apology to the nation. If anything, the effort on their part would now be to manipulate information in such a way as to appropriate the newly acquired distinction to be of their making. Thus the media’s role prior to CWG in essence depicts every thing that must not be done for adversely impacting the well-being of a responsible and mature society. They are Vivekananda’s ‘moustached babies’, albeit with the difference that babies can be accused of follies but not ranker, which had been so visible in the case of the media.
Swami Vivekanada is not there to guide us. But why do not we ask questions? When I see a person throwing an empty can or pet bottle from a moving sedan after lowering his power window, I wonder what would be his social background. How can a civilized person throw rubbish on the street? Even the JLN stadium was not spared. It was pathetic to find litters strewn all over the place, despite the presence of dust-bins in large number, by visitors who were all ‘well-connected’ and ‘influential’ people and not street urchins.
An interesting booklet by Swami Ranganathananda, ‘Enlightened Citizenship and Our Democracy’ , being a compendium of his discourses given in a symposium in 1980, in a very simple and lucid language, explained his well-researched ideas on citizenship values in Indian context. Even three decades earlier, he was complaining about the absence of civic values, declining standards of urban living, and lack of community feelings. He characterized these negative traits in one phrase, the ‘pathology of law-breaking’. This expression very appropriately conveys the lack of civic virtues in citizens, and one could not agree more. How else would one explain people parking their car or bike and urinating on Delhi streets in broad-day light, jumping the traffic signal, blaring horns like mad and indulging in vandalism at heritage sites? These people are in need of help. They are ‘moustached babies’ of Vivekananda and ‘psychopaths’ of Ranganathananada.
Reflecting on the lack of responsible behaviour, Nani Palkhivala said, “While eternal vigilance is undoubtedly the price of liberty, yet in a more profound sense eternal responsibility is also part of the price of liberty”. Responsibility (of thinking, conduct and behaviour) thus in a manner of speaking becomes the core of citizenship. We may recall that some of these were sought to be ingrained by incorporation of Fundamental Duties in the Indian Constitution in 1976 – though law alone cannot bring about a change should be crystal clear to all. It is a behaviour change communication issue. The need is to make a beginning somewhere. Our urban landscape is in desperate need of reinventing itself in terms of adherence to law and observance of basic norms of civic behaviour. The quality of life defines a place and that among other things depends on the attainment of above traits.
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