Dr Asangba Tzüdir
The State Government coinciding with the birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi and also the nation-wide ‘Clean India Mission,’ had called for a statewide mass social work with an appeal to the citizens to cooperate and actively involve in the social work till October 2. Responding to this call various organizations and student groups have come out as crusaders of cleanliness.
Over the years, there have been cleanliness drive and awareness campaigns and social works enough to provoke the consciousness of the people on the importance of cleanliness but much more is left wanting which calls for a careful scrutiny of our mindsets and civic sensibilities. Social work and keeping the surroundings clean have been part of Naga culture but such form of cultural practice has taken a different form today which is more engulfed in ‘symbolism’ and ‘promotional’ without really touching the core essence of our sensibilities which is desired to keep our environment clean and healthy.
Cleanliness and hygiene are universally regarded as indispensable but in our state personal and environmental cleanliness is inadequately evident. The various talks and awareness campaigns seems to have failed to hit the core of our consciousness enough to get rid of the menace of deterioration of the environment due to indiscriminate throwing of garbages and littering around without any sense of considering oneself as a meaningful human. It is imperative to sincerely address the prevailing deplorable condition of civic sense as reflected through our actions that seems to have gone down the drain and flowing in equal measure with the garbage.
In one way or the other, we are all guilty of creating conflict between humans and our environment through our act of pollution. There are the spitters, the Paan and tobacoo chewers who spits at will, the urinators, the litterers and the garbage dumpers. Our rivers are so polluted by garbage; the groundwater too is no more safe for drinking. It has caused a lot of health hazards. Where is our civic sensibility as a meaningful human? Let it be reminded that our ‘uncivilized’ acts only create conflicts and violence with our environment. Consequently, we suffer from the ill-effects of pollution and its associated diseases. These are issues concerning both social and moral, and the human-environmental relationship. Our forefathers held the environment with much reverence and were more conscious about the importance of keeping a healthy and ‘balanced’ bonding with the environment.
The deplorable standard of civic sense among the people can also be attributed to improper orientation towards cleanliness and hygiene. Simply put, civic sensibility is about realising that our surroundings and the environment where we live need to be clean; that, we need to breathe good air for healthy living, and that, it is necessary to have a healthy relationship with the environment and for what it offers to us. A clean environment not only creates a healthy outlook but also a lasting relationship between humans and environment. Otherwise it results in disturbing the harmonious relationship and creates various forms of conflict not only between man and environment but also violence amongst humans.
There is need for ‘sweeping’ changes beginning with our mindsets with a heart and mind for keeping a clean and healthy environment. In pursuit of this end, an urgent resurgence of our civic sensibility is thus needed.
(Dr. Asangba Tzudir is a Freelance Research and Editing Consultant. He contributes a weekly guest editorial to The Morung Express. Comments can be mailed to asangtz@gmail.com)
