By Dinesh Devireddy:
Early, one pleasant morning, as I was travelling from Punjab to Delhi by train, all set for an interview in Gurgaon, I was greatly upset to see life along the railway tracks.
The 30 minutes between Samaypur Badli and New Delhi opened my eyes to the grim conditions the poor in our country inhabit. The tracks and the area surrounding them are treated by the inhabitants of houses around the railway lines as a public toilet. I was appalled to observe women having to answer nature’s calls in open.
Many would blame them for knowing no different, and trying no harder, but one really just needs to see their ramshackle ‘houses’ to understand that the hygiene we take as our basic right is a luxury to some. That day I understood the importance of the ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’.
If this is the condition of Delhi and NCR, what about the rest of the country? The capital, with its beautiful roads and imposing construction, should be surrounded by prosperity and cleanliness – an example for the whole nation to follow. Our country is throwing away too much in wages and perks for politicians who are totally insensitive to the plight of their people. We need leaders who are truly interested in leading our country out of poverty and indignity. I am all for a Swachh Bharat, in and outside the parliament. I want change. I want to be the change.