“Why this
broom in your hand today?” Lulu, my parrot asked as he laughed. He was unable
to control his laughter. I was standing on the approach road to our housing
complex.
“Well, I am
on a cleaning drive. Things must be maintained clean and tidy. I am sick of
this filth around our houses.” Whenever you start a path breaking, hmmm…., path
cleaning journey, people make fun of you. But if you are of a man of resolve
you remain firm, I told myself. It makes sure that critics do not succeed.
“Hahaha.
You are inspired by our Prime Minister, aren’t you? He started cleaning after
his visit to US. He must have seen well maintained cities and public places.”
“You can’t
say that; he had announced his ‘Swachch Bharat abhiyan’ even before he went to
US. Moreover it is a strongly felt need for our country.”
“So you are
going to clean the road around your home?” Lulu gave me a queer look.
“Yes. And I
am going to tell the Municipality to cut these Peltoforum trees and
plant them elsewhere.”
“Why? We
parrots find it a good place to gather.”
“So what? Peltoforum
has such tiny leaves. They keep falling. So it becomes quite a job to sweep a
heap of them every day. If at all they want trees, they must plant those with
big leaves. Cleaning will be easier.”
“But they bring shade and beautiful yellow
flowers. You see a wonderful yellow carpet of flowers once in six months when
they bloom.”
“And who
enjoys it? A group of dogs! There are so many stray dogs in our housing
complex. I guess the stray dog to homely man ratio is one is to two! Thanks to
Maneka Gandhi.”
“Stray dog
to homely man ratio? Wow! These are days of analytics!! Oh, you are so harsh on Maneka.
She has saved lives of so many dogs and cattle.”
“And I am
happy that her son Varun is not going to be a Minster anywhere. If he becomes
one, I am afraid he too will imitate his illustrious mother and launch ‘save
Cockroaches’ movement.’”
“Haha haha.
I don’t know but I guess Maneka may be afraid of cockroaches, so the resistance
will come from home.”
“And like they
do a fifteen minute meeting before start of the day in Japanese style in every
office and factory, everybody must be asked to do cleaning for first fifteen
minutes of his day.” I have always found this fifteen minute start-of-the-day meeting
very useful. I intend to have one with my darling wife every day!!
“That’s a
good idea those ‘fifteen minute start-of-the-day meetings.’ Actually that is
what I always hear your wife say – don’t throw your used towel on the bed when
you are getting ready to go to office, don’t leave your shoes under the sofa
when you remove them after returning from work. A dozen appeals very day. And she
shouts angrily “you will never improve.””
“Hahahaha.
She is very fussy about cleanliness. If she sees a speck of dirt, if things are
not in order, it annoys her. Well, she is the Prime Minister of this home.”
“So chances
are that the Prime Minister’s ‘Swachch Bharat’ will beget the same response. Nothing
will change unless you change your outlook towards your responsibilities,
people, trees and animals.” Lulu said as he prepared to fly out.
"What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments,
but what is woven into the lives of others."