A nation’s civic consciousness can be a reliable measure of its civility. How citizens behave in public, respect shared spaces and resources, and act in solidarity with their fellow human beings are thus important markers of its attitude to the idea of a commons. In this context, Gross Domestic Behaviour, a first-of-its kind nationwide survey conducted by a media group, has provided unsettling insights into Indians’ mindset across four important parameters: civic behaviour, public safety, gender attitudes and diversity and discrimination. Based on 9,188 respondents across 21 states and one Union territory, the survey sought public opinion on such issues as littering, ticketless travel on public transport, and willingness to help fellow citizens in their hour of need. Tamil Nadu topped the list of civic behaviour, followed by West Bengal, Odisha and Delhi. Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Gujarat and Punjab occupied the bottom pile of the rankings. Bihar, which is not usually associated with impeccable civic behaviour, ranked better than Karnataka and Telangana: the two southern states have been plagued by such ills as the arbitrary dumping of garbage and open urination. This goes to show that improved social indices, such as a high literacy rate, need not necessarily correspond to better civic sense. Among India’s urban regions, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Kerala and Haryana occupied the top four slots, whereas Tamil Nadu, Odisha, West Bengal and Maharashtra ranked the best among rural regions.
Some of India’s civic warts are well-known. Blatant disregard for traffic rules, the refusal to stand in queues, defecation in the open, littering and spitting, the enthusiasm for noise pollution — a noisy Diwali is an annual testament of this — reckless driving, to cite some shameful examples, have sullied the image of Indian civic life. Worse, these transgressions afflict all social constituencies: education or a cushy job need not make a difference when it comes to, say, littering. Two inferences can be drawn on the basis of these inferences. First, a part of the problem lies in the weak implementation of legal deterrents. Indians who seldom hesitate to spit in public or jump queues would not even think of committing similar offences while travelling abroad. The second, equally troubling, issue is the seeming fragmentation in the bond between the personal and the public. Unless an individual Indian is willing to take responsibility of a public space, or is made aware of his stakes in the commons, the country’s civic culture would continue to bear paan stains.