Recently, on my way to Puri, I saw a huge gathering and stopped my car. I was astonished to see that tourists, who had come to the holy town to see the Lord’s abode, had forgotten humanity and were throwing stones and mud at two snakes.
I was sure that getting down from my car and requesting them to stop would be in vain and I would just make a fool of myself in public. But I still made and effort to do so, and perhaps luck was on my side and so was the blessing of Lord Jagannath that the mob apologised and left the snakes alone.
In another episode in Bhubaneswar, when two motorcycles collided and two youth riders got seriously injured right in front of me, it was awful to see that though both where riding beyond the speed limit, each was blaming the other for the accident. Intervention of people around them, including me, also did not seem to make them realise that they should have first obeyed traffic rules. But I am glad I tried and that there were many others who also took the pain of informing the youths about following basic traffic regulations for their own safety.
It is obvious for individuals to feel powerless in these efforts. Yet, every little act of ours is vitally important. We may only do a little bit in the grand scheme of things but together our seemingly small actions add up to a lot. Each of us can contribute to spread awareness about basic civic sense among people around us and especially, the youth.
Drive slow
Why this rush? Where do we want to reach first? The streets of our capital city are filled with stunt-crazy youths who forget that their actions could harm others. We need to spread awareness in colleges to sensitise the youth about following traffic rules for the safety and convenience of all commuters to call ourselves urban or modern.
Protect wildlife habitat
Perhaps the greatest threat that many species face is the widespread destruction of habitat. Deforestation, farming, over-grazing and development all result in irreversible changes — soil compaction, erosion, desertification and alteration of local climatic conditions. Such land use practices vastly alter or even eliminate wildlife habitat. Parks, reserves, and other protected lands are too often the only habitats left untouched by habitat destruction. In Bhubaneswar, which has always been a home to snakes, the new residential areas that have come up have destructed their habitat. But it is strange to see that young and old prefer killing a snake with ease than take up the pain to call the snake helpline!
Join a conservation organisation
There is a wide range of conservation organisations working to protect endangered animals and their habitats. Some work to protect a small plot of land or to protect whales, others focus on establishing good environmental policies in the local government. If you have a specific area of interest, you can often find an organisation that is working to protect the species or habitats you’re most concerned about. By joining, you can support well-organised efforts to protect species and habitats. If you want to participate in conservation field work, you can often get involved in specific programs within many organisations that rely to a great extent on help from volunteers.
Recycle and reuse
By recycling and reusing as much as we can, we can reduce our impact on the environment. Additionally, by reducing the energy we consume, we take a little of the burden off our natural resources (and our wallets). You can also reduce your carbon footprint by first calculating your current carbon footprint and then reducing the amount of carbon you consume.
Improve your civic sense
We often see our heritage sites, interestingly many of which are also religious sites, full of spit or unwanted graffiti. If we see someone doing such an act, it is our duty to go talk to them and discuss the after effects of such acts. Today it is risky to intervene and yet, the more we fear the more we will repent. Keeping our calm, we have to take a step forward and try to peacefully explain with a smile that this is not acceptable or fair to the public monument.
Make community police stronger
The ghastly criminal acts across the state, especially in the capital, often fill us with fear and we keep ourselves away from helping others in need. But with help of police and in collaboration with them, we must try to make our respective residential areas free from petty crimes such as chain-snatching and theft. It would need unity among residents of the area. With Bhubaneswar being inhabited by parents of youths who work outside the state, this kind of unity can help them feel more secure.
Park with care
Our streets are full of vehicles parked along the roads with less than 50 per cent space left for commuters to ride or walk. Those who walk are extremely unsafe as are those commuting by vehicles because of the space crunch on roads due to mindless parking of four-wheelers and two-wheelers. It is our duty and responsibility to take an initiative to demand proper parking space so that commuters are not affected by our halts at shops or malls.
We may become posh with stylish houses being built in our cities but we need a little more will and inclination to become civic. Its time we realise our contribution in making our cities more people-friendly.
Wake up and give it a try!
