My most controversial opinion is that Indian cities suck because we Indians don’t have civic sense. It is not just the politicians, the government, the babus or the “system”. The politicians, government or babus don’t emerge out of a vaccum or from a distinct culture that is unrelated to India. They all grew up in Indian families, were educated in Indian schools and were voted into power by Indian voters. We could keep debating forever about socialism vs capitalism or left leaning vs right leaning politics but in the end any system is as good as the actors that inhabit and influence the system. And unless the desire to change comes from within, there is no external forcing function that is going to fix the country. There must be an intrinsic, internal desire within every citizen to clean up after themselves, to give more than they take and be a net positive to society even if it means inconveniencing themselves slightly. And this is why I think nationalism and patriotism is important. You must take pride in your nation and what it stands for to want to fix things, to want to make a difference, to do the right thing even when it comes at a personal cost. Indians don’t lack empathy, they show immense empathy for their immediate family but it doesn’t extend beyond a tight circle. A strong national identity can actually help expand that circle and create a more diffused radius of empathy. The good thing is, I am starting to see this happening. There is still a long, long way to go though.
