Ever Met a Responsibility Activist?

"India is my country and all Indians are my brothers and sisters. I love my country and I am proud of its rich and varied heritage. I shall always strive to be worthy of it. I shall give respect to my parents, teachers and elders and treat everyone with courtesy. To my country and my people, I pledge my devotion. In their well being and prosperity alone, lies my happiness."

I am sure most of us would be able to recall the above lines that we have recited almost daily during our school days. Years passed by and we almost forgot that we had at some point in time pleged our devotion to our nation. Most of us know what our rights are as citizens of India, but we are least concerned about our responsibilities towards the country. I am known to several Rights Activists but never came across a single Responsibilities Activist. Never heard the term? Yes, because no such actvist exists. We are fighting for our rights as well as for others', but we do not realise the fact that if we start taking responsibilities to ourselves, half the battle would be won.

It was a typical summer afternoon, in Delhi, and I was on my way to Saket from Lajpatnagar, in an auto rickshaw. It was tough to keep up with the scorching heat, with the temperatures reaching 42 degrees. The auto rickshaw had stopped at the traffic signal near the BRT corridor, when I noticed a little boy approaching us. He had a bunch of beautiful red, heart-shaped balloons in his hand. Yes, he was a roadside vendor. He quoted the price at rupees twenty for the entire bunch and even before I could respond, he had slashed down the price to rupees ten. The innocence in those eyes captured my attention and pinched my soul.

Now where the hell have all these activists, NGOs, social workers and our own selected representatives holding key positions in the country's government, gone. Or for that matter, am I to believe that none of these people have ever come across such traffic lights? With this being a common sight across the city, it is hard to believe that they did not!

Anyways, why put the ball in someone else's court? Can't we make a difference? Yes, we can! By speaking about it, spreading the word, condemning child labour, blogging, and volunteering to help realise the dream of an educated India.