For a better tomorrow, begin today at home

Rajkumari Sharma Tankha

The other day, I was chatting with a group of friends when the conversation veered around on how the times are changing, how neither small girls nor old women are safe in our country, how the crime is increasing, how the boys are indulging in sexual crimes.
“We must do something, may be form an organisation and start visiting various localities and begin educating boys and men,” said Vibhuti. “Really, when I see so much crime happening all around, I feel scared for my kids?” said Madhu.

Well, I cannot deny that all this is happening. Every morning when I open the newspaper, I only see the news pertaining to rape, murder, robbery and theft. Most often than not newspapers carry only crime news items. But then being a journalist for more than two decades now, I also know that only negative news is carried because it has shock value and it sells. Positive news items rarely evoke the kind of response a negative news evokes. But people who are not a part of the media industry cannot fathom this.

But this doesn’t mean that we give up on humanity, that we see doom everywhere. I have a firm belief in the inherent goodness of human souls. No doubt, there are scores of criminals and selfish people but there is an equal number of good people. In fact, the number of good souls must be more. And I feel rather than dwelling on doom always, we must celebrate goodness. It is just matter of focussing your attention. You look for good and you will see good. You look for bad, you will spot bad.

By this, I don’t mean that you close your eyes to the wrong things happening around rather do whatever you can at your own level to improve the situation. Begin with your home, be a role model for your children. Please do not depend on government for doing everything, the government can do only up to a certain extent, not beyond.

So we have to become proactive. Take a stand when you see some wrong thing happening. Do not feel shy in pointing out people who litter public spaces and flout rules and regulations. Government can make rules but it cannot put a cop behind each and every citizen. Each one of us has to take the responsibility of bettering our situation.

The other day, I was travelling to Shalimar Bagh by Delhi Metro’s Yellow Line, and what I encountered on the way gave me a new high, and renewed my faith that the number of good people is much more than those with negative traits. And despite what all doomsayers say, we are surely headed towards better days. That’s my belief. Returning from my office at ITO one night, I boarded the train at Vishwavidyalaya Metro Station. Time was around 10 pm and even at that unusual hour, the train was fairly packed. Just as I was trying to find a comparatively-empty spot to stand comfortably, a little boy come up to me, pulled my dupatta — yes, he was that small, he later told me his name was Aryan and he was studying in nursery at Delhi Police Public School — and said: “Aunty aap yahan baith jaayeye.” He was offering me his seat. I was happily surprised. Such a small boy is being given such good values — that he has to stand up and give his seat to an older person. When I refused, he insisted that I sit, and though I didn’t sit on his seat and lovingly told him so, the child really warmed my heart. I couldn’t stop myself from appreciating her mother for bringing him up so well. In return, the mother just smiled, she had no airs or pride.

This incident renewed my faith in humanity. It renewed my belief that there are enough good people around. Why I am sharing the incident here is to tell you all that we don’t have to become doomsayers. Also that society’s improvement begins with homes, families. It is time we begin doing our bit.