A Letter to Bapu

Dear Bapu!

Please permit me to share some of my feelings with you, the Father of the Nation, on the occasion of your 146^th birth anniversary.

As you are aware of the bitter fact that ours has been one of the untidiest (if not dirtiest) countries of the world since many centuries. It was found again in a recent survey (Swacch Bharat Survey of Indian Cities) that the urban areas of the North India happen to be the filthiest of them. Delhi, the Capital of the country, found its rightful place among these Cities of Muck.

A point to be brought to a devout religious man like you is that, the holiest of holy cities of our country –like Varanasi, Allahabad, Ajmer and Amritsar- are among the top cluster of these dirty cities.

Without malice or mischief I would like to mention a fact here: Cities from the Southern part of the country stand apart from their Northern counterparts. Of the Top Ten Clean Indian Cities seven are from the South. And, of the 100 top clean Indian cities 39 are South Indian.

Apart from this North-South division, as a whole our country is trailing far backward every other Asian Nation. There is a stunning fact to be taken note of: Rich of the Asian countries like Singapore and poor of the lot like the Cambodia were ahead of us alike.

In this back drop it’s but natural that skepticism and cynicismovershadow a relevant and appropriate program like Swacch Bharat. What India needs now, at this crucial and critical moment, is the driving spirit that leads us toward building a clean and green nation. In short the nation needs another Mahatma, a Bapu, who can prioritize the goals set before the country.

Hence, kindly let us know your itinerary at the earliest so that we can make arrangements accordingly.

Earnestly yours

COMMON MAN OF INDIA