SPITTING IS MY BIRTH RIGHT

Cleanliness is the hallmark of perfect standards and the best quality  that exalts the human condition, yet  unfortunately the maxim Cleanliness is next to Godliness just remains an old school quote.
Spitting anywhere can never be our birthright but some people have made it quite an art of it and for some, spitting is more than just a way of life. There are those whose spitting is revved up through three noisy stages- a deep and loud drawing in of breath , a ferocious growling which actually is clearing and collecting together of the spittle and then the great climactic event, a final meteor-like 'aakhthoo' flings the spit to wherever it is directed. The most dangerous are those unguided missiles of phlegm that are shot out of the windows of passing vehicles on the streets without any warnings. But what gives people the right to spit on the road? Nothing, except the feeling that the road belongs to them!  The morning walkers suffer immensely at the sight of dirty patches of spitting on the streets leading to public parks.Unmindful of our disgusting act, we Indians take pride in changing the geography(appearance) of any wall if it is not being guarded by any watchful eyes.
Infact, it would not be wrong to say that we Indians are born natural artists as we have expertise in creating various horizontal, vertical lines matching the colour patterns of a painted wall that too not with the help of a brush and colour, but with the dark corrosive red beetlejuice.
We all know that spitting, urinating and littering on government properties, public places is very disgusting, embarrassing and unhygienic, but even then we have no urge to motivate and resist people from spitting paan masala and gutkha here and there.
One can imagine the plight of the owner when his newly painted  house  wall is repainted by people who take pleasure in painting it free of cost by spitting on such unspoiled properties. The stains of paan masalas and gutkhas are highly corrosive and permanent in nature which requires a lot of water, non-caustic detergents, cleaning equipment and above all man power.
A large chunk of taxpayers money is wasted in the so called cleaning campaign which could be otherwise spent on public welfare schemes or improving the infrastructure.
In present circumstances there is an urgent need to change the existing legislations to stop people from spitting, littering and urinating on public properties. Often no case is registered since arresting an offender and taking him to court proves to be a futile and time consuming exercise. In such cases special squads should be created to deal with the menace.
Besides introducing stringent measures, efforts should also be taken by the local level administration to spread awareness about maintaining cleanliness through announcements, posters and various campaigns.
It is not surprising why educated citizens in developed and industrialised countries do not litter, urinate or spit on roads, public places but instead use spittoons and garbage boxes.
The United Kingdom presents a classic example in this regard, which was probably the first country in the world to introduce the spittoon culture aimed at inculcating a good civic sense in its citizens.
The local administration can install a large number of spittoons at government offices, public spots, roadsides where ever possible. It can do wonders if the commuters learn to respect public property and avoid spitting and urinating in every nook and corner of the place they reside or travel too.
The schools can also contribute largely by ingraining at primary level that spitting and urinating in public is a despicable act and the value of cleanliness taught early in life will help Indians lead a healthy life. In a bid to keep Ranchi streets clean, the city civic body needs to initiate punishment by making the offender clean the mess in full public glare besides levying a fine. The "Chalta Hai Attitude of the Indians has to undergo a major change." You can't spit anywhere even in India- the most indecent and nasty habit of Indians has to change. We need to reboot ourselves to let go of this obnoxious and filthy habit, the sooner the better it will be as all of us are racing against time in these unprecedented pandemic times when leading a healthy life has become a luxury. Let us join hands to get rid of this menace at the earliest.