There’s An Anonymous Revolution Going On In India. And Here’s What They Are Doing.

We featured the inspiring work by The Ugly Indians way back in March 2014. Since then, common people like you and I have started making efforts to imitate the same in our own cities. And an anonymous revolution took shape that is still spreading across India.

This talk by an anonymous member of The Ugly Indians truly depicts the triumph of the common man: how ‘kaam chalu, mooh bandh’ always work.

A few highlights from the awe-inspiring video:

1. Why do we keep our houses clean, and our streets dirty?

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The problem is we believe that it’s not my problem.

 

2. Wherever we go, we tend to spread filth

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That’s Little India, Singapore, a city that cares about its brand image, enforce laws, and is affluent. Still, Indians have managed to spoil it.

 

3. We are a society that doesn’t like to follow rules

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Why do we need a policeman when we have a traffic light? Because we don’t follow rules.

 

4. The Broken Windows Theory & Tragedy of the Commons

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Broken windows theory – If a place is ugly, it becomes uglier. If a place is beautiful, it commands respect.
Tragedy of the Commons – We care for our private spaces, but we don’t care about public spaces.
India is a perfect example of both.

 

5. So what’s the solution? Kaam chalu, mooh bandh

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Fixing places of filth through community powered initiative. With as less than Rs. 300, a group of 3 can easily fix a filthy spot in their own neighborhood in a couple of hours. And the best part: it stays clean because of the broken windows theory. (Refer to point #4 above)

 

6. Why stay anonymous?

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Because the problem in India is that we make judgements on people and not the work they do. It’s irrelevant if you’re a male, female, Hindu, Muslim, straight, gay,  or what your political affiliations are. The focus should be only on results.

 

7. The Most Awesome part of the whole video: Walk the Talk

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The best part of the video is towards the end when the speaker actually walks the talk: when he has spent 18 minutes delivering only a speech (mooh chalana), where’s the work (kaam chalu?). So he visited the auditorium 2 days before the scheduled talk & actually fixed a neglected footpath around the boundary wall. They also fixed an open electricity box just outside the venue.

 

And that inspired the mayor of Bangalore & TED audience to join the revolution

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Stop being an ugly Indian. And be a part of the solution.

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