People tend to notice if you put your clean foot forward. For long, India hasn’t done that. Now, a prime minister seeks to repeat a 100-year-old message in the hope that Indians might see and hear what they haven’t all these years.
Swachh Bharat (Clean India) ideally ought to result in Sundar Bharat (Beautiful India) but let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
Here are ten initial thoughts about India’s Swachh Bharat campaign, which could evolve into the biggest cleanliness campaign on earth if done well.
1. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has shown superb political instincts. Although he pitched it as a social cause, which it is, his image on the Swachh Bharat banner matches that of Mahatma Gandhi in size and placement. It's a way of claiming the baton. It ought to gladden the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and the BJP. It ought to dismay the Congress party and the Left.
2. There's no chemistry yet between Modi and Aamir Khan. Modi made no mention of Khan in his remarks at Rajpath where he launched the Clean India campaign. A last-minute intervention by urban development minister Venkaiah Naidu got Khan on stage. But there was no handshake from Modi, no shared glances, etc. In the past, the Modi government in Gujarat had banned a 2006 Khan movie Fanaa, after Khan had then criticized Modi. Khan clapped and was dutiful on stage at Rajpath but it might take more to melt Modi’s heart.
3. The Swachh Bharat logo is outstanding. The power of Gandhi's glasses is enormous. They seem to have X-ray-like powers: they will read your dirty mind. It would have been better if the words Swachh and Bharat were not inscribed on the glasses and were placed below them instead. Nevertheless, the designer deserves to be lapped up by an MNC with a huge pay packet. Great logos are hard to come by in India although the design industry is buzzing with work.
4. Chandni Chowk would have been a better location to kick off the Swachh Bharat campaign than Rajpath or Valmiki Basti. Rajpath is pristine. Valmiki Basti, a colony of Dalits in central Delhi, is a political cliché. It acquired prominence after Gandhi spent some time there. Politicians visit the colony like they make a trip to Raj Ghat. They seem to think that time spent in both places makes them better humans. It doesn’t. Chandni Chowk is the heart of Delhi - India itself, if you consider its history - and is embarrassingly unclean. It is also the food capital of Delhi and thus, doubly, in need of cleaning up.
5. Delhi BJP members don't seem to have the same instincts as Modi. Delhi BJP president Satish Upadhyay and New Delhi Lok Sabha member Meenakshi Lekhi did not touch a broom while Modi was sweeping away at Valmiki Basti. These things have to come from within. They cannot be imposed. This is the BJP elephant in the room in Delhi. Their seniors are noticeably unimpressive and it costs them politically. This is the top reason why the party is unsure of a Delhi assembly election soon.
6. The sanitation social media nav ratnas is a lithe and contemporary touch from Modi. He has smartly mixed social media, social cause and politics. Sachin Tendulkar, Salman Khan, Baba Ramdev, Shashi Tharoor, Kamal Haasan, Anil Ambani, Priyanka Chopra and the others will have to nominate - or tag if you like - nine each and so on. Nifty thought. It might have been complete if it included a civic body head as the municipal corporations in India have the least sense of cleanliness.
7. Anil Ambani is a strange choice for the cleanliness nav ratnas. Anil Ambani is ₹20,000 crore in debt and has a less than sterling reputation. Azim Premji of Wipro might have made more sense. Premji represents conscience and cause more than Anil Ambani.
8. Swachh Bharat could be a killer campaign if Modi offers tax incentives for cleanliness. Trustworthy and skilled juries may be empowered to inspect and rank states, cities and colonies for cleanliness. The top five could get tax rebates, tax holidays, or other similarly meaningful rewards. Such a template might work for schools and colleges too.
9. The Congress party is looking at another lost opportunity. It has slept through the years and now its original mascot - Gandhi, the god of Indian politics - might just want to bless the ones who at least make an effort.
10. Shashi Tharoor has got what he seemed to be after - recognition of his wider relevance. Modi has him in sight now – as part of his cleanliness nav ratnas. Rahul Gandhi may have to offer Tharoor something big soon or risk losing him. Tharoor is the only Congress senior to have spoken of and written about Modi’s positives. There are other Congress members who like Modi’s work ethic and political brilliance. But they have stayed silent so far.