India is a land which is rich in all history culture and values of democracy. From ancient times to present day technological wonders, the country has a lot to be proud of. But for all its advances, one inconvenient fact continues to tarnish the image of India across the world - the poor civic sense of many of its citizens in day to day life.
Civic sense is the responsibilities of common people towards public places, rules and regulations and other people. But in India, civic discipline is so dismally lacking that it is observed not just nationally but internationally.- Public Cleanliness: A Cringe-inducing Whole World Problem Poor civic sense finds one of its most prominent exemplars in public cleanliness. Spitting on roads, littering in open areas, throwing garbage from vehicles and defacing walls are routine scenes across several cities of India. Live examples: A tourist couple share their videos on pile of garbage in streets near historical monuments like Rail Station, road side, Beaches or Market. During global summits or international events, areas are clean for “show”, and they are dirty when normal residents live in them. Foreign vloggers who travel and document their journeys in India often highlight open garbage dumps, blocked drains, and no waste segregation. Cleanliness drives by governments without public involvement fall flat. We are not judged by the world just by our policies, but by how we behave."
- Traffic Conduct and Undiscipline Indian roads are another great example of unenlightened civic sense. It is considered normal to break traffic rules, not something wrong. Real-time examples: Jumping red lights, driving in wrong direction and honking unnecessarily is the order of the day. Pedestrians don’t use zebra crossing and vehicles don’t stop for them ‘the TV journalist said. The rules for wearing helmets and seatbelts are observed only to avoid fines, not for safety. International visitors are regularly taken aback by the seeming mayhem on the roads, some referring to it as “dangerous” and “stressful”. Such experiences go viral in the travel circles and social media-making India out to be a place of chaos.
- public behavior and Ignorance of Civic Etiquettes Civic sense pertains to how people behave in public places or treat others. Examples include: Queue jumping at airports, temples, and ticket counters. Loud phone conversations on public transport. Vandalization of public property including buses, trains, lifts and public toilets. There is a standard example in real-time: after long journeys, how do public trains and stations look — broken fittings, dirty coaches, and vandalism. They are not caused by lack of money, but by public indifference.
- Perceptions of on-line Conduct as reflecting off-line attitudes In the Information Age, civic sense applies to online spaces, too. But unfortunately, abuse, trolling, misinformation, jingoism, online did India’s image any good. Real-time examples: International celebrities or institutions being targeted with mass online abuse. Political or religious disagreement degenerating into a hate campaign. Fake news that goes viral, unverified. Global platforms identify these trends, and often label Indian online spaces as some of the most toxic, thus indirectly coloring how Indians are seen across the world.
- Blaming the System, Denying Responsibility Among the main causes of bad civic sense is the mentality of criticizing government for everything and not accepting one's role in the society. Although there are issues of governance, it is important to remember that civic conduct begins with the individual. Such as: People moan about city streets being filthy yet they toss rubbish on the street outside their homes. People complain about corruption, but bribe their way out of traffic violations with police. There is outrage over potholes, but people take a blind eye to seeing public roads get damaged by over laden trucks or illegal construction. This contradiction undermines India’s moral credit in the world.
- Education Without Civic Awareness India turns out a lot of engineers, doctors and entrepreneurs, but the civic education is underwhelming. Civic sense is something we are are taught very little about, and practised even less in daily life. Schools prioritise exams, not actual citizenship. Families teach success, but not responsibility. Meanwhile, in many developed-countries civic rules are strictly implemented and citizens adhere to them not for fear but as a custom. Conclusion: Nation Is Its People At the End Day The global perception of India is not crafted solely by diplomats, politicians or budgetary expansions — it’s translated daily by how average Indians behave in physical (and increasingly virtual) public spaces. Poor civic sense makes good infrastructure look bad, and strong policies ineffective. If India genuinely wants to be regarded as a world leader, then that change must start with its citizens. Clean streets, disciplined traffic, courteous behaviour and responsible use of the internet are not “Western ideas” – they are the hallmarks of a developed society. True nationalism isn’t just shouting slogans from the rooftops or hurling insults online; it’s about respecting public spaces, the laws of the land, and your fellow citizens. Until civic sense is made everyone’s business, the global image of India will remain in tatters — not because of absence of potential, but because of absence of discipline. for more information- theunfilteredbharat.blogspot.com
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