The viral video of Anushka Sharma confronting a man for littering has led to a debate over how much to share on the social media. Virat Kohli posted a video on his Twitter handle on Saturday, where is his wife can be seen confronting a person who threw plastic waste on street out of his car. The said person and his mother took to social media to criticise the couple for their poor verbal etiquette.
Many people think that husband Virat Kohli’s decision to share the video of the incident was misplaced. Littering is a severe offense, especially considering how dirty our metros, cities and towns are today. With Swacch Bharat campaign, the awareness about keeping our country clean has significantly increased. But is it okay to turn cleanliness vigilantes and shame people who litter on social media?
“Travelling in luxury cars and brains gone for a toss”
This is how the Indian cricket team captain had captioned the video. While the act wasn’t caught in the video, we do not doubt the couple’s credibility because they definitely don’t need any more publicity than they already have.
It’s not much to expect from you that you hold on to your litter till you find a dustbin. But be it in luxury cars or local trains people toss trash out on the roads and rail tracks without thinking. As civilians it is our responsibility to keep our cities clean, as much as it is of the municipality. The trash on roadsides or railway tracks are not there just because the municipality failed to pick it up. It is there in the first place because lazy and inconsiderate people think of garbage disposal as an act of extending your hand out of a moving vehicle's window, or even while walking, and tossing your rubbish out. People must stop treating our country like a trash can.
It’s very brave of Anushka and Virat to confront him. Whatever Sharma said was spot on and not trashy or over the top as the man accuses them of being. In fact, we all must confront those who litter. Tell them that what they are doing is wrong. But this is where we must draw a line.
The change should come from free will, not fear of public shaming
This is not the first-time celebrities have generated a debate for shaming people on social media. Just last year, Mrs Funnybones Twinkle Khanna received criticism for sharing the photo of a man taking a dump on the beach, without blurring out his face. No matter how noble the intentions might be here, celebs must remember the kind of hostility that runs on social media.
Social Media influencers Shaming someone publicly can lead to massive trolling
Extremism and aggressiveness knows no bounds on the internet today. There are people ready to tear the lives of others into shreds for trivial reasons. So, while it is justified in case of sexual abuse, child molestation or violent crimes, it seems a bit extreme to put someone in that sort of danger for littering.
The desire to keep our cities and premises clean must stem from awareness, if we want Swacch Bharat to last indefinitely. If it stems from fear of public shaming, then the moment we lose interest in the drive, people will go back to littering on the streets in no time. We need to create awareness which is handed down from generation to generation. But celebrities sharing videos of litterers doesn’t solve that purpose. All it does, is to give Twitteratti another reason to outrage over.
Picture Credit : DNA India
Also Read : Recycling Waste is Essential For Swachh Bharat to Succeed
Yamini Pustake Bhalerao is a writer with the SheThePeople team, in the Opinions section. The views expressed are the author’s own.
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