If cleanliness is next to godliness, India is the least spiritual country on the planet. From defecating in open spaces to throwing garbage on the streets and spitting – or urinating – on every possible wall in a locality the ugly Indian is the despair of the rest.
India – an emerging global superpower or a a giant garbage dump? All hail the Litterbug, working tirelessly out in the open, spreading trash all over.
The Litterbug's adventures are many, none more prominent than the habit of throwing empty food wrappers and paper plates and cups after a quick meal on the go – the Litterbug, always on the move.
The Litterbug loves colors, err, one color to be precise. With his unique red colored spit, the Litterbug effortlessly adds color to the empty walls and streets. You can trust the Litterbug to 'paint the own red'!
And in case you think you have learned all about his exploits, there is more! The Litterman smokes, in style, and makes sure everyone knows about it too. Throwing cigarette butts on the ground is his way of making a style statement. But what do you laymen know?
Make no mistake, the Litterbug is a cleanliness freak, and makes sure his own home and car is absolutely clean. So what if his trash spoils the town. That's not the Litterbug's problem!
Caution: Litterbugs kindly do not watch this video, you may feel offended!
[youtube width=”800″ height=”500″]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mX1ZIx-Bjls[/youtube]
Created by 101India and MSL Digital, the interactive campaign's objective is to bring the offenders into the limelight and shame them. Speaking about the campaign, Rahul Kansal, executive director, BCCL, says, "Cleanliness is a primary tool for development. This campaign looks at the problem of littering from a societal perspective. We aim to bring out the intrinsic characteristics of Indians who litter."
"The Great India series is an initiative to look at India through the lens of different species in the country. It celebrates unique types of Indians. Satirical in nature, The Great Indian Litterbug is an attempt to poke fun at people who indulge in littering," explains Cyrus Oshidar, managing director, 101India.
The campaign is highly interactive in nature. It is being promoted through Times Group's print and television properties. The campaign is being heavily promoted on social media both through Facebook and Twitter (#TheGreatIndianLitterbug). Users can also share pictures and cartoons through Whatsapp on 8006371000.
This poem is a part of Happy Hour contest on IndiBlogger. Bloggers have to give a humorous take on the Great Indian Litterbug.
I live in a huge mansion,
Have bathrooms in all 5 rooms.
For its care, I have 5 servants,
Who clean with Dettol and mop with imported brooms.
When you walk outside, you see a beautiful garden,
Filled with beautiful plants in a prim and proper state.
And where do I throw my garbage?
Ofcourse, right opposite my gate!
I drive a beautiful black Mercedes,
That I’ve bought with my hard earned money.
I take it for long drives,
And a few trips with my family.
I clean it every second day,
With polish that I’ve bought from abroad.
And when we all travel in it, where do we throw the chocolate wrappers?
Ofcourse, right on the road!
My office is my temple,
I work there everyday.
You can say anything to me,
But to my workplace? – nay!
I light an agarbatti there every morning,
I have a dustbin there too.
And where do I stick the chewing gum?
Ofcourse, right under the desk that’s new!
I go to the best school,
The fees is the highest in the city.
The teachers are the best in town,
Oh, and the girls are also pretty!
The students there do really well,
They get into the best colleges later on.
And where do I throw the used papers?
Ofcourse, right on the campus lawn!
My aunt’s daughter had a destination wedding.
We all wore Manish Malhotra’s dresses.
The crowd was top notch,
Several people came from foreign places.
They hired the best decorators,
Food was tasty too.
And where did they throw the leftovers?
Ofcourse, right outside the venue!
I am very rich,
You don’t know who I am.
I have a truck load of money,
It’s absolutely true, not just any sham.
I don’t spend all on myself,
I do charity too.
And where do I spit my paan
Ofcourse, on the road, which by the way, I paid tax for too!
That’s the mentality we all carry,
‘The government should hire cleaners’
Who should walk with brooms behind us,
When we travel in our Beamers.
We would spend money on everything we need,
We will even spend lakhs on unnecessary things.
And where do we become a miser?
Ofcourse, on garbage cans, right where it stinks.
We are all Great Indian Litterbugs,
The poor, the rich, and the filthy rich.
But I feel more for the ones with big pockets,
And the educated ones – those are the ones who itch.
We will go for satsangs,
And give gyaan to everyone around us
And where do we throw our own garbage?
Ofcourse, just about anywhere, despite the special 'status'!
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