They would probably have been so till date, if only they had not lost their glamor due to people´s sheer negligence and their irresponsibility.[break]
One needs only to stand still for a moment, at any corner of this once beautiful city and run their eyes not more than five minutes to realize how Kathmandu has been a victim of our thoughtless acts. For that matter, it´s not only the capital, the whole country seems to be screaming for people´s attention.
We, who like to call ourselves modern educated people, seem to be senseless like statues- we tend to ignore the ´disposal channels´ at every corner of the town, which welcome us with obnoxious odor that penetrates through the most numb of olfactory nerves, and which make our the eyes sore with their grotesque naked appearances.
Does keeping our country clean not fall under the basics of civic sense? “Yes” answers Kailash Upreti, a lecturer at Padhmakanya Campus, Baghbazaar. “Every citizen of the country should be as aware of his duties as of his rights.” The youth of any nation are the cream manpower and also its future. The youth, therefore, have to be the most active participants in spreading the knowledge and the sense of duty toward the country, adds Upreti.
The tragedy, however, is that the very youth seem to be the least interested in bringing a change. Prativa Shrestha, 18, says, “I don´t know much on the subject but what I do know is we as citizens have some rights granted by our country and we have some duties too.” Shrestha believes whatever she knows is enough for an 18-year-old and questions, “How can I alone make a difference?” She brings forth the most discussed and the most essential part-who is responsible and to what degree?
Addressing the issue Upreti claims that this is the biggest problem we are confronting. “Each and every one of us should have a sense of duty, regardless of age; if you are capable enough to think, you should have civic sense,” says Upreti.
Apart from the heaps of unmanaged wastes, noise pollution is becoming next major problem. However, it seems that the people behind the wheels are not a bit bothered about the nuisance their loud horns cause in the congested parts of our city. In fact, one can´t deny being tortured by this certain crowd of youths who like blowing off pedestrians and by vehicle riders who blow their modified honks like crazy.
Almost all the pavements in the city are fast turning into shopping galleries. Look around any major roads, whether it be Sundhara, Baneshwar or Chabahil and the problem they are creating need not be explained. So severe is the problem today that pedestrians no longer walk on the footpaths but are forced to walk on the road, which has further increased the congestion.
Rama Dhital, a resident of Baneshwar, says, “How can anyone walk on the sidewalks? Sidewalks don´t look like sidewalks anymore, they look more like vegetable markets.”
The traffic rules and regulations too do not appear to have much effect. Motorists seem to take pleasure in violating one-way traffic rules and no-parking zones and the concerned authority seem to be helpless.
Apart from the day-to-day predicaments there are further civic issues.
“Casting votes and supporting or opposing government is one thing but the most saddening thing on the part of youngsters is that they generally tend to ignore civic issues," says Upreti. Because our country is a multi-party democracy, we all have the right to choose the kind of ruling body we want; it´s also it´s our duty to vote for the party we think is the most eligible.
For the youngsters, however, civic sense as an ethic has become a low priority, if not almost a nuisance. They seem to lack not only knowledge but also interest in this important aspect of society.
The youth see casting votes as something not important or vain. Bhavesh Adhikari, 24, is of the opinion that voting is and has never been and does not deserve to be a priority. He says, “All the political parties are the same money-greedy groups who will do nothing for the country and so whichever of them wins does not make much of a difference to us.”
Upreti, however, believes that this is the very reason why the youth have to be actively participating in the polls conducted by the government.
“If you don´t participate, how will you bring a change?” he questions. "And because the youth are dissatisfied with the leaders they should come forth and choose the leaders they like."
Along with the issues discussed above, there are also other aspects which the youth need to pay attention to. Respect to the rights of others, abiding by the law, open-mindedness, and becoming aware of the ethics of their society are some of the aspects today´s youths shouldn´t ignore.
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