“Chalta Hai.” A common Hindi phrase used widely over the past decade. “Chalta Hai” literally translates to “It goes”, however, with context, it simply means “this is good enough, just let it be”. Reduced to signify an attitude of apathy – it implies that it’s alright as long as I’m alright.
“There’s garbage lying around? Chalta Hai.”
“Violated traffic rules? Chalta Hai.”
“Imperfection in a simple task? Chalta Hai. At least it’s done.”
Crossed a red signal? Chalta hai. We’ll be fine.
Potholes? Chalta Hai. At least there is a road to begin with.
It may have started small, but with time, the Chalta Hai attitude has played a huge role in the sluggish development of our Country.
India has taken the role of a Jugaad. A quick fixer who is a short sighted generalist.
There is no movement towards reaching perfection or improving quality. It’s just getting the job done regardless of how imperfect the output is.
The Chalta Hai attitude has directly translated into our water treatment facilities for instance. The regulations for wastewater treatment stands as a mere aesthetic while organizations place a statue for a treatment plant, finding any illegal and inappropriate methods to reduce their spending. The 2015-2016 CPCB report claimed that STPs installed in several states before 2000 were in pathetic conditions due to the out -dated infrastructure and were not fit for usage. The treatment plants in Kanpur were of such inadequate standards that the treated sewage did not differ much in comparison to the pollutants. And yet, the states continue to rely on these facilities.
This attitude is why we have polluted water bodies, leading to water scarcity. The Chalta Hai attitude has allowed us to leave water taps open, violate laws, bribe, and much more.
Change must start somewhere. If not for the development of our country, at least for the betterment of our environment. The scarcity of our most basic resources and its pollution plagues our country. It’s the people who make the difference, but
with two simple words, we have lost our drive towards perfection.
The time has come to move on from just ideation and positive thinking without any action. Away from the Chalta Hai attitude. A step towards a better country and environment.
Ab nahi chalta hai. Let’s break our patterns.
