The most common sentence I have heard in India is
'Who cares?' Whether it is about careless driving, crime, unethical behavior, lack of manners or whatever; it seems that no one cares. Well,
I DO because I always ask myself - The future I leave for my kids, will it be a blessing or a curse? And this is not just in terms of money or education but more importantly a better life style, a better city and a country that they'll be proud of. Citizens of a country play a very important role in creating and maintaining the country and we all need to actively participate before the legislation moves in. In developed countries the lawmakers have created such laws that if people do not behave themselves there are economic repercussions. If you are a bad driver, your car insurance premium will be more; if you are found littering the road you'll have to pay a fine of $1000!!! I would rather improve myself by self-discipline rather than having to abide by the politicians' whims and fancies.
What can you do to bring about the change? Take time to understand and follow a better way of life. Promote it wherever possible. Pass this booklet (and the others that I'll write) along to as many people as you know and help me translate it to as many Indian languages as possible so that people who do not read English will be able to take part in this grassroots moment.
So, next time if someone tells you 'Who cares?' you can proudly proclaim - I DO and do not hesitate to speak your mind. Sooner or later enough of us will care and participate in bringing in the change in our lives. One day the world will watch and say - India in the most 'civilized' country in the world in spite of the fact that there are very few lifestyle-policing laws in the country.
When using this handbook, please remember that it is not a book of rules for the road. It can be used as a summary of the laws and regulations and not the complete text of the prevailing traffic laws. Keep in mind that new laws get introduced every so often and it is your responsibility to be aware of them and abide by them.