Mission clean-up

It is heartening that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be virtually wielding the broom and leading the cleanliness drive from the front (Sept. 24). The elite, his critics, and of course the Opposition, may try and run him down and call this a trivial issue, but one cannot ignore the fact that cleanliness is directly linked to a nation’s image. For far too long, we have learned to live with this image which is unacceptable. Let us hope that Mr. Modi succeeds in making people start practising clean habits, especially in public.

V.S. Ganeshan,

Bangalore

What a very encouraging step taken by the Prime Minister! Cleanliness is not just the state of being clean, but is in fact a process, and a continuous cycle. If all Indians could unite to throw off the yoke of colonial rule, why can’t we unite again to ensure a cleanliness drive? In such an issue, every small move counts. At the same time, we must not confuse cleanliness with “100% germ protection,” that is being propagated in this era of consumerism. Strachan, in his “hygiene hypothesis”, said that dirt plays a useful role in developing the immune system. People who have been exposed to fewer germs in childhood are more likely to have weak immune responses later in life.

Rohit Dubey,

Bangalore