India Banao!

One question has come up often on this website and on the Facebook discussion group.  What should we do?  Can ordinary citizens make a difference?  We devoutly believe so.  If we all took some simple actions, we would be much better off as a country.  Ranting and raving is not going to improve any thing.  Concrete actions will make some difference.
As citizens, we need to work on all levels.  We absolutely have to work to improve the quality of leadership and policy-making at the highest level.  We can do this by writing in the mainstream media and speaking to senior leaders such as at our Delhi launch event on October 20.

Also, we need to act at the grassroots level in our day-to-day lives. Here are 10 concrete actions that all of us can take:

• Vote on the basis of performance and ideology, not caste and community
• Do not throw trash on the streets or out of your car
• Drive in a civilized manner by following lane driving, stopping at red lights, and staying within speed limits
• Ensure that anyone working for you or your family is sending their kids to school
• Give your old books and clothes to poor kids
• Give money to deserving charities and keep them accountable for their mission
• Pay your taxes
• Speak to the local authorities if there is a neighborhood problem and keep the pressure on them to fix it
• Become a leader in a local RWA
• Report corruption incidents to the police, media, and this website

You are probably already doing most of this.  Try and get others to do these simple things as well.  If we all did this, we would be much better off as a country.  Little changes by many people can add up to a very big transformation at the national level.