Banarsi Paan

Bad habits start with a carefree attitude and an unconscious approach. However, they become part of our conscious approach due to repetition and no restriction from internal and external factors. Habits, in general, are a function of values, perception, and attitude. Our values are a function of our interaction with family, society, and peers. If our family, society, and peers are in general conscious of hygiene and cleanliness, those values will get imprinted in our mind. However, Indian society, in general, is not very cautious of its hygiene and cleanliness habits, and our value system does not help us in creating an inner drive for hygiene and cleanliness. Further, our external environment (society) is not sensitive towards hygiene and cleanliness issues.

The long-rooted habit of eating Banarsi Paan and spitting at public is the root cause of poor cleanliness at organization premises. Siddharta can address this by inducing a change in mindset towards cleanliness and hygiene. Some of the options to achieve this are discussed below.

The campaign should start by involving the top management; specifically someone who can be the face of the drive, such as the CEO. The initiative should be kick-started with the inauguration of a monthly cleanliness drive, which the CEO and the local public figure can commence. The whole initiative can be publicized as a part of “Swatch Varanasi Abhiyaan”. The change makers can then display their active involvement by assisting washing of the Paan stains. Witnessing such initiatives by the CEO will trigger a positive change in others too and discourage spitting in the open. This can be followed by the launching of spit bins at various points in the campus. This will give the people an alternative to spitting in the open.

Focussing on creating an internal change through awareness and introspection, Siddharta can employ several tools such as organizing practical exhibitions, nukkad nataks during free time, emailers etc. In collaboration with the IT department, screensavers can be designed in the lines of “Keep your campus clean, Keep your Varanasi Clean”, using pictures, cartoons, or posters. This will reinforce the value of cleanliness among the employees. Changing pre-eminent and settled behavior is difficult and challenging. However, these initiatives will slowly create a value system of cleanliness and hygiene thereby bringing about a holistic change in the mindset of people to imbibe cleanliness as the way of life.

Building upon this change, a core team of cleanliness doots can be formed. Responsibility can be rotated through a volunteer program. These doots will keep a close eye on repeat offenders and counsel them on a personal basis. The focus would be to make them understand the problems of spitting in public, the importance of cleanliness and inculcating the value to create a positive impact on their overall lives.

To create impactful impressions, one of the best ways is to organize fun competitions for employee