Water's Vandana Sethhi launches 'Gaali Free India' campaign
Sethhi aims to reach out to the people with the Swachch Bhasha drive and remind them about their responsibility towards their own language
BestMediaInfo Bureau | Delhi | January 29, 2016
Vandana Sethhi, Director of Water Communications, on the occasion of Republic Day, taking inspiration from Prime Minister Modi's Swachch Bharat campaign, initiated the Swachch Bhasha drive as part of her social initiative.
With this campaign, she aims to reach out to people and remind them of their responsibility towards their own language, the need for cleaning one's vocabulary filled with gaalis (abuses) and cuss words and working towards using Swachch Bhasha in day-to-day life while they take care of keeping their surroundings clean as well.
Sethhi has conceptualized and created a TVC which will be promoted through digital platforms for now. In addition to the TVC, the campaign will be supported by a dedicated website www.gaalifreeindia.org.
Sethhi holds that gaalis have become a disease and is spreading like an epidemic amongst gen-next youth who are so busy running after success that they just don't know how to control their feelings. To them, a gaali is the easiest way to vent their anger, frustration and to cope with stress.
“We are humans and we are bound to get frustrated at different times in our lives. But do we really need to depend on gaalis to feel in control just like a little piece of chocolate uplifts one's mood temporarily by stimulating the endorphin? With over 1,282,390,303 people, India is the second largest nation in terms of population. It is equivalent to 17.5% of the total world population. An estimated 780 languages are spoken in the country. With an expected literacy rate to touch 80% by end of this year, India is a progressive nation beyond doubt. But are we really literate in the moral sense?” asked Sethhi.
People across the length and breadth of the nation use gaalis as if it is in vogue and that those who don't use it are considered to be 'unmanly' or less gutsy. Gaalis are used so frequently irrespective of any language being spoken, that it has soon become one's habit that has engulfed them completely and made them unaware of their true vocabulary. Gaalis have become our newly defined vocabulary, which they are addicted to using it in their day-to-day conversations and are passing it down to the next generation without even realizing about its repercussions.
“People's identity is not through their status quo or high birth, but through the language they use in their day-to-day life. Those who respect humanity never use gaalis and those who use gaalis in any language are never fully literate in the real sense. Language that's replete with curse/abusive words, demeaning meanings, demoralizing words and disrespectful diction is a drain on the nation's rich cultural heritage. It is a blot on the nation's deep rooted values,” added Sethhi.
Sethhi aims to create this campaign as that voice that wants to be heard not just to make its presence felt but to enable each and every Indian relook their choice of expression and see for themselves that they have become slaves to the gaalis they use and they don't even realize it.
“Gaali is a modern disease and its cure is purely with us. Get cured before it's too late. This Republic Day, let's pledge to free our country of the gaalis and use slogans and quotes as our way of venting out feelings, constructively,” emphasized Sethhi.
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