During my days as a student of journalism, I once had the opportunity to attend a workshop which, among other things, focused on how the media can play a role in helping citizens understand their responsibilities towards society.
One of the underlying themes of the session was that rights and duties are interlinked: if I, as a citizen, can lay claim to certain rights, I must also fulfil the duties associated with them and expected of me.
We, as citizens, are quick to point fingers if any of our rights are not fulfilled, but more often than not, we forget to ask ourselves whether we have fulfilled the duties that we were supposed to.
A certain balance and equilibrium must exist for things to operate smoothly when we talk about rights and duties, but unfortunately, this seems to have taken a beating.
For quite some time now, the issue of civic sense has been a ticking time bomb.
I may sound pessimistic and overly-critical, but I think it is an issue which concerns every single citizen in any part of the world and this “paradise” is no different.
It is with a very heavy heart that I say that we, the caretakers of this “paradise”, seem to have failed in our duty to take care of it.
“Paradise” should not be limited to a few scenic locations which can be presented as dream destinations and sold through calendars or pamphlets printed as part of marketing campaigns to attract visitors.
It should exist in totality, where every square inch of that piece of land can stand as a representative of what it claims to be.
I pray and hope I am wrong, but it seems we are living in a state of denial about the survival and sustainability of this “paradise”.
If we take a close, critical look at our surroundings, starting with our neighbourhoods, many red flags would appear.
They are there for everybody to see, but how many of us would actually stop and take some time off and think about why they are there in the first place?
Cleanliness is described as “half of faith”, but it seems that we only stick to the theoretical part of it and fail to meet the requirements when it comes to the question of implementing it in practical life.
The fact that we do take into account how our actions would impact others, our surroundings, and, through them, ourselves, seems to be the biggest misfortune of our times.
I have deliberately not disclosed any details about where the pictures were taken.
I believe what I have tried to convey through these pixels is out there everywhere, in some way or another: It only takes an open mind, a bit of conscience and some patience to scrape the surface a bit and look beneath.
I am sharing these pictures with a mixed bag of feelings: If we can go astray and be a cause of the problem, we can also surely mend our ways and come up with a solution before it is too late.
This picture was taken towards the end of a nearly one hundred and fifty kilometre journey to a childhood friend’s home. All the excitement and longing turned to dust when I stopped for a break and witnessed what I did. FPK Photo/Aamir Nowshahri.
Not far from this spot, cabs operate for multiple districts of the Valley. Besides people, they might also be transporting diseases and infections. FPK Photo/Aamir Nowshahri.
This was taken during the funeral procession of an acquaintance. For some reason, it seemed to me that the entire humanity had died. FPK Photo/Aamir Nowshahri.
This load was conveniently dumped outside a masjid while devotees were busy with Friday prayers. Charity begins at home: this is from my own neighbourhood. FPK Photo/Aamir Nowshahri.
Dazzling billboards and scintillating lights decorate the façade of this building, somewhere in a busy part of the city. FPK Photo/Aamir Nowshahri.
On one side of this bridge is an office where people come to get their grievances redressed. While getting their issues resolved, they create a whole lot of others. FPK Photo/Aamir Nowshahri.
We all have our limits. Men. Machines. Sanitary installations. FPK Photo/Aamir Nowshahri.
What is a bigger problem? That the washroom is flooded? Or that there is no tap? Or no door? FPK Photo/Aamir Nowshahri.
This was taken in the compound of an educational institution. Credit should be given for neatly packing all the garbage in a polythene bag and planting it in between the tree trunks. At least there was no littering. FPK Photo/Aamir Nowshahri.
