A Thought After an Unexpected Day

 

Recently, I invited some of my friends to visit my city, Buxar. I was genuinely excited to show them around, but as we moved through the streets, the unclean surroundings and careless behavior of people made me feel embarrassed. For the first time, I hesitated to say, “This is my city.”

That moment made me think deeply — why do we label some cities as “big” or “small”? A city isn’t defined by its size or glamour, but by the mindset of its people. What truly matters is how we think, act, and treat others.

Every year, our leaders come here, pick up a broom for a few minutes, click a photo, and disappear — and that’s the end of their “cleanliness drive.” It’s painful to see such temporary efforts when what we need is a real change in attitude.

Sometimes I even feel like moving away from here, but deep down I know — change starts from within us. Maybe it’s time we all stop waiting for someone else to fix things and start doing our part to make our surroundings better.