I’m not sure when it happened exactly. Maybe it was when the first Internet user discovered WhatsApp forwards. Or perhaps it was when Instagram reels started comparing Indian streets with Swiss footpaths. But somewhere between the first Facebook post and the thousandth “Swachh Bharat” selfie, Indians suddenly became cleanliness conscious.
And that, dear reader, is a mystery worth exploring.
Let’s be honest. Dirtiness — or shall we say a charming disregard for cleanliness — was once woven deeply into the Indian cultural fabric. Overflowing garbage bins (if they existed at all), open drains, spit-stained walls, and the unmistakable aroma of a public urinal in peak summer… these were not bugs, but features. They were our rustic aesthetic. Part of the “real India” experience. Westerners called it exotic; we called it Tuesday.
Traditionally, cleanliness in India was always a private affair. You took a bath before entering the temple. You washed your feet before stepping into the house. You didn’t touch food after using the restroom — even if you hadn’t used the restroom. But the moment we stepped into the public domain, everything changed. Roads? Someone else’s problem. Rivers? God’s natural waste disposal. Public toilets? Luxury.
Then came the internet. And with it, shame.
Suddenly, our mess was no longer our little secret. One viral video of a man defecating on a railway track, and boom — national embarrassment. One YouTuber calling the Ganga “toxic sludge” and suddenly the entire Kumbh mela looked like a biohazard fair.
Enter: the new Indian — filtered, digital, and desperately sanitizing.
Cleanliness became not just an aesthetic, but a performance. WhatsApp groups began buzzing with Gandhi quotes and Modi memes about brooms. Bollywood stars were seen holding dustpans for photo ops. Urban societies started organizing “cleanliness drives” — usually involving 15 people picking up plastic for 30 minutes, followed by 3 hours of tea and selfies.
But here’s the thing: Was it genuine change, or just internet-induced shame?
Because deep down, we still hesitate to confront the caste implications of who traditionally cleans our mess. We still treat the sanitation worker as an “invisible other,” not a fellow citizen. We still toss chips packets out of our Audis while tweeting #SwachhBharat.
It’s not that Indians didn’t understand cleanliness before. We just didn’t believe it applied to public spaces. The internet — with its brutal exposure and instant comparison — forced us to change, or at least pretend to. And while pretending isn’t the same as transformation, it’s a start.
So yes, India is getting cleaner. But maybe not because we suddenly love hygiene. Maybe because we just hate being called out online.
And if that’s what it takes — a little shame, a few hashtags, and a dozen viral reels — then so be it.
After all, cleanliness might not be godliness in India. But it is finally trending.