Prajna Prasad Sravan Kumar
The current global crisis caused by the corona pandemic has made me realize the most role of discipline in making a nation great…
Do you remember the best road signboard quote you have come across? Those are usually innovative, witty, hilarious and thought provoking. One such quote on a signboard near my village that always confused me during my school days was “Discipline Makes A Nation Great”. Being in upper primary class, I was naive to comprehend its essence. For me discipline was nothing but maintaining silence inside the classroom. I always wondered how this small act would lead a nation to greatness.
The interpretation of discipline got a new dimension when I joined NCC in high school and was learnt more about its motto Unity and Discipline. Though I was the cadet captain and leading my school platoon, I was far from the proverbial discipline. During intermediate days, a chapter in the Odia curriculum titled “Anushashan and Atmashashan” by the renowned author Chittaranjan Das added fillip to my thought and helped me interpret the term in a better way.
Time is the greatest mentor. With passage of time, I realized multiple facets of discipline more minutely. Maintaining proper queue and giving respect to others time without making false excuses while in front of ATM, Railway Reservation Counter or any other such facility, obeying traffic rules even when you are not watched, offering seat to the needy in the bus, not occupying the seats meant for ladies, senior citizens and the differently abled in the metro, keeping the phone in silent mode while in class, meeting or in any discussion, not misusing the entitlements or facilities by the authorities in Govt services, giving equal respect and opportunity to the marginalized and downtrodden, staying grounded even after reaching new heights of success are few instances of the acts of discipline.
Instead of only questioning about the rights, focusing on the duties to be performed and shouldering responsibilities for the society and the nation in large is one of the best forms of our disciplined life.
The current global crisis caused by the corona pandemic has made me realize the most the role of discipline in making a nation great. Adhering to the instructions of the Govt and administration, practicing the dos and don’ts to combat the virus from spreading, realizing the institutional and infrastructural challenges and co-operating the Govt accordingly by abiding to the guidelines is nothing but the reflections of our disciplined life. Thinking beyond the obvious in these hours of distress instead of questioning the measures taken by the administration and showing mental toughness in the lock down period is our parameters of discipline.
Even without enforcement, maintaining social distancing, practicing coughing, and sneezing etiquettes in public places and coming out with proper personal protection implies how disciplined we are. Don’t you think voluntarily registering in the online portals of the respective state or district administration and undergoing self-quarantine for the stipulated time period embodies our level of discipline? Rising above all the differences, paying no heed to the rumors, hate mongers, and false propaganda and helping each other staying at home symbolizes how disciplined our society is.
Realizing the sacrifices of the doctors, health workers, police personnel, administrators and other essential service providers, expressing gratitude to them, and lessening the burden on them by staying at home to the maximum extent will help us combat corona and reach greater heights as a nation. The so called developed nations and superpowers have bitten the dust and failed measurably in the fight against corona purely because self-discipline was not maintained at the individual level at the right time. It’s time to let the world know how disciplined we are and how great our nation is. Let’s be disciplined.
(Mr. Sravan Kumar is an IT professional based at Tampa, Florida, US)
