The Mysuru City Corporation’s upcoming Swachh Marathon, organised as part of Swachh Survekshan 2025-2026, is yet another well-intentioned attempt to raise public awareness about cleanliness.
The stated goals are admirable: Waste segregation, responsible disposal, citizen participation and feedback.
But a question raised by a reader in a letter published yesterday cuts to the heart of the matter: Does awareness actually translate into action?
The honest answer, almost always, is NO.
In recent years, marathons, walkathons, human chains, rallies and symbolic protests have become the preferred instruments of “public engagement.”
They are easy to organise, visually appealing, media-friendly and politically safe. Unfortunately, they are largely ineffective as well.
Take awareness marathons. They usually begin as marathons, quickly turn into jog-a-thons, then transition into walk-a-thons and finally culminate in what can only be described as an “Eat-a-thon”… go for a post-event long breakfast.
The awareness lasts exactly as long as the WhatsApp status update.
Most awareness walks are a little more than traffic disruptions. They paralyse traffic, annoy commuters and no one is reading the placards, as everyone is busy honking so they can get to work on time.
The success of these events, unfortunately, is not measured by behavioural change but by media coverage.
This brings up another important aspect of awareness rallies — children.
School children are the most overused props in India’s awareness rally obsession.
Governments and private organisations routinely pull children out of classrooms to form human chains, march with placards and swell numbers.
Two years ago, Karnataka celebrated International Day of Democracy by attempting to create the “longest human chain” from Bidar to Chamarajanagar.
Twenty-five lakh people held hands for democratic values. Most of them were kids.
Does democracy improve dramatically when children miss school to stand in the sun? NO.
Children are routinely marched onto busy roads, holding illegible placards, inhaling vehicle fumes and battling heat.
Parents are rarely consulted. Safety is an afterthought. Learning is collateral damage.
Perhaps it is time the Women and Child Development Department considers banning the use of children as publicity tools to satisfy the image-building hunger of institutions and Government Departments.
Awareness without a roadmap is noise. Protest without a policy plan is theatre. Symbolism without an action framework is deception.
What India desperately needs is not more awareness, but more follow-through by citizens.
Cleanliness does not come from running past garbage; it comes from enforcement, incentives, penalties, contracts that work and officials who are held accountable.
Democracy does not emerge from human chains; it survives through protecting dissent and respecting constitutional duties.
Public health does not improve through Instagram challenges; it improves through access, affordability and sustained policy intervention.
For any of this to succeed, citizens must move beyond one-day performances and join NGOs. Volunteer consistently. Protest with purpose. Demand what is rightfully yours, which is to have a liveable city, a life of dignity.
Unfortunately, the Indian citizen is often as apathetic as the administration. We are too lazy to fight for what we deserve.
Mysureans show up for marathons and walkathons for causes such as cleanliness, no honking, fitness etc., but no one shows up for a rally to save Chamundi Hill or join a protest to save our lakes or plant trees?! Why?
Is it because it is cool to post pics of a marathon, but somehow embarrassing to post pics of protesting to make our city liveable?
This reflects not a lack of awareness, but a crisis of civic intellect.
People who go for “run for a cause” but do not show up to simply stand for a protest to save our city are “pea-brained” and unworthy of being Mysureans.
The only way to show the administration you care is to show up at a protest you believe in. Instead of letting some NGO do the hard work of protesting.
Perhaps what Mysuru truly needs is a marathon for “common sense”, a run to instil the sense that one needs to fight to protect their own city.
The uncomfortable truth is this: We are part of the problem. Our apathy, our short attention span and our preference for optics over outcomes are the real obstacles.
Let us run marathons if we enjoy running. Let us walk if walking brings joy and awareness. But let us stop pretending we have “done our bit” for the city.
Let’s be honest. Awareness rallies are just opportunities for free publicity and selfies masquerading as civic virtue.
We are running in circles like a validation-seeking dog chasing its own narcissistic tail while the foxes steal our city, like they have stolen Bengaluru of its soul.
e-mail: vikram@starofmysore.com
This post was published on February 7, 2026 6:05 pm