What makes Baba Balbir Singh Seechewal an uncharacteristic godman is his work for the conservation of environment. A firm believer in practice over preaching, the Baba involved thousands of villagers to clean a rivulet, the Kali Bein, which had been polluted by industrial waste and sewerage. Excerpts from an Idea Exchange with our Chandigarh team, moderated by Resident Editor Vipin Pubby:

RAGHAV OHRI: It’s widely known that Indians generally lack civic sense. What do you think is the problem? Are we too lazy that we don’t care?
Baba Seechewal: The basic problem is that our system is loose. We have made laws but the problem is with their implementation. That’s the reason why people do not bother to obey traffic laws in small towns but are careful in cities like Chandigarh and Delhi, where there is danger of getting caught and fined. Our system needs to be set right first.

GAUTAM DHEER: You were featured in the Time magazine as an environment hero. However, your political associations are unknown to people. Do you think the Congress fielding Jagdish Tytler and Sajjan Kumar was justified?
Baba Seechewal: The 1984 riots saw around 3,000 people massacred, a fact that cannot be ignored. It is a national shame and a big blot on humanity. If people are raising their voice and crying injustice, they are justified. These people do not have a personal agenda or an axe to grind. They simply want the government to do justice to them. The onus of identifying the truth and bringing the guilty to book lies with the government.

... contd.