India at 75: Here are 75 little things you can do to make a big difference in our country

India is one of the most diverse nations in the world when it comes to culture, religion, ethnicity and race. Over the past few years, it has become home to a number of start-ups, thanks to a rapidly growing economy. As citizens of this great country, it’s up to us to do our best to make India a better place to live in—for us and for future generations.

Simple things like taking care of the environment, adopting certain values as a family, supporting each other, especially the womenfolk, and raising children with respect will go a long way in contributing to the development of the nation.

Here are 75 things every Indian should do to make the country a better place.

Taking care of the environment

1. Don’t litter in public places

2. No spitting in public places

3. Plant trees as a family

4. Abstain from plastic use at homes

5. Conserve natural resources

6. Take your child on nature walks

7. Save every drop of water

8. Encourage paperless offices

9. Recycle, Reduce, Reuse

10. Don’t uproot trees, help maintain a green cover

11. Pick up after your pets’ poop

12. Dispose of waste in a responsible manner

13. Start an eco-friendly drive in your community

14. Go on a beach clean-up drive as a family during weekends

15. Urge your family to walk or bicycle as much as possible

16. Potty train your children early so there is less diaper usage

17. Be a responsible traveler

18. Read up on climate change

19. Switch off all electrical appliances before you leave home

Parenting: Embracing values as a family to make children responsible citizens of tomorrow

20. Always follow traffic rules

21. Respect dignity of labor and people of all occupations

22. Learn to stand in queue and wait for your turn

23. Treat the past (national monuments and heritage sites) with respect

24. Tell your children the importance of keeping our surroundings clean

25. Learn to have healthy conversations about religion

26. Vote and show children the importance of voting

27. It is okay for men to be seen in the kitchen

28. Make the girl child and women always feel safe

29. Learn to be gender-neutral with your children

30. Have one meal together as a family every day

31. Stop force-feeding your children into obesity

32. Read up on hygiene and food safety

33. Focus more on nutrition and a healthy diet

34. Encourage outdoor play for children

35. Don’t let gadgets interrupt family time

36. Follow phone and email etiquette

37. Make diversity and inclusion a dinner table conversation

38. Stop bringing work home, bond with your family

Community: Supporting each other

39. Be kind to stray animals

40. Do your bit in helping the old and needy

41. Buy Indian brands and endorse local artisans

42. Be a fan of “Make in India”

43. Say yes to adoption

44. Don’t make motherhood a woman’s identity

45. Normalize moms asking for help to raise a child

46. Remove the stigma around mental health

47. Don’t keep wanting to have a boy child

48. Break gender-role stereotypes at home

49. Respect the third gender

50. Normalize breastfeeding in public

51. Stop body shaming new mothers

52. Learn more about our culture and heritage as a family

53. Encourage girls to take up STEAM

54. Bat for inclusivity for specially-abled children in schools

55. Volunteer for social causes and encourage your children to do the same

56. Call out on domestic violence: don’t ignore, don’t encourage, don’t endure

57. Respect housewives for the enormous jobs they do

58. Give single parents their due

59. Give everyone their space to express themselves

60. Don’t give or take bribes; stop corruption

61. Don’t make the ability to speak English comment on someone’s social status

62. Say no to gender bias at the workplace

63. Make pay parity a fundamental right

64. Read up on the law and know your rights

65. Stop armchair activism

Raising children with respect

66. Help support a child’s education

67. Normalize boys crying

68. Show our boys how to respect consent

69. Normalize friendship with the opposite gender

70. Let children do age-appropriate tasks independently

71. Let children follow their hearts to make career choices

72. Let your child focus on life skills development and don’t pressurize them for marks

73. Encourage use of pre-loved items

74. Read books and build more libraries

75. Make little changes at home and big changes in the country will follow