Urban Order, Ancient Wisdom

Urbanism creates significant pressures on hygiene and civic infrastructure, primarily due to rapid, often unplanned population growth. In such contexts, people must embrace their civic responsibilities to alleviate the various issues plaguing our towns and cities. Ancient precedents in public health provide valuable guidance for contemporary well-being strategies. Exemplary standards of cleanliness and civic sense characterised the cities of the Indus civilisation. This is borne out by overwhelming evidence of advanced drainage systems, private bathrooms and toilets, impressive water-supply systems, and public baths.

The dire necessity of maintaining proper hygiene and order in urban spaces has been adequately emphasised by Kautilya in the Arthashastra, under sections on civic responsibility and municipal regulations. The verses in these categories relate to fire prevention, hygiene, house-building and tenancy in urban areas, and damage to public and private property. Kautilya understood the risks posed by fire in a densely packed city. Maintenance of cleanliness, sanitation, and hygiene was a part of house-building regulations, as was privacy. These strict rules were accompanied by penalties of different kinds that were to apply in cases of non-conformity. This underscores the importance of state intervention in ensuring that city dwellers follow norms and that order prevails.

Under universally applicable civic responsibilities, it is stated that no one shall cause injury to others through the collapse of a rickety dwelling or an unsupported beam, an unsheathed weapon, or an uncovered pit or well. Everyone was meant to contribute their share to the building of common facilities. Fireplaces, sheds, courtyards, latrines, places for pounding grain, and all open spaces were to be treated as common property. If someone destroyed a common facility, he was required to pay a fine of 24 panas. Such facilities were not to be destroyed by anyone.

More importantly, no one was allowed to damage plants and trees in city parks, sanctuaries, holy places, and burial grounds—particularly those that bore flowers, fruits, or provided shade. If an individual damaged a tree sapling, he would pay a fine of 3 panas. If it was a sapling of an important tree (one that marked boundaries, was worshipped, or existed in royal enclosures), the fine was 6 panas. Similarly, if an offender cut small branches of a tree, he was required to pay a fine of 6 panas, and if the tree was an important one, the fine was 12 panas. The fine for cutting large branches was even higher. This reflects the importance placed on viewing trees as valuable resources and precious public property that had to be protected by the people.

Hygiene is another vital dimension that has been given due weight by Kautilya in the context of urban living. No one was allowed to throw dirt on the streets or allow mud and water to accumulate there. This rule applied particularly to royal highways. Kautilya’s warnings and instructions regarding city life were accompanied by a detailed list of punishments for defaulters. The penalty for throwing dirt on the streets was 1/8 pana; for blocking them with mud or water, 1/4 pana; for throwing dirt on the royal highway, 1/4 pana; and for blocking it with mud or water, 1/2 pana.

There was a firm injunction against passing urine or faeces in or near a religious place, a water reservoir, a temple, or royal property, unless unavoidable due to illness, medication, or fear. If someone used a holy place as a urinal, the penalty was 1/2 pana; if the sacred spot was used for defecation, the fine was 1 pana. If a water reservoir was used as a urinal, the fine was 1 pana; if it was used for defecation, the fine was 2 panas.

Kautilya laid emphatic stress on cordial behaviour among neighbours. No one was supposed to interfere in the lives of neighbours; however, in times of crisis, assistance was mandatory. He prescribed very high penalties for violating a neighbour’s privacy. If one intervened unnecessarily in a neighbour’s affairs, a fine of 100 panas was imposed. At the same time, if one failed to rush to help a neighbour in distress, the penalty was also 100 panas. If someone’s actions caused harm to the entire neighbourhood, the fine was 48 panas.

The Arthashastra enumerates detailed responsibilities of townsmen who were expected to take appropriate precautions against fire. Fires were not to be lit during the two middle quarters of the day; if food had to be cooked during this period, it had to be done outside the house. Every householder was required to keep five water pots, a large jar, a trough, a ladder, an axe (for cutting pillars and beams), a winnowing basket for fanning away fire, and a hook to pull away burning parts. If a house caught fire, every occupant—owner or tenant—was expected to take immediate steps to extinguish it. If a house caught fire due to negligence, the responsible person was liable to pay a fine of 54 panas.

In the context of damage to private property, Kautilya stated that one was liable to pay a fine of 6 panas, along with compensation for repairs, if one damaged another person’s house wall. If one threw objects into someone else’s premises that could cause injury, the penalty was 12 panas. The fine for breaking open a sealed door of a house was 48 panas.

Kautilya’s remarkable foresight is reflected in his understanding of challenges such as poor hygiene and threats to public property that inevitably arise when large populations reside in confined urban spaces. His strict recommendations encapsulate several important lessons for citizens today. They emphasise the need to be dutiful, disciplined, responsible, and committed to maintaining cleanliness. Contemporary initiatives such as Swachh Bharat draw inspiration from India’s ancient wisdom, aimed at promoting the welfare of society and the nation at large. Ancient Indian texts possess immense potential to guide us toward improved ways of living. We must shoulder our responsibility to keep our surroundings clean and protect both public and private property. Such collective efforts are vital to ensuring that our urban environments remain safe, orderly, and conducive to healthy living.

Cleanliness is non-negotiable in this regard. Grave issues such as unbridled air pollution, filthy streets and neighbourhoods, and unhygienic civic conditions that confront us today cannot be resolved through government intervention alone. If a population as large as ours does not fulfil its duty to maintain cleanliness, there is little the administration can achieve. The persistence of old habits can no longer be defended; meaningful change is essential to halt ongoing environmental degradation. Citizens must urgently recognise the alarming volume of waste generated daily and acknowledge that its careful management is a fundamental civic duty. Household waste must never be dumped on streets or in public spaces. Sincere individual effort is required to ensure strict segregation of wet and dry waste, enabling efficient and timely collection by municipal agencies.

Equally pressing is the need to sensitise and educate the public to dispose of waste only in designated bins. Recalcitrance must be met with strict enforcement to deter laxity. The air pollution problem, which has assumed mammoth proportions, demands immediate behavioural transformation. Citizens must stop using polluting vehicles, prioritise public transport and carpooling, and strictly avoid burning leaves or wood for heating or cooking. The spiralling environmental crisis can be checked only if people act with heightened awareness. We must remain conscious that every reckless action worsens an already critical situation.

India has demonstrated its collective resolve during the COVID crisis. By following hygiene protocols, Indian citizens were able to battle and defeat the deadly virus more effectively than many other populations across the globe. Hence, all patriotic citizens must perform their duties with determination and diligence as India marches toward becoming one of the world’s leading nations.

The writer is a Senior Research Fellow, Bharat Ki Soch. Views expressed are personal