Why Do We Worship Celebrities But Ignore Real Heroes?

They complain people urinate outside, Vijeta said. But have you built public toilets? Let us say someone has set up a stall. Where does he go? Our type of people can go to some mall. But where does he go? A man can somehow use a wall. Where does the poor woman go? How can she start any small business? Do we ever think about that?

The CJP spokesperson was making a specific point that most Indian urban policy discussions miss. Public toilet infrastructure is not just about public health. It is about economic opportunity, particularly for women.

The Attention Economy Observation

The interview began with a specific observation Vijeta had encountered by accident.

I was posting something, Vijeta said. I typed hashtag Sonam. I wanted hashtag Sonam Wangchuk. As soon as I typed Sonam, suggestions came. One was hashtag Sonam Kapoor. And on that one - 20 lakh 73 thousand posts. On Sonam sir - 72 thousand posts.

The specific data point captures how Indian public attention allocates itself. Celebrity culture generates roughly 29 times more digital engagement than civic activism in this specific comparison.

Nothing against Sonam Kapoor, Vijeta said. She is a good actress. Watch her films. But if you have to follow her on social media too, going crazy over her - and she has no concern for you - then why are you going crazy?

Vijeta is not criticizing Sonam Kapoor. She is criticizing the audience allocation. The specific choice each social media user makes is what produces the aggregate attention economy.

The Fearlessness Testimony

The interviewer asked whether Vijeta had received threats.

They keep coming, Vijeta said. Every day someone threatens something. But how long to fear? Fearing what is changing? Look at the state of the country from fearing.

She then extended the specific point.

If they put us in jail, Vijeta said, fine. What else can we do? Is anything happening because of fear?

The framing is worth pausing on. Fear as a political tactic works when the fearful comply.

The Connaught Place Versus New Delhi One Divide

The interviewer asked about broader urban issues.

Vijeta’s observation was concrete and specific.

Go to Connaught Place, Vijeta said. It is India’s premium location, right in the center of the national capital. And they cannot even keep it clean. Now go to New Delhi One. Everything is spotless. Footpaths are there. Drainage. No waterlogging. They even trim the grass. Trees are there. How does that happen? It is the place of kings.

The two areas she referenced are worth understanding. Connaught Place serves millions of Delhi residents and visitors. New Delhi One is a specific area that houses government offices, diplomatic residences, and elite institutions.

Vijeta’s observation is about differential service allocation.

Outside the airport at 2 AM, Vijeta said, fountains are running. There is infrastructure there. Everywhere else, the public gets scolded. ‘Public is like this, public is like this.’ But have you done anything for the public?

The Public Toilet Insight

Vijeta then made the specific observation that captures her broader analytical point.

They complain that people urinate outside, Vijeta said. Someone is doing that. But have you built public toilets? Let us say someone has set up a stall. Where does he go?

The extension is worth quoting in full.

Our type of people can go to some mall, Vijeta said. But where does he go? A man can somehow use a wall. Where does the poor woman go? How can she start any small business? Do we ever think about that?

The specific observation captures three intersecting issues.

The infrastructure issue. Public toilets are basic urban infrastructure that Indian cities under-provide.

The class dimension. Middle-class Indians have access to private facilities. Lower-income Indians who work outdoors do not.

The gender dimension. Men can find informal solutions. Women cannot. The specific asymmetry means that women who might want to work outside home in informal commerce cannot do so at scale.

The 15 August Patriotism Critique

Vijeta then turned to a specific cultural observation.

Just celebrating on August 15 does not work, Vijeta said. Playing patriotic songs one day - is that patriotism?

The specific critique is worth pausing on. Indian public patriotism has become concentrated in annual ritual moments. Vijeta is arguing that ritual patriotism is not the same as the substantive practice of citizenship.

The Middle Class Victimhood Critique

Vijeta then turned self-critical.

The middle class is in a victimhood complex, Vijeta said. ‘We don’t get anything, we don’t get anything.’ But think about it - you are getting the chance to earn money in this system. That is why you can pay tax - because you have income.

The specific observation invites middle-class readers to reconsider their position in the economic hierarchy.

The Rs 29 Salary Increment

Vijeta then gave the specific example that lands the argument.

Look at what happened in Noida, Vijeta said. A person is working 12 hours, standing. They are being paid Rs 10,000. After 3 years, the salary increased. And by how much? Rs 29. Twenty-nine rupees. That is all.

The specific number is worth understanding. A 29-rupee monthly increment over three years represents approximately 0.1% annual increase - significantly negative in real terms.

Sometimes raise your voice for others too, Vijeta said.

The United Vision

Vijeta closed with the constructive framing.

When no one is poor, Vijeta said, when everyone has work - no freebie needs to be given. Crime reduces because no one is unemployed. If we think together for each other, this country can go very far.

She then framed the potential.

India has no shortage of anything, Vijeta said. The people here are hardworking. Natural resources - mountains, seas, rivers, jungles - everything is here. But right now everything runs for a few people. The rest live in poverty.

What This Reveals

Three things from this segment will stay with me.

The Sonam data point. The 20 lakh versus 72 thousand ratio captures a specific attention allocation that most Indians have not consciously chosen.

The public toilet observation. The specific policy failure connects urban design, gender equity, and small business potential in one concrete example.

The Rs 29 increment. The specific number is analytically devastating.

The Universal Insight

The Vijeta framework applies beyond India.

Every large democracy is experiencing some version of the attention economy problem. Celebrity content gets disproportionate audience share compared to civic content.

Every major city has some version of the differential service delivery problem. Elite areas receive world-class maintenance.

Every wage economy has some version of the stagnation problem for workers at the bottom.

The Public Toilet As Development Metric

The specific public toilet observation deserves its own analytical extension.

Development economists have long debated what metrics best capture actual development progress. GDP per capita is the standard measure but has known limitations. Human Development Index adds education and health. Multidimensional Poverty Index adds housing and infrastructure.

Vijeta’s observation suggests a specific additional metric that captures gender equity and small business opportunity in one number. What percentage of urban commercial areas have public toilet access for women?

Countries that have solved this problem, from Japan to Singapore, have seen specific gains in female labor force participation and small business formation. Countries that have not - including India - see specific costs in these areas.

The specific policy recommendation is straightforward. Every Indian urban commercial area should have functional public toilet access for women within walking distance. The cost of provision is modest. The economic returns from enabling women’s economic participation are significant.

The Practice For Readers

Vijeta’s framework has specific implications for readers.

If you are a middle-class Indian in an urban area, notice the toilet infrastructure in your own commercial zones. Ask whether it serves the workers there.

If you are a citizen who votes, add urban infrastructure to your voting criteria. Ask what candidates plan to do about public toilet provision.

If you are an entrepreneur or investor, consider whether specific business models around dignified public toilet access could work in Indian cities.

If you are a middle-class Indian with a victimhood narrative about your tax burden, apply the Vijeta reframe. Your ability to earn taxable income is itself a privilege.

If you are a social media user, audit your following. What percentage of accounts you follow are people who have any concern for your specific interests versus those who do not.

The Real Question For Readers

The uncomfortable question the segment raises is whose social media you follow that has no concern for you.

For most readers, the honest answer is many people. The specific investment of attention is meaningful.

Vijeta is not saying stop following celebrities. She is asking whether the ratio of your civic to celebrity content consumption reflects the priorities you would consciously endorse.

Watch the full episode here: