On a family trip to Rajsthan in my adolescence, i wondered why some foreigners were giving 100 Rupee notes to beggars to pose for some quick shots. The scene is still fresh in my mind and now i wonder why dint they opt for the big beggars who sit in most of Indian offices. That must have been more amusing for the better quarter of the globe.
The huge pool of these real beggars have consistently eaten away the country's economy and made big holes in our development budget. Due to their in-built tendencies and insatiable hunger for illicit money, we find pseudo beggars on our streets who are beggars by force, not by choice. In recent past, we have seen a lot of shouting at politicians and blaming the system for everything. I would just like to highlight that a big part of this returns to us: we, the people!
What about the educated class?
Amidst all the hullabaloo about the illiterate, uneducated politicians, i would like to raise some questions to the educated people, mostly middle class people. Don't you think that what's happening to you with regard to corruption is very similar to whats happening to Pakistan with regard to Taliban. The whole institution of corruption has thrived with your support all these years. Next, isn't it our character to adjust with the system and tamely oblige to the traditions and customs? Isn't it 'fine' to take advantage of everything without thinking what is right and wrong?
You can see it in the number of fake bills produced for reimbursement in corporate world. Everyone creates logical support for his pseudo morality. What the middle class does in day-to-day life is miniature form of what our ministers and bureaucrats do on a bigger scale. I know people in our society react very strongly when faced with such uncomfortable questions. The whole system unites to defend itself on flimsy grounds once you show it to be corrupt. I have seen this in one of the most prestigious institution in India- IIT! From student bodies to institute management, no one minds some extra bucks and undue advantage of his position coming his way. A couple of hostel council members once flew to Delhi and then traveled to Meerut to buy a couple of cricket bats for their hostels' cricket team at IIT Kharagpur! If it can happen in IITs then whats so funny about Mr Lalu Prasad getting buffaloes transported on scooters! Ultimately everyone is doing it for extra bucks. If it's government officials, its paap. But, when its in day-to-day life: ' itna to chalta hai'. Corruption is corruption. There is no such thing as big corruption or small corruption. Taking 10 Rs more is also corruption. This is the seed.
Civil society is responsible
The likes of Arvind Kejriwal and Kiran Bedi have to take so much pain because everyone else who was in a position to do something, chose to live in the comforts that high government posts offered them. May be, they will end up suffering more than what they are able to achieve because the civil society, in general, is indifferent. A few patches here and there are voicing support but none willing to sacrifice.
We are so poor we can sell anything
Everyone seems to be living with a feeling of having a royal descent. Its all about chance: once they get it in the form of a government job or position of power, they make full use of it to make as much money as they can. Not a wonder that people say: "Corruption is a high profit, low risk business in India." The moment they get a chance, they behave like Emperors! The Babus and Netas need all the privileges and luxuries that they need not pay for! In lieu, honesty is on sale. High degree of moral poverty.
Its incorporated in the system
An IAS officer, a Mantri who is handling decisions involving crores comes from modest backgrounds and has legal earnings of 30-40 thousands. Where comes the question of survival of integrity? The system must provide him enough strength to counter the crusades against his integrity.
The typical middle class mindset
Voices raised are least encouraged. The mindset was on exhibition in Radhika Tanwar case and Jessica Lall case. Facebook and twitter can inspire the middle class to join candle light vigils against corruption at India Gate and other places. But, when it comes to raising an alarm or being an eye-witness, it doesn't seem to be a part of revolution. There is no sense of heroism in refusing the TTE his illegal fees and asking him for the official receipt and pay the genuine. Instead there is sense of heroism in getting it done in 100 bucks when it might have costed 300!
The reality is that we are too casual about everything. Someone will come and take care of everything. We are driven by the mindset that there lies a 'Taaranhaar' ahead so why bother? Lets lead our normal, comfortable lives and leave it for others to sacrifice.
Unless we take charge of everything at hand, things will not change.
Solution: effective education and quality leadership
My dear countrymen! I would just be creating a false sense of comfort if I say that Lokpal Bill will be able to deal a significant blow to the monster. The reality is that the solution lies elsewhere. Even the first powerful movement against corruption owes credit to education, to awareness.
The huge pool of these real beggars have consistently eaten away the country's economy and made big holes in our development budget. Due to their in-built tendencies and insatiable hunger for illicit money, we find pseudo beggars on our streets who are beggars by force, not by choice. In recent past, we have seen a lot of shouting at politicians and blaming the system for everything. I would just like to highlight that a big part of this returns to us: we, the people!
What about the educated class?
Amidst all the hullabaloo about the illiterate, uneducated politicians, i would like to raise some questions to the educated people, mostly middle class people. Don't you think that what's happening to you with regard to corruption is very similar to whats happening to Pakistan with regard to Taliban. The whole institution of corruption has thrived with your support all these years. Next, isn't it our character to adjust with the system and tamely oblige to the traditions and customs? Isn't it 'fine' to take advantage of everything without thinking what is right and wrong?
You can see it in the number of fake bills produced for reimbursement in corporate world. Everyone creates logical support for his pseudo morality. What the middle class does in day-to-day life is miniature form of what our ministers and bureaucrats do on a bigger scale. I know people in our society react very strongly when faced with such uncomfortable questions. The whole system unites to defend itself on flimsy grounds once you show it to be corrupt. I have seen this in one of the most prestigious institution in India- IIT! From student bodies to institute management, no one minds some extra bucks and undue advantage of his position coming his way. A couple of hostel council members once flew to Delhi and then traveled to Meerut to buy a couple of cricket bats for their hostels' cricket team at IIT Kharagpur! If it can happen in IITs then whats so funny about Mr Lalu Prasad getting buffaloes transported on scooters! Ultimately everyone is doing it for extra bucks. If it's government officials, its paap. But, when its in day-to-day life: ' itna to chalta hai'. Corruption is corruption. There is no such thing as big corruption or small corruption. Taking 10 Rs more is also corruption. This is the seed.
Civil society is responsible
The likes of Arvind Kejriwal and Kiran Bedi have to take so much pain because everyone else who was in a position to do something, chose to live in the comforts that high government posts offered them. May be, they will end up suffering more than what they are able to achieve because the civil society, in general, is indifferent. A few patches here and there are voicing support but none willing to sacrifice.
We are so poor we can sell anything
Everyone seems to be living with a feeling of having a royal descent. Its all about chance: once they get it in the form of a government job or position of power, they make full use of it to make as much money as they can. Not a wonder that people say: "Corruption is a high profit, low risk business in India." The moment they get a chance, they behave like Emperors! The Babus and Netas need all the privileges and luxuries that they need not pay for! In lieu, honesty is on sale. High degree of moral poverty.
Its incorporated in the system
An IAS officer, a Mantri who is handling decisions involving crores comes from modest backgrounds and has legal earnings of 30-40 thousands. Where comes the question of survival of integrity? The system must provide him enough strength to counter the crusades against his integrity.
The typical middle class mindset
Voices raised are least encouraged. The mindset was on exhibition in Radhika Tanwar case and Jessica Lall case. Facebook and twitter can inspire the middle class to join candle light vigils against corruption at India Gate and other places. But, when it comes to raising an alarm or being an eye-witness, it doesn't seem to be a part of revolution. There is no sense of heroism in refusing the TTE his illegal fees and asking him for the official receipt and pay the genuine. Instead there is sense of heroism in getting it done in 100 bucks when it might have costed 300!
The reality is that we are too casual about everything. Someone will come and take care of everything. We are driven by the mindset that there lies a 'Taaranhaar' ahead so why bother? Lets lead our normal, comfortable lives and leave it for others to sacrifice.
Unless we take charge of everything at hand, things will not change.
Solution: effective education and quality leadership
My dear countrymen! I would just be creating a false sense of comfort if I say that Lokpal Bill will be able to deal a significant blow to the monster. The reality is that the solution lies elsewhere. Even the first powerful movement against corruption owes credit to education, to awareness.
Its very important that people shed their ignorance and become concerned and hence aware about their society, their state, their nation. If one feels safe in the sofa watching sops, he will be paying the price for his indifference some day. The country needs vigilant citizens to increase the accountability of the system. The nation reckons motivated people to take up the role to lead the nation. The day is not a distant dream when we will feel it before we say 'Mera Bharat Mahaan', if everyone of us becomes Anna for 5-10 minutes everyday. One will not need to become Anna for his whole life then!
Background Music: Hum me hai hero
As someone who completed his schooling in a dusty little sleepy town studying from textbooks meant to evoke strong sense of nationalism, I don't think our national psyche lacks the intent; we all fancy the idea of a prosperous India very much indeed but the truth is, as I get more and more disenchanted by it, that there never was a nation to begin with. It's just a bundle of communities historically so asunder on their respective value systems, sewn together under a federal structure that now appears to me as if put together in haste without much thought to the future. What these dominions do share is something that's as full of misery as it is brutal; a decade of foreign rule, boundless poverty and like you mentioned the 'Taaranhaar' syndrome, hoping for Swayam Bhagwan Shri Ram or Krishna to reincarnate and do the deed; now this is not exactly something on which you build a nation, is it? The founding fathers did try hard to start things afresh and lay some foundations and succeeded in part but after them, nobody volunteered to carry the same torch forward. Suddenly there were too many parochial ideologies and hence leaders and they all lit up their own. Hell, we couldn't even put a national language in place. Now to add to all this, came along 21st century that brought about an air of globalism and a sense of liberty and all hell broke lose. Individualism took over and nobody gives a damn anymore and by 'nobody' I mean the so-called intelligentsia.
ReplyDelete"the pact-based elections in kgp was no less an eye-opener and all the more disgusting was the smug looks on players involved"
Expert opinions are now open for sale (Seth, Aiyar, Swapan) primarily featured on booming news channels who dare claim to be one of the best; hardly! superficial at best.
Admittedly, this is all too oversimplifying to cover our grand state of affairs but to do it otherwise is to write a book as we've let so much go on unresolved.
'apne-2 ghar ko apna desh bana k baithe hain saale'
--KK, Gulaal
You wish for national duty on part of those who've been perpetually cheated out of their fare share on essential means like a decent higher education or life as a common man. We're a generation of victims of unfair and pervasive reservations. It was shockingly depressive to read about the new payback rule in IITs -- "only applies to General".
The supposedly honorable Constitution is today so open to manipulation that India has a puppet for a PM now.
There is no India. People like you and meBeforeKgp would like to believe there is but there isn't. We just hold a passport.
PS: sorry if this sounds insolent but I'm sick of too many theories and virtually no actions at all. We need to finally come out of denial and face the facts Vivek!
I can't deny all that you said, but also can't accept it cent percent. Though, i highly appreciate the thoughts and the intensity.
ReplyDeleteYes, so many things have gone wrong with our democracy that so many times we don't really feel for the nation. It appears to be as artificial as duties towards your hall@kgp.
Regarding your note, i would like to say that its also required to make a sound homework before effective action begins. We have to act definitely. We dont have any other option.