I have a nephew, not even one year old yet. He has 2 big teeth that have come out recently and looks pretty cute in them, very naughty but very dear. One day I got a soft chocolate for him so that he can taste it and you know kids at any age love chocolates. He had one and the other one was on the bed he was lying upon, so he jumped on to that. But since he already had one, so I refused the other one. He still tried and gave me ‘looks’, but then I scolded him not to have the chocolate until I come and I left.
What do you think he would have done?
Did he follow my instructions? Or I was a fool, giving him first one to eat and then leaving the other one in front of him and asking him not to eat and left?
Whose fault was this?
This is exactly same happening in this country in case of corruption. The people of this country want to get their work done and thus they bribe. Well, chicken was born first or the egg? There’s a similar question here, bribe was offered first of asked first?
How do we define corruption? Is it only transacting money for work? Or it is unfair use of power one has or simply an act to charge for the work which is your duty and for which you are already getting paid?
To me, corruption is a want of more. More of anything, more of comfort, more of luxury, more if power, more of money, more of resources and to get achieve this more, we indulge in corruption. Its just not accepting favours, it also involves offering favours. Its basically personal interest.
If we go back in Indian history, we will see that corruption is in our blood. May it be Ramayana, where it was Vibhisana, may it be Mahabharata where from a soldier to Lord Krishna, everybody was corrupt, it was always there. The same blood we carry.
Another fact is that India is one of the oldest civilization and also one of the most invaded. Further, India is probably the only country which never invaded despite being such big in size and resources. We boast about the Rajput fearlessness, Maratha Warriors, Dravidian empire etc.but they were all so much divided always that we never experienced a spurt in power, and it was all because of divided and personal interest.
Then came the British who very well knew that Indians will die but not unite.
So the legacy that we received is corrupt and we are just following.
From a new born baby to the person at the highest post, everybody is corrupt, you and me everybody. So why do we need to scream to clear corruption? Why not we inculcate the in the blood of the coming generation? Because we people intentionally don’t want the corruption to end. We want corruption, this ugly game of power in this country so that rich can become rich and also we need poverty for the system to exist. It’s not the rich class that has enough votes in this country; it’s not the rich class that accumulates to hear a politician (they own them) in huge numbers; it’s not the rich class that is affected when the petrol prices are deregulated, similarly its not the rich class that is affected by the corruption.
It is people like us who cry when there;s corruption, when there’s inflation, when there is a terrorist attack and a lot of similar things. But to an extent, I believe we also are responsible for it. And like Abhimanyu, we learn how to get into the ‘chakraviewh’ of corruption but can never learn how to get out of it..
Signing off
Sid
