Corruption And The Dilemma That Surrounds
Will it be naïve to say that we would solve the problem of corruption by just attending Anna Hazare’sJantar Mantar? Perhaps yes – could be a little naïve, if not entirely. For a show of strength and sending stern messages to all those corrupt in our system that we had enough of the nonsense for last 4 decades or so is one thing while expecting the show of strength or stern messages would force the corrupts to mold their modus-operandi is entirely another. What we achieved at Jantar Mantar is just parceling few unseen punches at our corrupt establishments and its constituents. We might have floored them for the time being but considering the battle has won is largely premature.
If we are really interested to make this corruption get out of the system, then it needs far more from us than just our presence at Jantar Mantar. The corruption as a phenomenon in our country is not a thing which just emerged in last few years. Even though the veracity of the corruption and corrupts has touched the sky’s limit in recent past; it was always there from the beginning. But ironically we never gave any heed to it till the point it went out of proportion and crossed all our bearable limits. When malice like corruption should have been nipped in the bud, we rather took it too lightly at the beginning with most of the time using it as a tool to get our jobs done the easier way. Now this brings us to ponder deeply into a simple equation. The equation is – if there is a bribe taker, there ought to be a bribe giver. They are mutually dependent phenomena which no one can dispute. While we still remain jittery about the chaps who take bribe, we conveniently forget the presence of an equal number (or even more) of individuals who give bribe for their own gain. They also should proportionately be held accountable and brought to book. The corporate houses, the builders, the exporters, the average common-man; all are there to get their work sail through without any major hiccups. Legal or illegal doesn’t matter as long as it brings about some personal gain. Every crooked way has a price tag attached which ensures the give-and-take cycle to go on and on. Now this continuous pampering and tampering lead to a situation where even a genuine individual who wants to accomplish his work without paying a penny as bribe, just can’t achieve it. The Aapsi-Bhagidari has gone so deep within our system that a corruption free approach to anything seems more impossible than Tushar Kapoor acting someday.
Shouldn’t we be equally blamed for this upsurge of corruption post-independence? Need a driving license – find ways and means to sabotage the system and get hold of that much needed license without breaking a sweat. Need that extra gas connection – the neighborhood tout would make it through in mere exchange of few hundred rupees. Want to have your kid get to that particular school – doesn’t matter if he is not qualifying in terms of his marks as long as Aapsi-Bhagidari is there to bail you out. There are many such examples where we flaunt our uncanny tenacity of bribing at the drop of a hat. It is not that we do bribe for each work of us after we fail in every alternative sober way to accomplish it. We bribe out of habit to make sure the work is done sooner than later. Thanks to this dangerous habit of decades that resulted in we having a completely chaotic and corrupted system where even the production of baby food is not out of the nefarious clout. When we equally are responsible for the mess that we are currently in, why alone blame the corrupts? They are corrupt because we made them corrupt for some temporary gain.
While we all are in togetherness that A.Raja should either be hanged or lynched publicly for his misdeeds, we conveniently forgetting the corporate honchos who orchestrated this mass scale bribing act. In the process to grab some spectrum either free or by paying peanuts, these corporate houses found a corrupt individual at the top, who could materialize their ill intent. Thousands of crores were wired to various tax heavens and the nation was left with licking its own wounds few months down the line. Won’t you think along with Raja, all those corporate houses starting from Swan Telecom to Reliance Communication and individuals from Shahid Balwa to Anil AmbaniRaja? So just blaming the corrupts and letting the real masterminds go fishing we for sure are not going to eliminate the curse of corruption from us. If you believe by throwing a certain Raja and few other scoundrels behind bars we are gonna be clean then you are underestimating our bench strength. Raja would promptly be replaced by a Rani in no time and all the self-centered corporates are there to instigate the nefarious cause of the future Ranis.
This leads for all of us common citizens to sit and introspect – where the crux of the matter is residing. Let’s for once realize that it is we who have left no stones unturned in making sure we have millions of Rajas, Kalmadis and rest to be there all around us. So before blaming the whole system and the corrupts enjoying their honeymoon inside it, we better blame ourselves for supplying all those emergency pregnancy pills instead.
I am not questioning or disputing the massive intentions of all those who were sweating all around Jantar Mantar few weeks back nor I have any doubts that major people movements like Annaji’sMunaf Patel after taking a bath but want none to ask us why we are so dirty. We want all our roads, drains, public transports, government offices to be clean but not interested to jump into the dirt ourselves and clean it or refrain ourselves from spitting that saffron saliva from our mouth. We want women of our family remain safe whenever they step out but admire the possibilities that we can enjoy whenever we see a woman standing alone in a bus stop. We want great governance but would plan our outing on voting days a good three months earlier on account of an off day. We would put a good kilo of lipstick and other sundry cosmetics before going for a showbazi candle light march but would sleep well into late afternoon on voting days. In nutshell - We want the whole world to change except us.
Hope we realize that hypocrisy has never taken any individual or society anywhere ever and we are no exception. As they say charity begins at home and for me it certainly does. Try changing yourself before expecting the world to change. Just take a vow that henceforth I am going to do justice to my responsibilities as an individual and a citizen of the nation and then see how the country changes for a better tomorrow. But before that – stop pointing fingers at others as it is always three fingers which remains pointed at yourself whenever you are at the act!!
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