We all rose above to root out corruption from our nation. But, subjectively, I could not really understand what we really set out to achieve. What exactly is corruption?
Corruption, by itself, is defined as
1. Dishonest or fraudulent conduct by those in power, typically involving bribery
2. The action of making someone or something morally depraved or the state of being
Once, I stepped out and tried to get another overview on the malaise that is corruption. And I got really unnerving results. Every single person, everyone of us is corrupt. Its just that the degree and kind is different.
For instance, when you tip the Maitre d' for the best table, you are indulging in corruption, for the said Maitre d' is also accepting a kind of bribe and being dishonest to his service. And the customer is just at as much fault for starting the practice in the first place.
Another case in point being that of tipping the various workmen during festivals like Diwali, Holi, weddings etc. That's corruption, technically. But we all know that we give them away more due to desire and goodwill rather than any other intention. Yet, are we not adding fuel to the fire?
One of my distant relatives, an elderly and jolly gentleman(and very moralistic, indeed), who used to work at a highly respectable position in the power generation sector, had a sweet tooth. And when any of his clients used to bring him sweets, they got favoured in lieu of their offerings. This sort of favouritism is also corruption in itself, yet its neither harming the nation noticeably nor degrading the dignity of that office. What will this be called then? Corruption or co-operation?
At the risk of sounding exceedingly cynical, corruption can never be wiped out completely. And thats because its not a virus, its more of a thought-process. One simply cant install CCTV's in every nook and corner of India. Always, in the end, it will be upon the individual to accept/offer bribes.
Can you change the mindset of every single Indian? Hypothetically as well, the enormity of the situation is too difficult to comprehend. Zero corruption is a myth.
Where there is responsibility and accountability, there will be corruption. You can preach all you want, but you cant take away the desires that reside inside the heart of every man. Whenever a person is faced with the predicament of finances in his personal matters, the devil will tempt them into alternate ways of income which may not always be moral but convenient nevertheless.
Its totally immature to blame our politicians for their dishonesty. Firstly, they were also one of us before they claimed that seat. If we turned a blind eye to their deeds in their formative years, we hardly claim any right to oppose them now that they are directly causing us discomfort. And secondly, we chose them through our own vote.
Does this mean that we quietly accept corruption as part of our lives and stay mum over it? No. At our respective levels, we can all learn to avoid shortcuts for a start, at the railway-station, at the electric board office, at the post-office and just about every place where we manhandle money to save our time and headaches. Stand in the queue if you really want to battle corruption, wait for your turn, follow the traffic lights diligently, wear a helmet, get a valid driving licence, dont temper with the electric poles to provide for your festive lightings, pay full excise duty on your imports, follow income tax laws honestly, stop helping your relatives unethically over other aspirants, say no to all undue favors at your workplace(even those from close friends and parents), question all wrongdoings and do just about everything that doesnt make you question your deeds as an after-thought. If we all can do this, there wont be a shred of corruption in India.
But thats more of an ambitious dream, for we are human first and Indian later! :)
Corruption, by itself, is defined as
1. Dishonest or fraudulent conduct by those in power, typically involving bribery
2. The action of making someone or something morally depraved or the state of being
Once, I stepped out and tried to get another overview on the malaise that is corruption. And I got really unnerving results. Every single person, everyone of us is corrupt. Its just that the degree and kind is different.
For instance, when you tip the Maitre d' for the best table, you are indulging in corruption, for the said Maitre d' is also accepting a kind of bribe and being dishonest to his service. And the customer is just at as much fault for starting the practice in the first place.
Another case in point being that of tipping the various workmen during festivals like Diwali, Holi, weddings etc. That's corruption, technically. But we all know that we give them away more due to desire and goodwill rather than any other intention. Yet, are we not adding fuel to the fire?
One of my distant relatives, an elderly and jolly gentleman(and very moralistic, indeed), who used to work at a highly respectable position in the power generation sector, had a sweet tooth. And when any of his clients used to bring him sweets, they got favoured in lieu of their offerings. This sort of favouritism is also corruption in itself, yet its neither harming the nation noticeably nor degrading the dignity of that office. What will this be called then? Corruption or co-operation?
At the risk of sounding exceedingly cynical, corruption can never be wiped out completely. And thats because its not a virus, its more of a thought-process. One simply cant install CCTV's in every nook and corner of India. Always, in the end, it will be upon the individual to accept/offer bribes.
Can you change the mindset of every single Indian? Hypothetically as well, the enormity of the situation is too difficult to comprehend. Zero corruption is a myth.
Where there is responsibility and accountability, there will be corruption. You can preach all you want, but you cant take away the desires that reside inside the heart of every man. Whenever a person is faced with the predicament of finances in his personal matters, the devil will tempt them into alternate ways of income which may not always be moral but convenient nevertheless.
Its totally immature to blame our politicians for their dishonesty. Firstly, they were also one of us before they claimed that seat. If we turned a blind eye to their deeds in their formative years, we hardly claim any right to oppose them now that they are directly causing us discomfort. And secondly, we chose them through our own vote.
Does this mean that we quietly accept corruption as part of our lives and stay mum over it? No. At our respective levels, we can all learn to avoid shortcuts for a start, at the railway-station, at the electric board office, at the post-office and just about every place where we manhandle money to save our time and headaches. Stand in the queue if you really want to battle corruption, wait for your turn, follow the traffic lights diligently, wear a helmet, get a valid driving licence, dont temper with the electric poles to provide for your festive lightings, pay full excise duty on your imports, follow income tax laws honestly, stop helping your relatives unethically over other aspirants, say no to all undue favors at your workplace(even those from close friends and parents), question all wrongdoings and do just about everything that doesnt make you question your deeds as an after-thought. If we all can do this, there wont be a shred of corruption in India.
But thats more of an ambitious dream, for we are human first and Indian later! :)
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