Shocking, disgraceful, shameful are some of the adjectives used by people for the ‘Notes in the Loksabha’ episode. However, I wonder why the whole episode has been so shocking to the Nation. People did not appear to be mindful of the Crores being exchanged in the run up to the Trust Vote. The Crores were being talked about in the News Papers and the TV Channels over the last couple of weeks. Every body appeared to be aware of the going rates of the MPs but every body appeared to be taking it all in stride unmindful of the disgrace and the shame involved. Just because the notes have come to the fore on the Speaker’s table in the Loksabha in full glare of the National Television- the entire episode became so sour to the eyes. This is what our society has come to. We do not mind the goings on as long as it is all going on behind the closed doors away from the eyes of the fellow people. The proverbial skeletons in the cupboards have come to be accepted until they pop up out of the cupboards. We, as a ‘civilized and evolved’ Society, have become immune to the horse-trading in particular and corruption in general and keep on indulging ourselves in our daily lives in one way or the other, till we are caught red handed. Even on being caught red handed we look for excuses and alibis and start pointing fingers at others who are also indulging in the similar manner. All this has become a way of life. Yet we expressed our dismay at the happenings in the Loksabha. Actually, it is just a lip service, which we consider as our duty towards the Nation, which we are paying by expressing our feelings. All this will be forgotten within a few days. The public memory has been short and is becoming shorter with each such episode. No body appears to be really bothered about the whole episode and no body appears to be bothered enough to do any thing about it. We have become so self centered and so selfish that we keep on looking the other way wishing that some one else would take the corrective step. It is also the callousness which has crept into our society and our collective conscience that we least expect ourselves to do something to remedy the situation.
Who do we blame in the whole episode?? The MPs involved, or the political parties involved- the ruling party or the opposition? I feel that we all as the citizens of India need to own up the blame. Time has come for a deep introspection to be carried out by each and every one of us and come up with the remedy to the situation. The task may appear to be too loaded but it is not. We need not actually step into the shoes of the politicians and try to replace the erring MPs. We can contribute in smaller measures by rejecting corruption in smallest of places and also by not indulging in corrupt activities.
We also need to realize and accept some very vital realities which we tend to collectively ignore. One- If the politicians are corrupt, who corrupts them? Is it possible for a corrupt man to continue being corrupt without any corrupting agent? And
Second- Where do the politicians come from? Have they come from some other planet? Are they not the produce of our own society? Is it not the responsibility of all of us, as a part of the society, to have produced a crop of corrupt politicians? I would like to say that all of us are corrupt to some extent which is why we have been tolerating corruption and at the same time abetting the corrupt. It is convenient for us to blame the politicians for all the corruption when the malady lies with all of us.
Has every one of us, at some point of time, not paid to get an out of turn gas cylinder? Has not every of us not, at some point of time, asked to the shopkeeper not to issue a bill to avoid sales tax? Has every of us not broken the traffic rules once in a while and tried to pay off the traffic inspector? Have the huge private companies not broken or bent the law to suit themselves at one or the other point of time? Have we not procured railway berths by shelling out to the TCs? Why is it that Indians have been recently crowned, internationally, as the people most willing to pay bribes? How many of us, given a chance, would come out with our true income and love to pay our taxes, willingly. It is so convenient to overlook our own wrong doings and to blame the govt. for all the wrong in the society. If nothing, we can always say that the laws are such that it is not always practical to abide by. If wishes were horses we would love to have no laws and regulations or rather love to write the laws to our own conveniences.
I would like to add that the corruption is not always in monetary terms. If we cheat in our contracts, it is corruption. If we manufacture fake and substandard material, it is corruption. If we advertise a product for some thing that it is not, it is corruption. If we produce/ manufacture morally corruptible items like cigarettes, liquor, pornographic material, lotteries, movies and sitcoms with explicit sex, adultery, incest, violence, it is corruption. When we bombard the masses, for our own profits, with products which are not relevant in our economy, like soft drinks, chocolates, wafers, luxurious cars and bikes etc. we are indulging in corruption. This, when we do not have enough food, water and shelter for our masses. One may argue that providing food, water and shelter is the responsibility of the Govt. and that if the masses are deprived of this necessity even after 60 years of independence, it is its failure. The definitions and laws may be drafted to suit our conveniences.
It is worth pondering- Is it prudent on our part to keep on adding more and more vehicles on our roads when we do not have enough space to walk and park? Are these vehicles not contributing to pollution? Are these vehicles not contributing to the exorbitant oil import bills of the country? We would add more vehicles in our family, just because we can afford it! What has government to do with this? Similarly, just because we can afford we will go on increasing the sizes of our homes totally oblivious of the fact that the land available to us as a nation is limited! The nation is heading towards chaos with the increasing disparity in the levels of income. And this has little to do with the government and its policies. It has all to do with the greed that we all have in our selves. It is to do with the self centric society that we are living in. The general attitude is that “as long as I am fed well and taken care off well, I do not have any problem with the system.” “I am not responsible for any ills of the society. It is the other person and the government.” The general attitude is that “I will not pay my taxes because what has the government done for me. The taxes I pay will be wasted on the politicians and the government servants.” “If the government is striving to improve the roads, improve the water distribution system, than it should have done it long back- it is its duty and as far as I am concerned- I expect it as my birthright.” We have seen people littering in plush Rajdhani Express and complaining that the Govt. does nothing to provide clean environment. We will always find people breaking traffic rules and complaining for the chaos on the roads. The attitude needs to change. We as a nation, as a society will have to improve ourselves and will have to take up the responsibility to take our nation forward instead of condemning the government. We have to supplement the efforts of the government and if needed will have to be in the government by entering into politics. We will have to rid ourselves of all the corruption and only then expect a corruption free government. It is for us to remember, that we as a society are the source from where the politicians and government servants are originating. It is also a fact in democracy- We get the Government which we deserve. We shall, therefore, not be surprised on dismayed by the happenings in the Loksabha. If the tree is of neem it will only give out bitter-kadva- leaves. We cannot expect mangoes from a karela plant. After all- As we sow, so shall we reap!!!
Who do we blame in the whole episode?? The MPs involved, or the political parties involved- the ruling party or the opposition? I feel that we all as the citizens of India need to own up the blame. Time has come for a deep introspection to be carried out by each and every one of us and come up with the remedy to the situation. The task may appear to be too loaded but it is not. We need not actually step into the shoes of the politicians and try to replace the erring MPs. We can contribute in smaller measures by rejecting corruption in smallest of places and also by not indulging in corrupt activities.
We also need to realize and accept some very vital realities which we tend to collectively ignore. One- If the politicians are corrupt, who corrupts them? Is it possible for a corrupt man to continue being corrupt without any corrupting agent? And
Second- Where do the politicians come from? Have they come from some other planet? Are they not the produce of our own society? Is it not the responsibility of all of us, as a part of the society, to have produced a crop of corrupt politicians? I would like to say that all of us are corrupt to some extent which is why we have been tolerating corruption and at the same time abetting the corrupt. It is convenient for us to blame the politicians for all the corruption when the malady lies with all of us.
Has every one of us, at some point of time, not paid to get an out of turn gas cylinder? Has not every of us not, at some point of time, asked to the shopkeeper not to issue a bill to avoid sales tax? Has every of us not broken the traffic rules once in a while and tried to pay off the traffic inspector? Have the huge private companies not broken or bent the law to suit themselves at one or the other point of time? Have we not procured railway berths by shelling out to the TCs? Why is it that Indians have been recently crowned, internationally, as the people most willing to pay bribes? How many of us, given a chance, would come out with our true income and love to pay our taxes, willingly. It is so convenient to overlook our own wrong doings and to blame the govt. for all the wrong in the society. If nothing, we can always say that the laws are such that it is not always practical to abide by. If wishes were horses we would love to have no laws and regulations or rather love to write the laws to our own conveniences.
I would like to add that the corruption is not always in monetary terms. If we cheat in our contracts, it is corruption. If we manufacture fake and substandard material, it is corruption. If we advertise a product for some thing that it is not, it is corruption. If we produce/ manufacture morally corruptible items like cigarettes, liquor, pornographic material, lotteries, movies and sitcoms with explicit sex, adultery, incest, violence, it is corruption. When we bombard the masses, for our own profits, with products which are not relevant in our economy, like soft drinks, chocolates, wafers, luxurious cars and bikes etc. we are indulging in corruption. This, when we do not have enough food, water and shelter for our masses. One may argue that providing food, water and shelter is the responsibility of the Govt. and that if the masses are deprived of this necessity even after 60 years of independence, it is its failure. The definitions and laws may be drafted to suit our conveniences.
It is worth pondering- Is it prudent on our part to keep on adding more and more vehicles on our roads when we do not have enough space to walk and park? Are these vehicles not contributing to pollution? Are these vehicles not contributing to the exorbitant oil import bills of the country? We would add more vehicles in our family, just because we can afford it! What has government to do with this? Similarly, just because we can afford we will go on increasing the sizes of our homes totally oblivious of the fact that the land available to us as a nation is limited! The nation is heading towards chaos with the increasing disparity in the levels of income. And this has little to do with the government and its policies. It has all to do with the greed that we all have in our selves. It is to do with the self centric society that we are living in. The general attitude is that “as long as I am fed well and taken care off well, I do not have any problem with the system.” “I am not responsible for any ills of the society. It is the other person and the government.” The general attitude is that “I will not pay my taxes because what has the government done for me. The taxes I pay will be wasted on the politicians and the government servants.” “If the government is striving to improve the roads, improve the water distribution system, than it should have done it long back- it is its duty and as far as I am concerned- I expect it as my birthright.” We have seen people littering in plush Rajdhani Express and complaining that the Govt. does nothing to provide clean environment. We will always find people breaking traffic rules and complaining for the chaos on the roads. The attitude needs to change. We as a nation, as a society will have to improve ourselves and will have to take up the responsibility to take our nation forward instead of condemning the government. We have to supplement the efforts of the government and if needed will have to be in the government by entering into politics. We will have to rid ourselves of all the corruption and only then expect a corruption free government. It is for us to remember, that we as a society are the source from where the politicians and government servants are originating. It is also a fact in democracy- We get the Government which we deserve. We shall, therefore, not be surprised on dismayed by the happenings in the Loksabha. If the tree is of neem it will only give out bitter-kadva- leaves. We cannot expect mangoes from a karela plant. After all- As we sow, so shall we reap!!!
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