My present boss, who is an Ex-IPS Officer with intellectual inclinations and sharp mind, often tells me one integral part of Indian psyche that everybody criticize wealth in public while having a secret desire of being rich! Nothing could best describe the prevalent psyche among Indian masses. According to me, scams and cheating-cases are products of same avarice of most of the Indians. If not, then why on earth, these cheating cases keep occurring almost every month and scams quarterly?
The on-going campaign against "Corruption" spread-headed by Ford Foundation funded NGOs of Magsaysay & Gang ('Kabir' of Arvind Kejriwal and Lehman Brothers's funded NGO of Kiran Bedi) in the leadership of Anna Hazare, who, surprisingly haven't yet told us any act of bravery of his army days, is another example of "hamaam me to hum bhi nange, pavitra ho gaye naha ke 'Gange' (anti-corruption movement)! This "disciple" of Gandhiji, have already done away with his principle of 'self-restrain' by calling upon the students to come on streets (an open invitation of rampage!) and see the hypocrisy - he keeps Gandhi's large picture at the venue. It is as if the corrupt people are exchanging currency notes with Gandhiji's smiling photo on it!
It is surprising that many scholars have declared Indians as most self-critical, yet they don't accept that Corruption lies within not outside. Why? I have seen the corrupt people participating in this "Anti-graft" campaign. It is same situation that a corrupt clerk of a Gas-agency become a saint in his locality by lecturing on corruption!
I too have faced situations when I had only two options - Pay the bribe or get lost. I decided for the later and forced them to do my legitimate task.
One of those incidences happened in the year 2001. I was preparing for CAT and was living in a rented room just one floor above my Mausi's flat. Her land-line phone was not working from last few days. One day, her father-in-law told me that he had called up a lineman whom he would pay Rs.200/- and things will be ok. I asked him why he didn't go to nearby MTNL Telephone exchange, he replied that it was waste of time. I assured him that I would do it. He was not sure that i would make it, still, he handed over me the instrument (phone-set) to me. I went first to the zonal office, where the guard (Mind you, he was hired from private firm and was not a government employee!) did not let me in, presenting excuse of lunch time. It was 3PM and I was sure that it was not lunch time. I countered his argument by this time theory, but, he did not budge. I knew what he wanted! Finding no other way, i pushed him aside and rushed up-stairs. I had started speaking to the lady at reception when the guard reached there, so he left without saying anything. (That proves that it was individual corruption not a systematic problem.) The lady receptionist tried to persuade me to come after two days by presenting one excuse or another. In between talk with her, I had noticed Manager's room and had seen Manager sitting inside. So, i shouted loudly at the lady, alleging that I would not pay bribe to her. Hearing noise, the Manager came out and asked coolly why i was shouting. I narrated him my account from guard to that lady. The Manager, not only fired the guard at once, but warned the receptionist. Then he took me to his room and patted on my back for showing courage. He immediately dialed to Telephone Exchange In-Charge and instructed him to repair the telephone-set within 3 days (that was the time which used to be mentioned at bill). I got repaired phone-set back within two days, though i had use threat of speaking to the Manager at Exchange too.
This was just one of occasions I have faced corrupt people, but i have emerged unscathed because I have been able to kill the desire of opting for 'easy-path' which people, most often, fall pray to. In my account, one will notice that it was not the system which was corrupt, but the individuals who were corrupt. They live in and around us whom we encourage why giving respectable positions in society. If we hoot them, the corruption will end. In 'Rang De Basanti', the character played by Siddharth kills his father, I ask, how many sons/daughters have done that? The fact is that corruption live within us and no body accept that. The laws can not end corruption, its the "self-restrain" (as Gandhiji preached) only which can end corruption! "Hamaam me sab nange, pavitra hote hain naha ke 'Gange'"! I am not supporting campaign spread-headed by vested interests, because they don't want to end corruption, but want to augment it by creating a new body to enhance corruption.
In the end, I remember those golden words of a saint "Jin khoja tin paiyan, gahare paani baith", though these lines were used for God, but in the case of corruption within, they apply too.
The on-going campaign against "Corruption" spread-headed by Ford Foundation funded NGOs of Magsaysay & Gang ('Kabir' of Arvind Kejriwal and Lehman Brothers's funded NGO of Kiran Bedi) in the leadership of Anna Hazare, who, surprisingly haven't yet told us any act of bravery of his army days, is another example of "hamaam me to hum bhi nange, pavitra ho gaye naha ke 'Gange' (anti-corruption movement)! This "disciple" of Gandhiji, have already done away with his principle of 'self-restrain' by calling upon the students to come on streets (an open invitation of rampage!) and see the hypocrisy - he keeps Gandhi's large picture at the venue. It is as if the corrupt people are exchanging currency notes with Gandhiji's smiling photo on it!
It is surprising that many scholars have declared Indians as most self-critical, yet they don't accept that Corruption lies within not outside. Why? I have seen the corrupt people participating in this "Anti-graft" campaign. It is same situation that a corrupt clerk of a Gas-agency become a saint in his locality by lecturing on corruption!
I too have faced situations when I had only two options - Pay the bribe or get lost. I decided for the later and forced them to do my legitimate task.
One of those incidences happened in the year 2001. I was preparing for CAT and was living in a rented room just one floor above my Mausi's flat. Her land-line phone was not working from last few days. One day, her father-in-law told me that he had called up a lineman whom he would pay Rs.200/- and things will be ok. I asked him why he didn't go to nearby MTNL Telephone exchange, he replied that it was waste of time. I assured him that I would do it. He was not sure that i would make it, still, he handed over me the instrument (phone-set) to me. I went first to the zonal office, where the guard (Mind you, he was hired from private firm and was not a government employee!) did not let me in, presenting excuse of lunch time. It was 3PM and I was sure that it was not lunch time. I countered his argument by this time theory, but, he did not budge. I knew what he wanted! Finding no other way, i pushed him aside and rushed up-stairs. I had started speaking to the lady at reception when the guard reached there, so he left without saying anything. (That proves that it was individual corruption not a systematic problem.) The lady receptionist tried to persuade me to come after two days by presenting one excuse or another. In between talk with her, I had noticed Manager's room and had seen Manager sitting inside. So, i shouted loudly at the lady, alleging that I would not pay bribe to her. Hearing noise, the Manager came out and asked coolly why i was shouting. I narrated him my account from guard to that lady. The Manager, not only fired the guard at once, but warned the receptionist. Then he took me to his room and patted on my back for showing courage. He immediately dialed to Telephone Exchange In-Charge and instructed him to repair the telephone-set within 3 days (that was the time which used to be mentioned at bill). I got repaired phone-set back within two days, though i had use threat of speaking to the Manager at Exchange too.
This was just one of occasions I have faced corrupt people, but i have emerged unscathed because I have been able to kill the desire of opting for 'easy-path' which people, most often, fall pray to. In my account, one will notice that it was not the system which was corrupt, but the individuals who were corrupt. They live in and around us whom we encourage why giving respectable positions in society. If we hoot them, the corruption will end. In 'Rang De Basanti', the character played by Siddharth kills his father, I ask, how many sons/daughters have done that? The fact is that corruption live within us and no body accept that. The laws can not end corruption, its the "self-restrain" (as Gandhiji preached) only which can end corruption! "Hamaam me sab nange, pavitra hote hain naha ke 'Gange'"! I am not supporting campaign spread-headed by vested interests, because they don't want to end corruption, but want to augment it by creating a new body to enhance corruption.
In the end, I remember those golden words of a saint "Jin khoja tin paiyan, gahare paani baith", though these lines were used for God, but in the case of corruption within, they apply too.
