An essay I wrote on the topic "clichés."

‘500 WORDS ON CLICHES?’ I thought, as I glanced through my crumpled up Press Application form. That’s impossible. But then, Sachin Tendulkar’s squeaky voice in that Adidas ad started ringing through my head- ‘Impossible is Nothing!’ and so our journey through clichés begins.

Human beings, historically, have always felt the need to associate what they’re reading or hearing to something familiar. A cliché gives the reader an opportunity to do so. It brings an air of familiarity or recognition to a bunch of words. Using a cliché is primarily viewed in a negative sense which is not always correct. Sometimes, a cliché adds to the overall value of the article/story as it can enhance the reader’s experience.

Right now, you’re probably confused and want to know what exactly a cliché is?

Well, in simple language- a cliché is a bunch of words, an idea or a form of expression that has been grossly overused to such an extent that it has lost its original meaning, value or novelty. A cliché may not necessarily be true. It may be just a stereotype or a myth. For example, casting the ‘terrorist’ in movies as a Middle-Eastern bearded guy is cliché. The line ‘As many Chins as a Chinese phone book’ is a cliché. So you get what I mean, it differs. The word cliché can be used as both a noun as well as an adjective.

Sometimes in literature, when one great author/poet writes something, pretenders tend to copy his idea and over a period of time, it becomes a cliché. As Salvador Dali so blatantly put it, ‘The first man to compare the cheeks of a young woman to a rose was obviously a poet; the first to repeat it was obviously an idiot.’

Aside from literature, we encounter numerous clichés in our everyday lives. In college, for example, when you meet a person for the first time, the human brain consciously or unconsciously categorizes that person according to certain preconceived notions they have. It could be anything from the way someone dresses, to the way they speak or even something a trivial as their spectacles or a pair of slippers. All clichés

I was in class the other day, wearing my favorite three-fourth shorts after entering late and occupying a seat in one of the last benches. I was busy on my phone as the teacher wasn’t doing anything of real importance. Suddenly, she walks up to me- the ‘back-bencher’ and stands me up and asks me a question, with a smug expression on her face, fully expecting the ‘back bencher’ to go “I don’t know and I don’t care” and giving her a valid excuse for throwing me out of class. Unfortunately, I knew the answer. Perfectly. And even went on to correct several mistakes she made that day while teaching us Banking and Insurance. Shocking, right? A ‘back-bencher’ who is good at studies. Isn’t that the most typical thing ever in college?

Clichés teach us something quite important in life. No matter how often something is repeated, it doesn’t alter the truth. The truth stands firm, always evident. There you go, another cliché! *sighs*

From the Clutches of Corruption.

I read an article in the newspaper recently that really got me thinking. It made me think about our society, our country and our future...or rather, re-think these things.

The article was a crime report. Sushil Kothari, a wealthy South Mumbai resident, was out celebrating the birth of his child at a five-star hotel and, having had a few drinks too many, was involved in a hit-and-run case on Marine Drive. His speeding car knocked two innocent men off their scooter, killing one and leaving the other critically injured. Boom. Just like that- two children were left fatherless, a lady widowed and a family’s life was marred forever. The reason: one drunk individual’s negligence.

After hearing about this incident, a similar case a few months earlier involving Noori Haveliwala immediately springs to mind. I realised that this is just another, in a series of incidents involving the so-called ‘educated upper-class’ of our society being found guilty of sheer negligence, primarily due to the influence of intoxicants. The bit that really angered me was that Mr. Kothari was allowed to walk free the following day as his lawyers simply paid-off the police to close the case. Often, incidents like these do not even reach the press as the media are handsomely paid by the guilty rich to refrain from reporting on their crimes in order to save their reputation!

You’re probably wondering where I am going with this rant? Well, the question I’m asking you to think about is- in an age where our Prime Minister, in every national address, never fails to mention the exceedingly important role of India’s youth in shaping our future, is the youth really equipped to take India in the right direction? Or are we just a disillusioned Westernized version of our parent’s generation? The shocking murder of 16-year-old Adnan Patrawala by his own ‘friends’ is still fresh in our memories. A classic example of how a large section of our society is vulnerable, and can be driven into committing crimes by gluttony and manipulation. What strikes me as unfortunate, is how the same individuals who so eloquently talk about a better future for India and simulate world leaders and our parliament at model-UN conferences, they don’t even think twice before breaking laws and drinking, smoking and driving underage. The issues of the youth can be addressed by a greater emphasis on values from an early stage. But I guess these problems are best addressed at home, under the careful supervision of one’s parents.

The broader issue to dwell upon here is that of corruption. In my opinion, corruption is what is holding India back. Holding India back from launching itself on the world stage as a major player economically, politically and socially. The most obvious and recent example of this is the massive saga that preceded the Commonwealth Games. As spectacular as the games eventually were, the preparations had their fair share of ups and downs. It revealed to the world, that deception, bureaucracy and corruption still exists at the highest level of Indian governance.

It is evident that our troubled neighbours suffer from the same problems. The spot-fixing scandal that rocked the Pakistan cricket team’s tour of England proves that sport in the subcontinent still has a long way to go in order to free itself from the clutches of corruption. These problems lie rooted in the high illiteracy levels of our countries.
Someone once told me the issue is location-specific. “Offer Indians and Pakistanis a quick and easy way to make money and they’ll bite your hand off for it,” he said. “It is in our genes, this lazy and devious character.”
Therein lies a major problem, dismissing our country’s problems as being “in our genes” is a sign of having a callous attitude. Not only must we recognise that corruption is a part of Indian society but also we must take appropriate steps to eradicate this disease.

And how does one eradicate corruption? Is stricter law enforcement the only solution? The truth is, no matter how strict the laws are in a country- there will be criminals and the law will be broken. It is the extent of the punishment that will go a long way towards decreasing or increasing corruption. For example, if a high-profile minister is found taking bribes and he is allowed to get away with it; in the future, other ministers will take it for granted that they can easily get away with the crime and wouldn’t think twice before taking bribes. Conversely, if the minister is severely punished and made an example, others will be deterred from involving themselves in corruption.

Corruption is one of the many areas where country’s who follow the Islamic sharia law benefit a great deal. For example, it is highly unlikely that a Suresh Kalmadi -style scandal could emerge in the build-up to the 2022 FIFA World Cup to be held in Qatar. The fear of the capital punishment serves as a highly effective deterrent. China, South Korea and most Islamic countries follow the system of a death penalty when it comes to corruption. The system could really work in India. Think about it.

At the most basic level, it is up to us eradicate or at least minimize corruption in our lives. From our tacit approval as the driver bribes a policeman to avoid the headache of dealing with the consequences of breaking a traffic signal, to bribing income tax officials in our businesses- it all boils down to us, the citizens of this great nation. As the saying goes, “The accomplice to the crime of corruption is frequently our own indifference.”