“I am like Anna Hazare Jee, don’t bribe me!”

August brought with it fasting-season in the Indian subcontinent – Jains observed Paryusana, Muslims fasted from sunrise till sundown each day during Ramadan and Anna Hazare fasted as a protest against the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government. His demands? The implementation of a revolutionary Jan Lokpal Bill aimed at tackling the rampant corruption within the Indian polity.

Some criticized Anna Hazare’s method of a fast-unto-death for being ‘much too extreme’ and ‘unconstitutional’ while others rallied behind the Gandhian activist, some even joining him in his fast! Days of anti-government rallies and pro-Anna marches followed, culminating into a nationwide frenzy wherein daily newspapers and television channels seemed to cover nothing else!

Finally, on the 27^th of August, both Houses of parliament, through thunderous thumping of desks, agreed to pass a resolution giving in to Hazare’s three major demands -   a Citizens’ Charter, appointment of Lokayuktas in all states with Lokpal powers and the inclusion of lowest to highest bureaucracy in the Lokpal Bill. Yet, in the words of Hazare himself, “We have won only half the battle.” The question is - why?

There is no doubt that the ‘India Against Corruption’ movement united citizens from all walks of life against something that was earlier considered an undefeatable foe - corruption. There is also no doubt that Anna Hazare’s protests secured the passage of a bill that had otherwise been neglected for over four decades. Yet, as a gloveless sweeper clears tonnes of rubbish, discarded slogan-banners, packets of chips and banana-peels from Azad Maidan where a rally had been held, the question on everybody’s lips is – What happens next?

Perhaps we’ll get a better answer to these questions once the dust settles on Hazare’s victory and this whole anti-corruption euphoria dies down. The sceptics are out in large numbers, those low-on-life individuals who think that we Indians will never change – “Corruption is part of life in modern-day India,” they say. “I’m telling you bhai sahib, let all this Annagiri end in a few weeks and people will forget this movement even existed!” I wholeheartedly disagree with their pessimistic approach. Granted, even I don’t expect corruption to be wiped out completely; it would be naive of us to believe that. Yet, a visible change in the attitude of Indians towards corruption is the first major step we need to take. The signs look good in these early days. A friend of mine was halted by a traffic cop for using his cell phone while driving. My friend shamelessly removed a five-hundred-rupee note to avoid legal punishment and the headache that comes along with it. Our hero of a cop, though, turned down the note with a look of disgust and then proudly stated – “I am like Anna Hazare jee, don’t bribe me!”  

Where Did We Get Lost Along The Way?

BBM broadcast - "We R burning d Sony factory @ 11pm, u lads in?"

We live in strange times, people.

We live in a world where Barack Obama, who promised to be the messiah that Americans were so eagerly anticipating, turned out to be just another sweet-talking illusion.

We live in a world where an entire government was turned on its head by the power of a mass revolution: Egypt – Cairo – Tahrir Square, to be precise.

In this mental world of ours, IMF chiefs turn out be rapists, IPL masterminds turn out to be criminal masterminds, everyday - countless politicians are proven to be serial liars – why can’t people just be who they claim to be, for once?

Everybody seems to be talking about corruption right now, in my country. Corruption here, corruption there, corruption bloody everywhere! ‘Corruption is a disease that we must cure’ they say. Cancer is a disease, but just by talking about cancer it isn’t going to go away now, is it?

Civil violence is another issue I would like to touch upon. Israel, Iraq, Libya, Yemen, Algeria and even England– I daresay? It certainly seemed that way a few days ago. These uprisings may have been spread through Facebook and Twitter, but their effects were far from harmless. Rioting, looting, arson – there really ought to be better ways of showing your frustration towards your government? Britons are known for their tea, right? Drink some of that famed tea and calm down! Punch a pillow, if you’re really that angry! Ridiculous scenes, we witnessed on our TV screens. 

The world is getting smaller by the day. People in the Middle-East eat more Burger King than Americans these days and chicken tikka massala is the new fish ‘n chips in the UK. 

As we march along, unsteadily, towards the Last Day, this world of ours is just going to get even crazier. Wishful thinkers and space scientists can argue all they like, but we have no other place to go! These wars that are being fought over petrol will soon be fought over H2O! One thing we all agree upon is that it's all going to end one day. But have you ever stopped and asked yourself - where did we get lost along the way?

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.”