Corruption….

Pronunciation:/kəˈrʌpʃ(ə)n/
[Mass noun]
• dishonest or fraudulent conduct by those in power , typically involving
• The action or effect of making someone or something morally depraved.

This is how the Oxford dictionary defines corruption. But what does corruption mean for us today? ‘Bribing’ we would easily respond! Bribing is the recurrent form of corruption we see.
Bribing.. There used to be time when people paid bribe to do something dishonest, unlawful and wrong but today we Indians have progressed to the situation when we pay bribe to get right things done in right time. And this is the whole catastrophe of my country.
Pervasive corruption has riddled through almost every aspect of public services in India. Despite making major strides in overall economy due to the globalization in the recent years, a large fraction of India's population has continued to live in an impoverished condition while a small number of tricky Indians have accumulated enormous amount of black money in foreign banks.
The ‘2G-spectrum’, ‘Satyam’, ‘Harshad Mehta scam’, ’Telagi scam’ - the list of recent scandals and corruptions involving enormous national currency is virtually endless in India. All these scams have big names enweaved in them so even gathering confirmations becomes almost impossible. Let the question of punishing them be alone…
Corruption was a tendency in interest oriented class in the bureaucratic and political system some years back. With the growing greed of people, lack of united outcry of people, citizens’ tolerance about it had led us to a society where ‘bribing’ is just like any other folkways… Now the society has a self understanding of offering chai pani to the official who is helping by signing or forwarding your minor application or doing a job for which s/he is appointed and paid for. This general understanding in public is growing like cancer in my country and dumb down the senses, morality and honesty.
This kind of mutual understanding between corrupts and non-corrupt spectators in society has nurtured corruption.
Why go far?
Let’s see in the world around us. The ‘small’ cheatings are no less than these big scams if judged on honesty and morality. Those who can easily allow the passage for and be part of this grubby flow are nothing but morally bankrupts!!
I do not possess any remedial models for these trends in society, but every time I ponder over this problem one solution repeatedly strikes me i.e. education. However irrelevant it appears but I strongly feel that improvisations in education system, especially in primary education system will surely help for betterment. Strong values of honesty, national integrity must be inculcated in children at the tender age. With the due consideration of the fact that human beings learn from whole society and the anti social values can not be totally avoided from children but effort can be done to strengthen them for judging.. judging between right and wrong.
Considering our country in which a person has multiple identities, it’s difficult to raise the value of national identity as Indian among people. But at least capacity to do moral judgment can be cultivated. So there would be no one ‘morally bankrupt’!

Harshada Vinaya

We are part of a wider struggle

The world awakens with the screams of ‘F**k fees’!
The first demo of this struggle was seen on 10th of November. People saw a huge throng of students, (not only university students but school students too) marching in Westminster. Saying and demanding,
`No to Education Cuts’
`No to (increased) Charges for Education’
`Education should be Free!’
But can this whole struggle be seen with this one-dimensional perspective of ‘fight against state for reducing fees’?
NO! This revolt of students is a strong voice against the unfair education system. What they say is this, `Education for the masses not just for the ruling classes!’ They connect themselves with the workers’ struggle all over the world. `We are Part of a Wider Struggle!’ they say. This effort of students towards a better, rational and equal society is appreciable not just for the struggle but for this vision. In an atomized world today, where the youth is criticized harshly for being self-seeking, selfish and indifferent, this revolt is a good exemplar of youth’s endeavor to stand united and fight for the Real cause.
This small speech is by a boy of 15 years old.

His speech is an excellent answer to all those who criticize us for being aimless, our lack of ideology and our indifference.


Harshada

Preservers of Culture

This photograph is a piece of a small town called Tuljapur (Maharashtra). These kinds of boards are found almost everyday carrying a new message in this market place.
What motivated these people to write such things? Aren’t they afraid of the law?
Our Constitution guarantees us Freedom of Speech under Article 19. But many a times the hand revolving the lathi hits the other's nose i.e. a person/group exercising its rights encroaches upon the rights of others. A probing eye is able to see that the bare existential rights of one group are challenged by another group- I do not wish to get into 'Minority/Majority' rambling. People are assaulted, put behind bars, threatened and even killed! But the ones with impudence to write such things publically are called ‘preservers of culture/religion’..


Harshada & Chandni