Empty Words

 “Ask not what your country has done for you, ask what you have done for your country!”

The one word I do hear a lot these days is “scam”. The present government, though a very good one, is stuck badly between too many corruption claims. In this connection, Mr. Chetan Bhagat’s open letter to Ms. Sonia Gandhi did catch everyone’s attention. It caught mine too, but from an entirely different perspective!

For one, I didn’t like his way of addressing the whole situation. As to why he chose Ms. Sonia Gandhi to address the situation to, is still in the dark. Whatever his reason, we shall never find out. But I would like to point out major loop holes in his letter.

First of all, he says corruption comes from unchecked power. I do agree, but that’s not the main reason. Its our approach to any situation that defines corruption. The term corruption is too vast to be just bound within the limits of a political party, any political party for that matter. Passing an anti-corrution bill will be of no use as it will become just another line in the penal code. Corruption comes from the deep fathoms of the human heart. If we have to wipe out corruption, its there we’ll have to work, not by passing a bill.

In this connection, I would like to point out something in our everyday lives. As common citizens, we do know so many people being corrupt. But what do we do about it? Nothing. Well, I don’t really blame us either, for we know what happens if we do try to stand up against corruption. It will just be a drop in the massive ocean. So we console ourselves saying, we cant do anything about the situation.

As Mr. Bhagat points out, political parties don’t have a stipend system for young workers. But its wrong to assume that by introducing a stipend, the situation will become any better. I ll give you my justification. By this logic, the salaried employees of the government or any private companies should be clean. But we all know that’s not the case. Corruption doesn’t come from need, it comes from greed.

Having spent my whole life in a central government research campus where my father works, I know the hitches of reaching heights for your talents. Mr. Bhagat again makes an erroneous assumption that corruption is limited to money matters. Its not. The main reason is the wish to attain heights with ease. To look for a shortcut is a good thing, in the sense it helps you reach your goal in a shorter period of time. But to avoid labour and try to reach goals is not good. That’s where your money and contacts play their role. Isn’t that corruption, Mr. Bhagat?

Money may be the end result of corruption, but money cant solve the problem of corruption. When they said “money can buy anything”, they didn’t mean our morals too. If we can keep our morality alive, nothing can shake India. Its not something a political party or an individual, even someone as strong and respectable as Ms. Gandhi, can do. What leaders can do, is set examples which I believe is very much available. What we do need is realization that corruption comes not from outside but from within our hearts. The situation may tempt some people, the power may blind yet others, but we know better. The archaic bull is not corruption, it is greed.

I know a lot of people talked about this article, just like my friends did. But I don’t think anyone paid much attention to the elimination of corruption. That’s the problem. This generation is not bothered about the big picture. All they ask for is “What’s in it for ME?”. Want to do something about this? I say, try changing their mind sets. 

All this being said, the best thing to do is start from the simplest block of the wall, “me”. We can start the change from within. The start to any process is thought. If we can stop for a moment and think about our lives, we will realize that its quite simple. Hyping things up is never going to help us get anywhere. Young India shouldn’t stop at rising questions about problems. It should think about solving some of them. I certainly agree that its going to be no easy job, but to get to the end, all that we have to do is START!

Jai Hind!