Corrupt the corruption

Picture for representation. (Photo credit: @ACA_India https://twitter.com/ACA_India)

Corruption is the order of the day. Linguists say that the use of word “corruption” has gained momentum since 1985. The usage graph shows an accelerating trend worldwide.

Corruption simply means decay or deviation from what it ought to be. Certain words, concepts and thoughts undergo corruption through ages. But, such corruption does not bother living of humans. When corruption is effected by humans deliberately for personal gains through misuse or abuse of her/his official position, such a conduct is worrisome for the entire nation.

Mahatma Gandhi once said, “I will not let anyone walk through my mind with their dirty feet.” He believed corruption begins in mind. My vision of a ‘Corruption-free India’ is an endorsement of Mahatma Gandhi’s thought. Such an India will not be governed by people, who would justify corrupt conduct in the name of “need of the family” or with answers like, “everyone does it”.

Schools and parents have the biggest role to play in building a corruption-free India. Parents and people in parenting positions are the first teachers of all individuals. They ensure continuity not only of the genes but also of societal behaviour.

"I will not let anyone walk through my mind with their dirty feet." 

Mahatma Gandhi 

If a child sees parents telling a lie to evade some uneasy questions or to escape a situation what they perceive as embarrassing, she learns the same pattern of behaviour and thus gets her first training in corruption. This training may come from watching parents asking the kids to tell a visitor that “papa is not home” or when she sees them saying no to her demands on the pretext of having no money but buying groceries or vegetables the same evening for household.

The young ones are too immature to differentiate the value of money against basic needs like vegetables and a toy. She may grow up to learn the difference, but enroute she also got the training of how to feign corruption for a lifetime. Unfortunately, India is parenting millions of children for corruption.

An Indian poet-sage said that a fish should not be trained to climb a tree...

Schools are not designed to nurture talent of children. The curriculum is same for all children of different inclinations, interests and abilities. It is only in high school education, children are given some sort of freedom to choose subjects in bunches.

An Indian poet-sage said that a fish should not be trained to climb a tree and judged on the basis of its performance to climb the tallest vegetation.

...change will come through reverse-corruption...

Since kids are different but are asked to perform the same task, a majority of them turn to tweak the rules of the game called education to attain the desirable results. After all, no one loves embarrassment. Corruption saves them from it in schools and they don’t see using the same technique to succeed rest of their lives.

Corruption as a value system must change. This change will come through reverse-corruption. If corruption is the order of the day, this order needs to be corrupted by all – the parents, the teachers, the government, the politician, the bankers, the traders and most of all I.

Ramdev Shows Why Anna Failed

While Anna Hazare and his disbanded team worked day and night to ensure that their fight against corruption could keep its sanctity intact, they failed miserably. And, one year since August 16 last year is not too short a period to write off Anna and his defunct team, given the fact that they are in tatters now. In my private discourse, I have been comparing Anna's movement/agitation with a rather completely contrasting in both degree and nature phenomenon of Revolt of 1857. Both proved great headache to the ruling dispensation at their very outset, but ultimately vanquished by the government's strategy. And, both prepared a mindset in the nation for a greater fight. The massive movements failed because they lacked organization and a clear strategy.

This strategy makes a clear distinction between Ramdev's movement and Anna's agitation. This explains why Anna and his erstwhile team failed to preserve the mass support and pouring that they got at the Ramlila Ground following the Independence Day celebrations last year. On his part, Ramdev has a better organization and a discreet but seemingly clear strategy to counter the government. Emotion can make people join a mass movement, but only an organization can keep them moving along the movement. This is where Ramdev is an improved Anna.

After last year's midnight swoop on sleeping protesters and supporters of Ramdev, who showed an utter cowardice while dealing with state action, the saffron leader looks wiser. He is drawing crowds, through his well established network throughout the country, close on the heels of a flop show by Team Anna. With latest act, Ramdev has somewhat salvage his lost pride. This may give some sleepless nights to the already weary UPA government, but if Ramdev supporters remain peaceful and do not misinterpret the yoga teacher's call for revolution, the anti-black money movement augurs well for India's democracy.

Anna: From Movement To Agitation

(Reproducing the article that I wrote for Merinews yesterday)

The British ruled over India for about 190 years during which they sustained what they believed the biggest jolt to their rule in the form of Revolt of 1857. Historians, now, say that the revolt of 1857 failed to live upto its promise because of its inherent weaknesses, biggest being internal dissensions. And, the British continued to rule for another 90 years. There seem to be a parallel in Anna’s movement for Lokpal Bill which is evidently directed against the present UPA government.

It was only last year, when the entire nation made beeline behind an old man, who finds Gandhism thrust upon him. Anna Hazare has tried to emulate the Mahatma, but despite his personal integrity and grit, his movement has all the signs of frittering away and waning. People of the country are no longer moved by his call for fight against corruption. The government prepares for his call for fast, agitation and mass gathering, but somewhere within, it knows that Anna is more like a spent force now.

There are three important components of the Anna Movement, Anna, himself, his Team and people. Anna, first. The supposed Gandhian leader took up the cause floated by India Against Corruption and championed it and on the way to mercurial popularity he expanded his arena of fight from Maharashtra to cover entire India. He was clearly swayed by the volumes of support that he got from the people of this country, who felt that a new Gandhi had emerged to take on the might of the government, which had been disconnected from the people it governed. People’s anger found a genuine expression in Anna’s call to stand against corruption. Similar emotion had already been experimented successfully in Bollywood through films like Lage Raho Munna Bhai, where people clapped when an old man, a retired school teacher embarrasses a government official to secure his pension.

People are fed up with the all pervasive corruption for long now and Gandhianised Anna gave hope to them. But, somehow, Anna Hazare failed to keep that mass support intact. One has to accept this as Anna’s inherent weakness. He is no Gandhi. People failed to realize this and their expectations of Anna remained so high that he could not have lived upto. He lacks the organizational skill and the understanding of public mood of the Mahatma. Also, Anna Hazare has not been consistent in his speeches and actions over past one and a half-year, which is so un-Gandhian. This drifted the masses away from him and his movement.

Anna’s team is, at its best, pulling in different directions. Allegations of nepotism and dictatorial attitude have been the biggest obstacle in accomplishing the task that the team has taken unto itself. Chief architect of the Team Anna, Arvind Kejriwal has, somehow, alienated all colleagues but a few. Even Anna Hazare does not seem to be in sync with his team all the time. This has exposed an organized bunch of activists to the ruthlessness of the government. Also, the allegations against Kiran Bedi of malpractices and of having communal tinge against the team have not done any good for it. The inevitable result has been loss of credibility of Team Anna among the masses.

On their part, people have also behaved in an intriguing manner. All of a sudden, when the middle was rising, the masses in India rallied behind Anna Hazare, giving hope to the old wise man. Anna mistook this momentary exuberance of people as their readiness for a long drawn battle against the government. This was not. The hope of Ramlila Maidan in Delhi, the political capital dashed in the Azad Maidan in Mumbai, the commercial capital. It also served the Team Anna a clear message that people cannot sacrifice their economic/commercial interests for some wayward political gains. This is precisely why and how Anna’s anti-graft movement became a pro-lokpal agitation. The coming days, beginning today, are likely to follow the same pattern.

Irom Sharmila: Gandhian War Against AFSPA

The anti-corruption cum government movements led by Yog Merchant Baba Ramdev and anti-graft Gandhian activist turned symbol of youth's aspirations in India, have done a world of good to a distinctly different pro-human rights struggle led by Iron Humane Lady Irom Sharmila. The forgotten struggle of Irom Sharmila seeking repeal of Armed Forces Special Power Act of 1958 has come to the fore. Irom has been on hunger strike for last 11 years but has largely remained unnoticed. Finally, the hunger strikes by people's leaders has brought the strong willed human rights crusader in the national debate. The recent hunger strikes by Ramdev and Anna have put across the board a message to Irom that a team is required to make authorities listen. And, now Team Irom Sharmila is taking some concrete shape and it seems to be taking definite cue from Anna Hazare movement against corruption.

Team Irom Sharmila has now decided to intensify the movement in midst of ongoing blockade in Manipur for more than two months-- by Sadar Hill District Demanding Committee and a counter blockade by United Naga Council. The economic blockade of the national highways connecting Manipur with the rest of the Northeast has created an acute shortage of essential commodities in the state. LPG is selling at Rs 2000 while petrol is selling at over Rs 160, potatoes at over Rs 50 a kg and tomatoes nearly Rs 80 a kg. Even the life saving medicines are hard to find. Team Sharmial wants to exploit the prevailing situation to bring forth their demand for repeal of AFSPA which has made life of ordinary citizens in the state equally vulnerable. Sharmila supporters claim that under the AFSPA rule, an average of two to three persons are being killed by the armed forces and no action is being taken against them.

The Armed Forces Special Powers Act was legislated in 1958 to fight the internal armed rebels. The AFSPA was aimed at meeting the challenges posed by the Naga insurgency in the erstwhile NEFA. It was later extended to entire northeast and in Jammu and Kashmir in 1990, after emergence of terrorism sponsored by Pakistan. But, its imposition in peace time has met with resistance from the human rights activists but the government has maintained that the Act is necessary to keep the disturbing forces in check. The insurgents and separatists in both regions have used the government's decision to impose AFSPA as tool to alienate the resident population.

In Manipur, Sharmila took the cudgels to challenge the might of the government and her method has always been Gandhian, shorn of violence, concrete in belief and consistent in perseverance. And, truly the movement has now drawn inspiration from another Gandhian activist, Anna Hazare, who challenged the mightiest government of the largest democracy for going away from the popular perception on corruption and its handling.

Though in certain parts of the northeast, people have tried to give it an ethnic colour by saying that the AFSPA is aimed to making people with mongoloid features suffer at the hands of rest of the mainland ethnic groups. But, Sharmila has always detested such views while terming the Act draconian. This Gandhian (consciously or not) activist needs to be dealt with in a better manner by the state and the central governments. Putting her in police custody or force-feeding her is not a way to deal with peaceful protest that the father of the nation espoused in his fight against a colonial government. Irom Sharmila is a Gandhian made of a different metal.

Anna Puzzle

Anna, The Sepoy

Anna Hazare has puzzled not only the govt, his supporters, media but himself as well. He would not have imagined that his call for a strong lokpal bill will get so much of support. In fact, people are not pouring in for the Janlokpal Bill, as drafted by the lawyers of Team Anna, but against omnipresent, all-pervading demon of corruption and for a hope that is floating on the promise of a Janlokpal. Though, people are not fully aware of the Lokpal or a Janlokpal, but it is the hope that has attracted them in large numbers. I only fear that they would get more exasperated in a few months from now, when they would find that framing of laws can not eradicate corruption from the Indian society, which needs stricter implementation of the existing laws and requires urgently getting back to moral schools for strong ethical values to resist temptation and allurement.

Anna Declares War On Corruption

Can a law, howsoever comprehensive it may be, weed out corruption from any society? Answer can not be an affirmative one. Corruption is not an island in itself which can be attacked by the force of law. It has been a way of life, like religion. Don't frown. The comparison may look an erroneous one but it is not. Religion in our country has been an individual way of life governed by a set of social, moral and ethical rules. And, corruption is very much part of our daily conduct, which is regulated by religion, both institutionalised and free. So, comparison between corruption and religion is a valid one. Corruption is a way of life and has been a reality of human kind throughout the history. The civilisational history of human existence tells us that corrupt practices can not be put to an end, it can only be moderated, channelled and curbed to a manageable level.

Anna Hazare launching a brave movement by undertaking fast onto death notwithstanding, the fight against corruption can not end or begin with the fulfilment of his demands. His demands are rather simplistic given the magnitude of the problem. He wants government to pass the Jan Lokpal Bill as drafted by social activists closely working with him. This bill proposes to make ministers, officials and other public authority accountable for any corrupt practice, if and when they indulge in it. It also says that the Lokpal must not require approval from any authority to initiate legal proceeding against a public functionary, who has delved into corruption. These demands are not only simple, rather extremely simplistic and thus can only complicate the matter in the long run. This law even if it is passed... provided there is a change of heart at the highest level of government... it won't serve its purpose and can not either weed out corruption or act as a deterrent to the practice.

Corruption has its roots in our thought process-- a result of our values, education, sensitivity, tradition, poverty, lust, ideals or an absence of one or all of them. So, Anna Hazare declaring a war on corruption may not go a long way in fighting corruption itself, but it can do one thing for sure, that is, to educate the masses of the fallout of corruption. Many more Annas will be required to do a social reformation that might bring corruption at a manageable or minimal level in decades or centuries to come. Or, who knows the fight against corruption may turn out to be an eternal fight between the good and the evil. But, Anna Hazare deserves huge applaud for his conviction at the age of 72, for his relentless fight against social malaise and for the hope that he harbours that one day the nation will be free of corrupt practices!