When we became a Republic 60 years ago, India was described as a “sone ki chiriya” (golden bird). As we enter its diamond jubilee the chiriya seems to have caught the highly contagious bird flu, which warrants immediate culling. Indian society has become cantankerous – irritable and intolerant. Simultaneously the body politic has become cancerous, with the carcinogenic 3 Cs – Communalism, Casteism and Corruption. How do we celebrate a cantankerous and cancerous Republic?
We have heard ad nauseum, that India is a tolerant society. Tolerance could be a virtue, but indifference and callousness is not. How do we distinguish between them? Post 26/11 and braveheart citizens coming out in mass protests, the tolerance limits seem to have been crossed; with the bravehearts saying “Enough is enough”, of course after the horse has bolted the stable!
The tolerance bubble having burst, a contagious puss has now oozed out, like lava from a volcano. We are spewing venom at Pakistan and the politicians. What about “We the People”? Are we not as much a part of the problem? Shiv Khera talks sense, when he says that if we are not part of the solution, then we ourselves are the problem.
Tolerance is not a virtue, if we tolerate the 3 Cs that are ruining Indian society. From tolerant we have become cantankerous. It is the swing of the pendulum from one extreme to the other. It must swing, for the clock to work. But it must also find its equilibrium to work correctly. The correct new 3 Cs are - Communal harmony, social Concern and Clean dealing.
We were outraged at the TV reality show of Mumbai’s 26/11. But how many of us were moved by the devastating floods in Bihar or the thousands of Christians in refugee camps in Orissa? We mourned the death of 2 NSG commandos and 3 ATS officers in Mumbai. But we flipped the page when Maoists killed 60 Greyhound security men in Andhra.
We tolerate corruption at all levels. Now that Satyam has been exposed as jhootam (fraud) the birds are coming home to roost. Fraud and cunning can take you so far, only to eventually succumb to bird flu.
In the diamond jubilee of the Republic “We the People” have to become harbingers of our own destiny. It is not enough to have self-righteous candle light marches, saying, “Enough is enough”. We have to become involved and concerned. The time to act is now.
How many of us who curse the politicians are involved in political affairs, or even bother to cast our votes? If we have not contributed to politics, we have no right to criticise politicians. If we condone Communalism and Casteism we must be prepared to live in a fractured society that is at daggers drawn with the “the other”. We can say goodbye to peace and prosperity.
If in our evening’s candle light protest we curse the politicians, and next morning meet them to get our work done through dubious means, we are living in a twilight zone of hypocrisy and self-deception, while the cancer eats into our innards.
India has been labelled as one of the most corrupt nations in the world. Even in international fora our business houses are being accused of using “unfair means” to solicit business. The aam aadmi cannot get a basic right like a ration card, without paying a bribe. At the other end of the spectrum, there are enough corrupt officials to turn a blind eye to the movement of contraband, counterfeit or consignments of arms. How then can we fight the war against terrorism?
There has to be a war on corruption. The entry level for corruption is palm greasing or speed money to get your legitimate dues, like a ration card or pension fund. The mid level is circumventing the nuisance value of babudom – the plethora of laws, departments and officials that are a collective hindrance to progress. The third and most dangerous level is the unscrupulous businessman or the nefarious neta who will stoop to anything, and stop at nothing, to get his work done; with corrupt police, bureaucrats, politicians and even the judiciary playing ball.
If enough is enough each one of us has to cull the cancer of Communalism, Casteism and Corruption. We must replace them with the healing balm of Communal harmony, social Concern and Clean dealing. Let “We the People” say, “Long live the Republic”, our sone ke chiriya.
# The writer is a former National President of the All India Catholic Union, and a Kanpur based social activist
JANUARY 2009
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