OF ANNAS AND PAISA

When I was born 60 years ago, 6 paisa made an anna and 16 annas a rupaiya. Today we have one Anna Hazare, and hazaron log who have milked our country of trillions of rupaiya. Speculating on the amount received in bribes, siphoned off in commission, or stacked away in Swiss Banks is mind boggling.

My son Avinash, an M.A. (Economics), has an amazing insight into macro-economics that his college dropout father lacks. He observed that one of the reasons why India came out unscathed from the recent world economic recession was because of its widespread black economy, which acted as a buffer against the jhatkas in the white economy! I am inclined to believe my son. (Sometimes good comes from evil)!

India is going ballistic about Anna Hazare’s fight against corruption. I myself was convenor of 40 organisations in Kanpur which rallied over a thousand people together for the campaign on 5th April. As a victim of corruption myself, and a concerned Indian, I fully endorse Anna’s campaign. However, I am not sure if his singular demand for the Jan Lokpal Bill will be the panacea for all that afflicts the country. We have laws against dowry, untouchability, domestic violence etc. How effective have they been? We have several institutions and watchdogs like Parliament, the Supreme Court, the press, the CVC, CBI, ED, etc. How will one more “institution” help? Besides, can one Lokpal (Ombudsman) be presumed to be so fair and impartial as to have unlimited powers over the Executive, Legislature and Judiciary? Are we perhaps barking up the wrong tree?

Some zealous facebookers and tweeters are making comparisons with Egypt and Libya. How foolish. Egypt is now asking the Election Commission of India to help it conduct its elections. We have done so for other countries in the past. A pity that we don’t value our own democracy. How many of these couch potatweeters, who criticise politicians, actually stand in line, in sun or rain, to vote on polling day?

Yes, many politicians, bureaucrats and judicial persons are corrupt. So are we the people. How many of us have had our ages reduced when getting admitted in nursery school? How many of us have cheated in exams? How many of us are honest in both our personal and public lives? Are we also not taxchors, kamchors and bijlichors? Without dishonesty there can be no corruption. They are chor-chor musaira bhai - two sides of the same coin.

So while on the one hand we support Mahatma Anna Hazare in his battle against corruption, let us on the other hand also lead exemplary lives. If not, the cancer of corruption will reduce our rupaiyas into annas and paisa, Anna notwithstanding.

*The writer is the Convenor of the Bharstachar Virodhi Andolan, Kanpur