In this fast-paced world all of us work against time to make as much money as possible; to go up the ladder as fast as we can. There is no problem with such ambitions. The problem starts when we are willing to stop at nothing to achieve them- even if it means resorting to illegal and unethical ways. Yes, this article is about corruption, especially bribery- something that we have become immune to. Our country has become so corrupt to the point that people actually wonder if there is anything wrong in issuing bribes.
All of us must have been affected by corruption in one way or the other. In most cases, it is only after reaching a dead end; we resort to bribery, having left with no other choice. Personally, even I have had such an experience. Power cuts are frequent these days. On one such day, there was no electricity in our house for two whole days. Our calls to the electrician fell on deaf ears. Those two days were enough for us to appreciate Edison’s invention! In the end, we decided to give a hundred rupees to the electrician to get the job done. He finally came the next day and ironically, light was restored.
I am sure all of you have had such an experience as well. While issuing bribes, we only think about how important it is to get our work done on time. But have we ever thought about how this act influences the society? If we a government official a thousand rupees, that adds to his bank balance while it results in a shortage of a much-required thousand rupees in the government’s treasury. In the present economic condition, a thousand rupees may not be a big deal. But if a hundred of us give a thousand rupees each it results in a significant reduction of money from the government’s treasury. Money, that could have been put to effective use that could have benefited many, has now been sadly reduced to the personal use of a single man, or rather, two! Earlier corruption, though prevalent, was increasing in an arithmetic progression. But now, it is growing in an overwhelming geometric progression. What is the reason for this gargantuan growth?
Only when a person is ready to give, another is tempted to receive. This prompt readiness to give should be nipped at the bud. We must understand the fact that our selfish desire affects the society, as a whole. As an individual we must declare a strict ‘NO’ to bribery. Immediately snide questions like “How can a single person change the world, especially in an issue involving a huge giant like corruption?” will arise. True, it may not be possible, as an individual. But we must keep in mind, the fact that small drops make an ocean. As India’s youngsters, the responsibility of running tomorrow’s nation falls on our shoulders. A corrupt nation can never succeed. So, let us take a resolution, this minute, never to dirty our hands in bribery. Let us vow to work against corruption and uplift our nation.
I do not know how many minds I changed by writing this article. But I will sleep in peace even if it’s just one. Because every single mind counts!
Written by: Viju
Edited by: Vaagdevi
