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
"It is the economy, stupid!" - this was the phrase used by Bill Clinton's strategist to win him elections but it applies here also. If you were to leave your idealistic hat aside for a second and think - As long as there is gross inequality in income, and till incomes dont increase with the rate of inflation people will ask for bribes. In a market place, prices go up as demand does. Now for a second, treat some of your public servants as logical operators in the market instead of upright model citizens. There is a strong demand for some of their services, but a severe shortage of personnel to render services. What do you expect ?
ReplyDeleteSolution to the problem does not lie in trying to influence people's thought process - note all these actors have families to support, kids to send to school etc. Solution lies in creating an "over-supply" situation. What happened to airfares when private operators started flying planes. OR something closer to you - what happened to conventinal landline providers when airwaves were opened to mobile operators (Do you even know what P&T dept in GoI is ?). Any thoughts on how you would address this situation ?
whow! i did not expect such a serious comment on this article.. well i agree! People are resorting to bribery having reached a dead end (as mentioned) But as you say, creating the over supply situation is the solution. but people do not realize that... bribery is so much easier and less time consuming (but so much more illegal). So, as it is convenient people go for bribery... All I am saying is, whatever be the situation, is is wrong to bribe!!! You can't justify bribery... and i don't know what p&t is. And didn't get proper results when i googled it..
ReplyDeleteLove your positivity 'Boond boond se hi sagar banta hai'. We must do our part to make this world a better place to live in. I completely agree with you.
ReplyDeleteHaving said that, have you ever thought what made the electrician take so long to reach your place? Why did he want the bribe to do his work? How much is he paid? how many kids does he have? Is his pay enough to support his children's education?
The issue here is not bribery, its economic disparity. Its a much deeper issue.Its not wrong on their part to want a better future for their children.
With the advent of Call center jobs, bpo's and Software jobs, people don't think twice before spending on expensive clothes, food etc. Would the electrician ever be able to afford that? There is a great pay divide which drives them to resort to bribery or any illegal means of making money. In the end it boils down to 'roti, kapda aur makan'.
I don't support bribing.But,I wish the solution was as easy as not bribing. The deeper issue needs to be addressed.
By blogging you are putting your opinions out there for everyone to read. You are still young,and you opinions are still in the formative stage. This is a great platform to get as many opinions and form one of your own.
I love it when you say 'As India’s youngsters, the responsibility of running tomorrow’s nation falls on our shoulders.'
I hope you mean it and do make a difference ...
BTW P&T was our only land line phone before we had other companies and cell phone:-)
@hema: true... even i have wondered about that! But those are not the only reasons for getting bribes.You said that the people who get bribes do so because their salary is meager and is barely enough to make ends meet... True! But what about the people from whom they get bribes? It is not like all of those people have stable economic backgrounds. For instance,it's a known fact that, mostly, people who are not very strong economically go to government hospitals... Even there, bribery is prevalent!! A 50 or 100 rupees may not be a big deal for a person from a middle class family, but it might make all the difference for a construction worker for whom that might be the wage for a day's work! And so he is exploited because of bribery...! All of us are trying to uplift ourselves economically. But it is important that we choose sincere ways to do so! At least i feel so... :)
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