April 27, 2012
The pandemic of corruption has created panic and havoc in the hearts of millions in India. Our great politicians who are our rulers and who are standing on the pulpit are shouting slogans against corruption. In fact they are asking the poor to obey their orders. But they never practice what they preach and never preach what they practice. What a tragic situation! To all their illegal activities the poor have become the scapegoats.
In Government Offices
With the support of political bosses, most of the officials have learnt as a hobby to snatch money from the poor. Once I had been to the aviation office to receive a parcel from abroad. I was totally new to that place and was not so familiar with the procedure. The officer asked me to get signatures from 25 persons in different places in the campus. As I approached them each person for each signature asked me to pay 100 rupees. Initially I refused. But they delayed it nearly for three days, until I paid some amount. I couldn’t believe that each officer, per day was receiving, perhaps twenty thousand apart from salary. There is enough and more for the need of persons but not for their greed. There is no place for poor and simple people to live in this corrupt nation. On another occasion a poor family was falsely accused of stealing things from a rich family, and the policeman asked bribe from the poor man to be free. In fact it happened even in the court too. A lawyer and other officers were craving for money from the poor without the slightest scruple. Lives of the poor are in danger. On the contrary the rich and politicians who were accused of doing illegal things in the country are able to live a royal life in prison, but not the poor in their shanty. Why is it we don’t eradicate corruption, even when we realize that it is a curse on our poor?
In Politics
Classic scams are 2G spectrum, C.W.G, Cash for vote, land mining, misuse of power etc. Those people have been jailed but they are receiving luxury treatment in the prison, more than at home, but the poor who are falsely accused are spending a sleepless night in front of the offices. Money power has so hypnotized the people that everyone is hankering after it. Apart from these scams there are some burning issues, which are still alive even now. Exploitations, communalism, abuses, racial discrimination, Human trafficking are subtly taking its strong roots in society, since moralities are taking least interest. When we look at the positive and good growth of our nation, we raise our voices to appreciate it. Why don’t we raise our voices when there is atrocity, exploitation and injustice? As the poor are constrained by the rich, some of the educated youth are constrained by their pettiness and selfish motives. Unless we change our hearts and mind to combat the wicked, certainly innocent people will be poached by the wealthy persons. The fight against corruption has to start from us.
In Government
Money has lost its real value from the persons who are looting millions and millions of money from the country. Moreover it has become in their chore. The classic 2G spectrum scam is 1.76lakh Crores. C.W.G scam is 60,000 Crores or 13 billion in 2010. Apart from al these every year truck drivers pay $ 5 billion as a bribe to the officers and India’s rich men have their black money in Swiss bank $1456 billion or 1.4 trillion U.S dollars or 91,06,03,23,43,00,000 Rupees in Switzerland. These are revealing the gluttony of the selfish persons who are hankering after money. The value of the money is found in the poor who are concerned about each every rupee of their earnings. But poor are becoming poorer and rich are becoming affluent people in our country. The corruptions both in minute and higher level are squeezing the poor lives not the rich.
In Education
Education is the basic foundation laid upon the students to grow as just citizens. The education that opens the eyes of students to the reality in itself is corrupted. It is reported that 90% of children in India drop out of school by the time they reach 12th standard because money matters a lot in education. The sole motive of institutions has become profit-making centers. Kickbacks are not only prevalent in private schools but also in government schools.
I am a victim in the hands of such a corruption. Since I am from a lower middle class family, I joined the government school. When I was admitted in first standard the headmaster of the school asked my father to give him money in the name of donation. It was mind boggling for my father and me too. It was not only my situation but also the plight of millions on students who yearn to go to school and study. If this was the situation in government schools think of the private schools, which earn lakhs of rupees. Think of the underprivileged students and those who live in below poverty line, who don’t even have one square meal a day. How can they dream to study? Our educational system, which is in mess, should be modified.
Corruption among Godmen
Corruption has set its foot even among various religions and their Godmen. Wearing saffron cloth or long robes, Godmen have making capital out of the true faith of the poor people. Their assets are being dumped in their vaults. They play a sentimental game with pseudo religious principles and the money hoarded from the people remains ever fresh in safe heavens. In the name of God’s worship money has been looted from the poor, who offer everything for their faith. Some of the religion practices have turned out be too rigid that psychologically people are forced to offer money to their faith. In fact no God would ever demand money at the cost of life. It is a psychological game played by the Godmen. Corruption has taken a deep root in everyone’s life. Godmen have been turn out be a ghost men to the poor. In the present reality people’s faith weighed at the cost of money, not by the heart. It is very difficult to blame on one person since we are all part of it subtly.
I am not a pessimistic person but I am revealing the truth and the reality of our society.
Youth Response
Youth have the greater responsibility to awake the people from their slumber and to resuscitate the poor from their dungeon of corruption. It needs greater commitment, greater courage, greater zeal, greater love and greater sacrifice of oneself. It is better to enable the people to combat corruption in their daily life than blaming on society. Through educational system let us show the path to the people and the children to eradicate this evil from our society. Our education shouldn’t be restricted merely to the texts book but it needs to include the current issues, which are ruining our country. We shouldn’t give the answer to the yesterday’s question but we need to be the answer to the every question of our day, by practicing a just life.
It is the yearning of every citizen of India, who is aspiring to cleanse out the corrupt milieu. Hence youth have to join their hands as one family in order to safeguard the innocent and our mother land. In the name of eradicating of corruption many people are emerging like 25 members of team Anna, Politicians and many other people. But nobody knows their pure intention behind it. It is a task given to us, as the future of our nation lies in the hands of the present youth. We need to make the people to be more responsible to their life, in order to raise their voice against corruption legally. “Youth are the god’s young faces” says Pope Benedict 16. Hence we are called to be the back bone to society and also we are called to be prophetic in our words and deeds.
In this rat raced world corruption has taken a prominent track for the exploitation of our nation. Hence injustice and atrocities have become the part and parcel of our life. We the young buds of our nation need to take a bold step to blossom in our nation by annihilating corruption, which is pesting our country. We need to take an active part in the eradication of corruption in all forms of our nation. It is not a time for us to drown in the worldly pleasure and enjoyments but times to counter attack the evils in our society vigilantly. We need to build our nation like a mansion under the foundation of Justice, Equality, Fraternity, Harmony and love.
For the betterment of tomorrow we need to strive from today. Now is the time for us to challenge our rulers, who are living a luxurious life where poor have not a place to live in the shanty.
Let us live a life of righteousness rather than a life of malice.
A life of equality rather than a life of inequality.
A life of justice rather than a life of injustice.
A life of truthfulness rather than a life of bitterness.
A life of harmony rather than a life of disharmony.
A life of love rather than a life of animosity.
A life of freedom rather than a life of captivity.
A life of order rather than a life of disorder.
A life of understanding rather than a life of disturbance.
We the youth of India, let us hoist the Tricolour of our nation once again on the pole of justice.
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