Corruption - the cancer that is destroying India’s core.

One word that has defined India in the recent times is "corruption". The terms that has been popping out from our print and electronic media has been scams, scandals, black money, bribe etc. Indian society as usual has fatalistically responded to this evil that is slowly gnawing into the very moral fabric of the nation. Corruption is not new to us, but the way it has permeated every level of political, bureaucratic and corporate spheres of our society is alarming. When the so called leaders of the nation who have the onerous responsibility of building the country’s moral and ethical fabric are themselves the culprits then the light that was supposed to lead the way has itself been darkened. As the saying goes it is the fence that is eating the crops, and a tragedy of enormous magnitude is being played out which if not corrected will lead to disastrous consequences.

Is there a reason for this sudden spurt of corruption? Yes the reason is directly related to India’s emergence as an economic power and the new found money that is pouring into the countries coffers. Everyone wants a share of this pie, and anyone who is got the power and proximity to millions of rupees is prone to falling into this temptation added to this is the rampant rise of materialm and consumerism in our society. Another reason is the all consuming greed and the erosion of values and ethics from the hearts of people especially the so called Netas. They have no accountability to any one once they are elected and shamelessly come back and canvass for votes every election as if nothing has happened. Today it is okay to be seen as a scamster, or a swindler and a financial offender, in fact it sometimes accentuates his popularity in the public domain and can even land him in the parliament. We cannot just keep blaming the Netas alone for all this malaise, it is said that the people deserve the kind of Government they get because it is their elected representatives, so they represent each one of us. None of us can take a moral high ground on corruption and claim to be the messiah of the masses or claim immunity, we all have fallen prey to it one way or the other in varying degrees. Moreover we have very few models of integrity and honesty around us; they are a fast depleting and disappearing an almost extinct species. It requires enormous amount of conviction, integrity and value for a person to stand up in the present system, in fact a person like that becomes a bottleneck in the feeder chain of corruption. He is usually weeded out in order to facilitate the smooth functioning of the system.

Is there a way out for us from this mess? Can we see a glimpse of light at the end of the tunnel? Yes there is, the solution lies in each one of us, we need to stand firm, do not compromise. Be the change you want to see. Do not give bribes and never ask for it. Be willing to go through the process and wait for your turn inspite of all the delaying tactics and harrasments that the authorities can do. Write, blog, use the RTI, register complaints, educate others about their rights and privileges, expose the corrupt. Teach our children and our younger generation right values and principles. Do not keep silent; It is these little steps that will bring in great change and we can all chip in to make that change. As a Christian we have a greater responsibility to live out and show Christ likeness and do everything possible to be honest and noncompromising and ultimately see this menace being rooted out, agreed it is a herculean task, but we need to start somewhere. We also need to appreciate and acknowledge those who do the right things without compromising, let us celebrate them and support their efforts. Let us not put up with the status-quo, send word out, mobilize support. We are the light of the world, people are looking at us, let our lights shine so brightly before men that they will see our good works and glorify the Father in Heaven.