Corruption - The Demon

Philosophically corruption is defined as “spiritual or moral impurity” or “deviation from an ideal”. Also it has been used as the opposite of the word “Generation”. Dishonest, immoral, wicked, fraudulent, insincere, malicious, injustice, (and many more to be followed) are the other dictionary meanings of corruption. We hear the word corruption from different planes of our society. And the political system of the land owns the majority of that. When we say that our politicians are corrupt, are we thinking of the electorate who elected them. Indirectly we are the people who have not exercised our duty (of electing them) properly or intelligently. Are we corrupt? It would be something related to our conscience and an introspection would definitely help us to march forward with our anti-corruption demands. We can see so many examples where well paid corporate employees are going corrupt. It may be a small thing, but it looks like that really matters here. Paid for eight or nine hours and not working sincerely for that much time, not using the organizational resources like electricity, telephone, printer, data-card, etc. judiciously, producing fake rent receipts, travel tickets and medical bills for escaping from tax deductions, approaching agents to bribe the railway official and ensure a railway ticket. etc. etc. are the common bribes that we can see around. Just three days before his death, Mahatma Gandhi had answered a question related to corruption as follows “Corruption has now become worse than before. Restraint from it has practically gone. Corruption will go when the large number of persons given unworthily to it realise that the nation does not exist for them to exploit but that they exist to serve the nation. This requires morals, and extreme vigilance on the part of those who are free of the taint. Indifference will be criminal. If our prayers are genuine, they must remove the demon" Even after sixty three years, corruption is still worse than before. And we hope that if our prayers and demands are genuine, they must remove the demon.

Binoy K