WANTED: A Courageous and a PURE Soul to LEAD the Second War of Indian Independence!

My dear Indians,

Am angry. With America and India. America, the altar of “Reckless Democracy” and its new-age friend India where there is “Misused Democracy”. Yesteryears, at home or elsewhere, I have often behaved like the fiery John McEnroe! These days am controlling that ‘dysfunctional’ part of anger, thanks to NLP. However, I am making my anger FELT - shown the ‘Functional’ way, wherever required.

Poor America, it’s paying the price and would continue to do so in a myriad of ways, some popping down a ‘Momb’(?) from Mars tomorrow as well. Poor Obama, pray and wish he doesn’t become a martyr to the sins committed by America since its birth, notably Hiroshima, Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq, in our memory.  Such is the hatred, even among its own establishment, that NOW, we have come to know of WikiLeaks. Our brother from Australia, Julius Assange was only a ‘cyber courier’, though America, out of fear, considers him as ‘Cyber Osama’! The leak is from internal sources in the establishment, we all know. America is leaking!

India, on the other hand has never invaded any country till now. The land ‘Bharat’ is blessed, learned say. It is the LAND of the Vedas. However, post 1947,Indians blatantly, by choice, Mis-used Democracy, from home to parliament, in politics or business. That seems to be OUR nemesis, with Greed ruling the roost, systemic corruption in every sphere of society. The legendary businessman Ratan Tata calls India a kind of ‘Banana republic’ style of functioning with a new breed of capitalism – namely “Crony Capitalism”. Sorry Mother India, for Shri. Ratan’s harsh words, do read the following article dear Mother India and my fellow Indians.

Read a motivating article by Shri. Brahma Chellaney on the need of waging ‘The Second War of Indian Independence’. Also read later his blog. He starts by saying India’s situation is best explained by an ancient proverb, “A fish rots from the head down.” When the head is putrid, the body politic cannot be healthy. And when those at the helm remain wedded to grand corruption, clerks or traffic police cannot be singled out for taking small bribes”. Shri. Chellaney warns that Corruption, the No. 1 national security threat, is eating into the vitals of the state, enfeebling internal security and crimping foreign policy”.And he ends by saying “India freed itself from British colonialism only to come in the grip of an indigenous political class ruling the country on colonial-style principles and still functioning from colonial-era structures. It may take a Second war of independence for India to gain true freedom from exploitation and pillage” So far, I haven’t read or witnessed corruption being equated as a National Security Threat. No wonder Professor Chellaney asks us to wage a war.

Institutionalized corruption and Individual corruption

Well, Professor Brahma Chellaney summed nicely the one part of the malice – That of ‘Institutionalized corruption’ which is deep rooted. On the other hand, What about ‘Individual corruption’? Like parents pampering young minds and the young minds when grown accepts corruption as a way of life. Here lies the root of the issue, according to me. How many times have we bribed and got away for a traffic offence? Do we not queue after the most sought after school or college with ‘Cash-cases’ in tow? The list goes on, isn’t it? Please add your list as well.

Recently a school going daughter of a celebrity created a ruckus in a Chennai school – For what, Ravi? Did her parents or her Chauffer not come to pick her up? Na. She created a ruckus as her Dad didn’t send the car she wanted for her return journey back home! Just imagine what would happen to this young lovely girl kid when she grows up! Hmm…I only take a deep breath, take a break and come back…

Well, the above pampering and corrupting the individual isn’t prevalent only in celebrity homes - In most of the middle-class homes as well. Earlier in this great land where we live, lot of stress was laid on values. Am not the one to cry and complain over the declining values or anything else. The action I SAY to myself and to YOU the reader and YOUR wonderful families as well is that ‘Individual corruption’ has to STOP– i.e., we, individuals like you and me corrupting ourselves and corrupting the establishment as well.

I'm sharing with you a simple incident which occurred a month ago. In front of our apartment complex, there is a huge banyan tree with branches dangerously dangling over the transformer inside; impending cyclone-like breezy evening last month. We decided to cut the branches. We kept the debris outside the flat. We knew that the corporation folks would take away the next day. We were ready to pay a nominal fee for this service as well. In the evening, a gentleman from the local corporation office came and threatened if the debris is not removed then, we have to pay a hefty fine (He came because the Mayor was to visit the locality that evening). ELSE He offered to let his folks do at Rs.800/-. I said thank you very much and sent him. We neither paid the ‘bribe’ nor the fine. HOW? We employed the same persons whom they employ, gave them a hot cuppa Tea and got the work done for Rs.200/. Well, this is a simple example to put the point across of saying NO to bribe! – To neither the private educational institution(s) which collect a hefty one-time capitation fee (or whatever form they call) or to the establishment that we DO, now and then, at/for our convenience!

There are lot of efforts made by individuals and Institutions, who have made great strides in combating ‘Institutionalized corruption’ in India. Notable to mention among the individuals is the Magsaysay award winner Shri. Arvind Kejriwal, the architect of Right To Information(RTI) act. Today, many a scandal are tumbling out-of-the-cupboard, as a result of this and it does ‘earth-shakes’ the corrupt individual(s)in the establishment! Lot needs to be done though at the individual level. We have to revisit what our forefathers left for us - At least Thirukural, if not the Vedas! We live in a turbulent world called ‘Kaliyug’ where Values have taken a back-seat over “Vitamin-M”. Life has become a rat-race (sic) for many and that starts from childhood. First it is “marks-race” (sic) and then “money-race”! Isn’t it?

Hence the need of the hour is:

 Mother India requires a courageous and a PURE soul to lead the WAR against corruption and FREE Indians from the clutches of CORRUPTION- NOW, a national security threat. However we Indians can’t sit back and wait till HE comes on board! HE is on his way. Some of you may have already stopped corrupting self and family, the external world as well. We all need to participate in unison, Are you with me Ram, Rashid and Raymond?

I respect this great land and hence would never blame ‘Mother India’. It is the people who constitute ANY system. Professor Chellaney rightly concludes that IT’S leadership - be it at home or panchayat or parliament! Regarding India, am an ever-optimist as the term ‘Sanathana Dharma’ originated in this land. ‘Vasudheiva Kutumbakam’ was propagated and practised by us.  It is during the ‘colonialization’ that we have forgotten our glorious value-driven past!

I sign off wishing India and Indians a glorious future. To end with a optimistic note, I quote Sir Arnold Toynabee who stated “It’s already becoming clear that a chapter that had a western beginning will have to have an ‘Indian ending’  if it is not to end in the self-destruction of the human-race. At this supremely dangerous moment in history, the only way of salvation is the Indian way…”

Ps: If any one wants Thirukural on yours/your children’s desktop’s, write to me. It’s in Thamizh and English. I shall be happy to share the zipped file. Thank you technology and my dear technologists.

Anbudan

Ravichander Venkatraman