Analysis

The Fasting Farces and Damp Denouements

The recent developments in New Delhi on the political scenario looks more like drama of absurdities. On the garb of elimination of corruption a lot of activities seem to take up in a corrupt and surreptitious manner. The man Anna Hazare, who all of a sudden bolted out of blue and started a crusade against corruption and for the introduction of lok pal bill with a host of conditions finally ended with making many controversial statements. But soon he was purchased by the higher level leaders of UPA government and he started singing different and (un)expected tunes much to the surprise of his followers who too favored him in a sudden attraction.

As if one is not enough, it was the turn of a politically ambitious yoga guru Baba Ramdev sent a salvo to the central government once again on the same cleaning corruption subject once again through a fast unto death threat. But, here the central ministers and close associates to the power center moved swiftly to the airport to receive the Guru and had long discussions on subject only known to the two parties.

Later after his settling in the Ram Lila grounds for his proposed ‘fast till death’ was to start; alas, the police landed on the guru quite unexpectedly as well as his admirers and literally thrown them out of the venue. The guru had to run for his life as he was evicted forcibly.

Now all these episodes raise a lot of questions.

  • Whether these crusaders really have the intention of weeding out corruption from the public life or use these few hours of fast as subterfuge to attain instant popularity and public admiration?
     
  • Why the UPA government should yield to such unsavory techniques by vague promises?
     
  • If these crusaders of purity are really serious about what they want why they should accept to the false and opaque promises of the government or held confabulations with the central ministers before starting the so called ‘fast’?

It is obvious corruption cannot be wiped out in one day or by one act or one law unless these are executed by the people holding the positions to enforce law and if they are corrupt how to manage the situation?

If we are true to our conscious, we know and accept that every Indian is corrupt in some way or other. Only the magnitude varies. If a common man pays a few hundreds or thousand rupees for a government official or a law enforcing authority to allow him to go ahead with corruption worth a few lakhs, ministers takes lakhs and crores of rupees to permit unlawful activities worth lakhs of crores of rupees. Does it make any great difference?

How Anna Hazare or his gang and Baba Ramdev imagine a few days of their fast can completely change the society upside down and make India a land of honesty?

All these fasting dramas and poor climaxes only show how hypocritical Indians are how the media exploit on such events to promote their business and how ultimately the entire nation prefer to doublespeak on corruption, honesty and integrity. 
 

06-May-2011

More by :  G Swaminathan

Top | Analysis

Views: 3374      Comments: 6



Comment Thank you Mr.Bohre,

I respect your expressions, faith and feelings. I too hope India will emerge as a country where corruption is eliminated fully among public and personal lives of the people. After all we lead a life full of faith and trust. Thanks a lot for sharing your views with me.

G Swaminathan
06-Jun-2011 22:16 PM

Comment Dear Swaminathan,

"Compared to the population of India what is the percentage of such martyrs who had laid thier lives for such integrity and honesty?"

can you and I calculate this percentage ? The article mentioned that "every Indian is corrupt", the examples were provided to refute the statement made in the article. We have examples of few who died, more got physically injured but since they did not die they did not come on news, many more adjusted to the environment to unwillingly let things go in front of their eyes, and many many more 'learned' to live in system, which if opprtunity comes will turn to their original behavior of honesty.

Did you consider all this before claiming every Indian corrupt in this article ?

Second, corruption due to need and corruption due to greed are two different things hardly noticed. A poor fellow may opt to compromise on honesty to fill his stomach. But a rich person (like politician) endulges on corruption because of greed and not because of need.

You can't compare average persons corrupt act (arising out of need) to rich politicians/businessmen/bureacrat's corrupt acts.

So eventually, one can come out with a minority number of greedy & corrupt Indians as compared to large no. of reasonable honest Indians.

Right treatment to the greedy corrupt will solve the whole problem.

Dinesh Kumar Bohre
06-Jun-2011 15:20 PM

Comment I thank Mr Malhotra and Mr Bohre for their careful reading and valuble comments. I do agree with the facts and views stated by both of them I consider the three examples quoted by Mr Bohre on the honesty of the three unfortunate Indians who met with the end of their lives for being honest. Two things here I would like to share.

Compared to the population of India what is the percentage of such martyrs who had laid thier lives for such integrity and honesty? The entire society in fact we should feel ashamed about the fate of such souls being sacrificed for the country.

I know I follow many day to day activities which are positively dishonest. Take the example of everyone violating the rules of the roads. That itself speaks volumes of the country's honesty and integrity.

Anna Hazare kept changing his views about leaders with time which is nothing but nonsense. Further what the hell he was doing all these years?

I will be the happiest person if such 'hunger strikes' culminate into some real action against corruption. But I am sorry; I dont see any silver lining through the cases of Anna Hazare or Baba Ramdev except that it had provided a lot of fodder for the electronic and print media. If you could see them I congratulate you for your positive attitude towards the Indian government and its population. Call me a cynic..I think I am one.

Iview
06-Jun-2011 10:04 AM

Comment It is appalling that country that so prides itself in value of human life, resorts to these type of behaviors. People who don't resist are as much at fault as who commit it.

subhash sahai
06-Jun-2011 09:31 AM

Comment Dear Swaminathan,

After so much of happenings you seems to be still unaware of reality !

First misconceptions:

1. Anna Hazare was "purchased" ????
Where did you get this idea from, could you please kindly elaborate basis of this assumption ?

2. ‘death till fast’ -> I assume you mean ‘fast till death’

3. "If we are true to our conscious, we know and accept that every Indian is corrupt in some way or other": where did you get the idea that "every" Indian is corrupt ? If every Indian is corrupt, then why some some govt. officials even took risk to their life to expose corruption in recent past:

Satyendra Dubey - Director, National Highways Authority of India - got murdered for while blowing.

Manjunath, IIM student and IOC employee, got murdered for exposing an adulteration racket at a petrol pump

And only a few months back, additional collector in Maharashtra, Yashwant Sonawane was murdered for detecting mafia involved in adulteration of diesel.

Didn't these offices understood the threat they if they pursue honesty ?
-----------------

Some people will keep on guessing intentions behind movements while movements against corruption gain further momentum and free this country fropm desease of corruption.

You may notice that year 2011 is the year of change - group of gulf countries are now joined by India to have a great change (and probably Pakistan subsequently).

Dinesh Kumar Bohre
06-Jun-2011 02:04 AM

Comment Dear Swaminathan,

Since you are an engineer I expect you to better understand what I am about to state -

The process of excavating and refining gold is tedious; not a one day job. It also involves the risk of massive investments not yielding anything substantial that would make the exercise economically viable. But still investments are made.

What you have called "The fasting farces and Damp Denouements" are nothing but investments for national gain.

Admittedly the people of this nation have had enough.

How does the colour of the cat matter as long as it catches the mice !

Ravinder Malhotra
05-Jun-2011 16:20 PM




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