Today I dread to open a newspaper or the innumerable incisive television channels; because the news items mostly carry the details of corruption, cheating, honor killing, political vendetta, poor’s plights, ever increasing traffic chaos, horrible sanitary conditions prevailing in the suburbs and cities to name a few.

Undoubtedly, India has developed leaps and bounds than what it was two decades ago; more people are educated, employed, enlightened and energetic. Rich countries like the Middle East, Europe and USA turn to India and Indian population for young manpower who possess the energy, enthusiasm and knowledge to help them in their projects and endeavors. Many families have migrated permanently to the west for good and yet keep in contact with the motherland for the cultural moorings.

In India we find many rich families in business have become richer and powerful, middle classes have moved upwards to the upper middle class status with almost everyone educated and well employed, poor people have considerably progressed in their status by educating their sons and daughters who get better employment opportunities. My carpenter’s son is now a Wipro employee, my plumber’s wards are government staff and my servant maid’s daughters are working with computers in finance consultancies and super markets. These are definitely matters to be proud of and happy.

But are we really happy on the whole?

We read people go for honor killings, illicit relationships, immorality, drug addiction, unlawful activities, unruly public behavior, murder with motives, for money, female infanticide etc. Among the living species humans are considered to be the superior. Apart from this, we Indians are normally feel proud about our culture, tradition, family concept, filial affection, philosophical approach to life, religious faith and what not. But, where all these have gone? Why in spite of the fact that life styles have been changed and financial positions and educational qualifications have improved these atrocities keep happening?

Can it be because of the great import of western culture, media power or simple incidents are magnified? Perhaps.

I am not the one who prefer to profess those days these types of crimes were not there it is only because it is Kaliyug these keep happening. No. These were there even during Trethayug, and Dwaparayug. May be these things are more in percentage since it is Kaliyug.

Otherwise, why the great Tamil poet Thiruvalluvar who lived two thousand years before had written chapters on abstaining from drinks, greatness of gratitude to counseling the King. The epics Mahabharat and Ramayan spoke a lot of moral and ethical values which were definitely at the lowest ebb with some important characters.

A human may be superior one; its sixth sense itself is its boon as well as bane. It fails to understand the best use of it and goes for all short term gains and impulsive acts. The philosophy had generated from the Indian soil because here alone the people are more attached to pelf. An average westerner may not be as pious, as moralistic and as intelligent as an Indian. But, he will not be as avaricious or indisciplined as an Indian. He studies what he likes, he lives the way he prefers and he never tries to earn and keep for his generations to come. Their thorough existentialism with least attachment may sound awkward and immoral to us; but we are a lot conservative with a lot more of desire in us. We smartly take only the materialistic aspect of the west but not their public discipline.

Unit we learn to overcome the extraordinary lust for life, wealth and power we could hardly control our minds and impulses notwithstanding our financial, educational and societal status. Till such time we have to keep seeing such terrible blows on the so called Indian Culture.