Anna Hazare has made a historic protest with the support of people all over India, for a great cause – A bill to combat corruption. There were support flowing in from all sides, via Twitter, Facebook and all media. Are we sure enough if the protest is correct and if the cause is going to make a change forever in India?

Ok. Let us ask some questions to ourselves.

  • How many times have you stopped for a RED from the traffic signal?
  • How many times have you paid a bribe to a traffic inspector for not having license?
  • How many times have you got a bill for what you purchased (paying your part of sales-tax)?
  • How many times have you given way for an ambulance?
  • How many times have you questioned the bus conductor for not stopping in a stop?
  • How many times have you given way for a differently able person in their allocated seat in a bus?
  • How many times have you asked your taxi driver to switch on the meter?
  • How many times have you submitted original bills to claim your medical allowance?
  • How many times have you submitted original documents for your HRA allowances?
  • How many times have you paid and accounted it when you bought a piece of land or house?

This list would grow vast. This is like a list of questions that we often come to know, hear someone say, watch in most movies – but never act on. But we keep pointing hands to politicians and corrupt officials.
Truth is almost everyone is corrupt and the difference lies between who gets caught and who doesn’t. It’s not just A Raja or Kanimozhi who have lived against this country, but we. When you speak about the 1.75 Lakh Crore Rs. Scam in 2G, haven’t you ever thought that there is a much bigger scam of people showing faked documents for HRA and medical and have voided taxes. I am sure this would account to the scam of the same magnitude happening every year. What is much more evident is – everyone is trying their piece of luck from what corruption they could do with what they have. If a person working in a software company could show fake documents for taxes, why not the president or prime minister get his piece?

Our selfishness has always taken priority over the common interest of the country. We have created an environment where corruption seems to be right unless you get caught. It has so well hit our hearts that when we vote we don’t see the one who is going to be a good leader, instead we search for the one who is less corrupt. And the less is underlined. It’s not the welfare or economic reforms that are part of the election mandate nowadays but the freebies.
And this post is absolutely not aimed to change anything or advice anyone to change.

I just wonder if it is part of our DNA?

Continued…