My recent meeting with a cabinet minister amused me no end. In fact with the rapid deterioration in value systems especially of those in power, the behavior that earlier used to evoke emotions of disgust, now only amuses me, that too only mildly. The cause of the meeting was once again the issue of encroachments on railway land.
People who would go to any extent in sacrificing national interests for purported electoral gains now throng the corridors of power. As expected, the Minister was not at all concerned about the blatant grabbing of government land by the land mafias in the garb of helping the poor. His only concern was his own vote bank that needed to remain intact to enable him to have another shot at power and thereby continue self perpetuation till eternity.
It is true that the politicians of today live only for themselves. Like the dalal street investor, they also invest in elections with the avowed aim of ensuring astronomical returns for the grand survival of all their future generations. The bureaucrats of today also follow suit aggressively, sacrificing both professional integrity as well as the financial absolutely. Like the politician the bureaucrat of free India with some exceptions has also learnt to live only for himself. His focus remains confined to his posting, house, promotions, foreign trips and other perks and like the politician he also sacrifices the organizational and national interest at the drop of a hat, for petty personal gains.
The overall scenario is disgusting and hopeless. How the hell shall this nation ever come out of the abyss that it finds itself in shall remain one of my biggest nightmares.
May God help us!
Sir,
ReplyDeleteTo start with, I shall say that India, as a country, is a gift to indians by the British. They also gifted to us the way to govern ourselves. All the basic systems of the apparatus whether it is police, administration, land management, railways, postal system are all gifts by the British. Even the constitution has heavily drawn from the 1935 Govt. of India Act. Most of us today might not agree, but I feel, the British gave us a cause to fight against them and it helped us to get united. However, we need to delve deep down & question us, are we united? We need to question ourselves; can we call ourselves a true nation? Probably, the answer is No. The reason for the answer lies nowhere but within us.
The reason is our difference. The difference created by classification imbibed in our system, our society, our way of life. It is all drawn from our culture heavily inherited partly developed by us. The culture bogey is so heavy & encompassing that biggest of the power created by the tools of the independent India do not find solace without it and cannot think of existence without it. This cultural carriage that we carry along our thoughts defies justice of equality & is unjustifiable & divisive. All our line of action, be it personal or professional, draws it’s strength from this thought. We think first for us, then for the immediate family, then for the relatives, then for the region we come from, then for the state we come from. The thought for the country comes only when we talk & think of any other country. As a matter of fact, we have even developed thoughts in our culture bogey that we don’t see our own fellow countrymen from east or south less indian than us. The practice of making ourselves distinct within our common identity has created deep divides & has made inroads to our thoughts, our blood, into us.
This culture bogey is so heavy that even the force of religion does not stand to it but given in to it. Due to this cultural bogey, we, the people of the republic of India, think that system of Govt. is some foreign body, it should be exploited to my goals how unholy they may be. It is meant for my good, it must act for me only, it must make way for accomplishment of my wishes howsoever unjustified they may be & how does it matter when I have that crooky brain to make it justified by all reasons after all it is for me.
Politicians enjoy exploiting this thought in us for it makes him the king. Bureaucrat thinks he has landed from some place else & follows neutrality thus secures what is good for him, family, relatives & so on joins the region or caste lobby & continues to get what he came for. Politicians get what they wanted. Local power group, the main beneficiary, remains with what they want. The loser is the country, the thought of country, the thought of nation, the power of sovereign nation. The sorry aspect is everyone above takes the garb of unreasonable justifiability. Targets are achieved objectives are lost.
I think we should have a short tenure of military rule to discipline us, to cleanse the flab of this cultural bogey.
We deadly need a dynamic leader to lead us lead this giant region to give light & show true path & to give them a unitary culture to it’s people.
Till then, these unreasonable demands from powers that be will continue to come & will be met.
Thanks & regards.