Failed fast!

Baba Ramdeo is almost back where he came from, Haridwar. In a midnight swoop, the great show that he orchestrated was brought to a naught and the Baba escorted back to his karma bhoomi. If nothing else, this incident definitely displays the might of the Government of India, and also, considering the reception that the Baba got on his arrival at Delhi airport, the chamaleon nature of the politicians of this great nation.

Passing a value judgement on the incident may not be a very great idea, for the judgement can go either way, considering which side one is on. The plans of Baba were also not very pious, as they could have easily disrupted, the tranquility of this very sensitive city of ours, the city of Delhi. Post the initial euphoria, the citizens of Delhi would definitely have preferred to live without the troubles that a huge congregation right in the heart of the city can cause. To that extent, this action appears in the national interest.

Can such a congregation as had been planned, make a difference to the most talked about issue of the decade, the issue of corruption in high places? Doubtful, unless one was looking at a revolution on the lines of what happened recently in a few countries and what was attempted a few decades back at Tianamen. A revolution; why not, but is the nation capable of the same. So deep is the interlacing of corruption in our society that the critical mass of citizens essentially required for a revolution would never be available. Besides revolutions are almost always against one individual, and here in India, it would need to be against the social fabric itself, by the very society that has created the fabric in the first place. How ironic and therefore utterly impossible!

And therefore do we have to live in(and with)the corrupt society forever? How can the present state of affairs come to an end? Definitely a change of the party at the center would hardly make any difference at all, considering that the entire political milieu is almost of the same type and there is nothing much to choose from. Then what?

The answer lies in the simple issue of leadership. Perhaps someday, some leader may emerge who shall pull the nation out of the abyss it finds itself in. Another line that may have a fair chance of success is the framing and implementation of quickly implementable draconian laws against corruption. A swift punishment of the kinds as witnessed in the middle eastern countries for those who indulge in corrupt practices, would definitely deter even the hard core corrupt. Death by hanging, or amputation of a limb and that too withing a few days/weeks of the incident may perhaps create sufficient deterrence for the corrupt. Holidaying for a few weeks/months in the confines of the holy Tihar definitely disheartens some, yet would never prove to be enough deterrence for those who make their billions through corrupt practices.