Givers & Takers
Givers & Takers
Dr.Chitralekha J.S.
What a monumental march of the masses to Dilli?!! Their ‘Tryst With Destiny’. The Time had come. Inevitably so. It was nascent history in themaking. My senses never seemed to have enough of watching the Lone Crusader and his mesmerized followers on T.V.
Ensconced in the comfort of my living room, I watched the spectacle unfolding on the screen. I was just as surcharged as the surging crowd of aam aadmi around Anna, our Eldest Brother. He belonged to us and we to him.
Deep Seated Disgust. Yes, that’s what it was. The tentacles of cancerous corruption has stymied, maligned a proud nation, our nation. She had walked free from the bondage of her White Masters, sixty-four years ago, was Flawed implementation of the rule of law? The laws were all there, enshrined in her constitution. Yet they were followed neither in print nor in their spirit.
A constitution so painstakingly crafted by her founding fathers with checks and balances right in place. Our Parliament, Hallowed Institutions, to uphold truth, fair play and justice. Peoples representatives to voice the suffering of the ordinary Indian. Elected leaders to ensure that the right voice is heard, that the industrious captains of commerce take our nation marching forward to greater heights. They are to engage in healthy debates to provide the right atmosphere for business to flourish. Surely it was never meant for a few rich to get richer, quicker and also fatten the license raj rulers.
Doesn’t a nation dream that the brightest minds man her civil services? IAS, IPS, IFS to be her foot soldiers in her march to a more humane society? And yet, how human greed, shamelessly naked, robs the under privileged, stuffing the coffers of the gluttonous power brokers.
The famed Commissions whether Judicial or Election, the watchdogs whether CAG or CBI, enough laws and statutes in place, and yet all, Paper Tigers ?!! Where on earth is their backbone? Spineless, pliant to their political masters. Does it bring to your mind the famed statement of an occupant of the highest Bhavan of our land, who was willing to sweep its floors, if so asked to by the most charismatic leader of our nation, the only man in her cabinet. And in legacy, if asked to bend they crawl.
Surely we have no reason to be so despondent. We have been told albeit, ad nauseam that India is Shining. The Chosen ones who followed have been parroting that we are well on our way to be an economic super power. Irrespective of what our present day master say, we are a young resurgent nation. It is another thing that as Time marches on we would be a few decades later a huge populace of elderly people. But that can’t and shouldn’t negate our present. Isn’t our PM the most qualified economist amongst all the leaders on the stage of the world? Aren’t we witness to some inhuman theatrics unfolding on the world scene.
Horrendous crimes perpetuated by inept dictatorial regimes that only the two legged animal, the homo sapiens species could be capable of such cruelty. Annual famines, migration of populace to hopefully saner safer countries in the neighbourhood, the world outside is in turmoil.
The London riots , where a populace vented their spleen, indulging in mindless burning of buildings and establishments, a grim reminder of the dangers of economic deprivation of unemployed have-nots. These are disparities in an upwardly mobile star-city of the world. No one in any corner of the globe can afford to sweep under the carpet the ever widening gulf between the rich and the poor.
The Dept ridden Greek Economy should be a wake up call. Blindly aping the aristocratic capitalistic societies, where the sheen of materialistic comforts has its dark under belly. They are credit card societies which at times have crumbled like a pack of cards. Bankrupt financial institutions and fraudulent misuse by the talk echelons in the most advanced country was there for all to see.
The Arab Spring, with uprising spilling on to the streets had simply to come one day. Commoner’s aspirations, who have been used to be fed and looked after by the liquid gold of the land, had to surface someday. No civilization can survive smothered, cyanotic. It had to surface for humidified oxygen. It is heartening to see the undying human spirit.
But we needn’t go so far out. Our Siamese twin, our very own next door neighbour has had nothing “Paak” or “Chaste” in their chequered history. Born out of hatred and in tolerance it has now been consumed by these very emotions. If not for India baiting or “Amerika-baiting” will keep it unified. But all negative emotions are self destructive and there are I believe & hope enough sane voices on both sides of the divide.
I snapped out of my reverie to find that the crowd around our Anna had in fact continued to surge. They were being exhorted to exercise the option of rejecting all the candidates on an election paper if they thought none was competent. I wondered why no positive message to people to identify capable administrators & help them fight elections. The cost of conducting elections ultimately is borne by the sweat of the common man’s labours. We can’t & shouldn’t throw out parliamentary democracy.
The politicians were all demonized. Could we afford to paint all politicians black? The crowd understood & identified the bribe takers. But who were the bribe givers? They were amongst us all, taking the high moral ground. They were the bodyguards of sacrosanct Anna. I sit with bated breath. God just make sure the mass uprising remains non-violent. No state can afford to ensure peace if people chose not to obey the rule of the law.
That such a huge gathering remained peaceful, a genuine “Satya” “Agrah” will remain etched gloriously for ages to come, not just on our sacred soil but the world will look up to our civilization and quote generously of a non-violent expression.
There can be no two opinions that corruption has long reached such demeaning proportion that it has smothered our nation since independence. The stench is nauseating. Anyone championing this cause with the kind of pristine purity as did Anna would find resonance in each one of the proud children of our motherland. And that would include both the ruled and the rulers alike. Let’s not have blinkers and paint each and everyone of the political class black. It would be still more foolhardy calling them illiterate donkeys. We would also do a great disservice if we didn’t recognize that the bribe takers and givers are all amongst us. It’s surely a great moment in our history when our people wake up from apathy and blame their karmic doom. Soul searching is what we need to do.
Its time to meditate to remain apolitical. That’s what should follow the great fast and the non-violent struggle. The youth could come out nearer their own hearth and have public meditation. No rhetorics. Reflect without prejudice where we stand. Critically analyse all that has contributed to the growth of our nation, from our political leaders to our statesmen, from the police to the postmen, from the doctors to the business class. Most importantly make up our mind where we should go on from here. Recognize that the we are all equally responsible to the moral bankruptcy, greed that the human settlement on this wondrously blue planet we inhabit. Let’s begin with cleansing ourselves and pledge to remain as steadfast as the lanky, frail man with twinkling eyes who walked upon this very earth a century ago. The world calls him ‘Mahatma’ Gandhi. And the present youth chorus, ‘Bandhe Me Tha Dum, Vande Mataram’.
Author is a practicing Gynecologist.
Dr.Chitralekha J.S.
What a monumental march of the masses to Dilli?!! Their ‘Tryst With Destiny’. The Time had come. Inevitably so. It was nascent history in themaking. My senses never seemed to have enough of watching the Lone Crusader and his mesmerized followers on T.V.
Ensconced in the comfort of my living room, I watched the spectacle unfolding on the screen. I was just as surcharged as the surging crowd of aam aadmi around Anna, our Eldest Brother. He belonged to us and we to him.
Deep Seated Disgust. Yes, that’s what it was. The tentacles of cancerous corruption has stymied, maligned a proud nation, our nation. She had walked free from the bondage of her White Masters, sixty-four years ago, was Flawed implementation of the rule of law? The laws were all there, enshrined in her constitution. Yet they were followed neither in print nor in their spirit.
A constitution so painstakingly crafted by her founding fathers with checks and balances right in place. Our Parliament, Hallowed Institutions, to uphold truth, fair play and justice. Peoples representatives to voice the suffering of the ordinary Indian. Elected leaders to ensure that the right voice is heard, that the industrious captains of commerce take our nation marching forward to greater heights. They are to engage in healthy debates to provide the right atmosphere for business to flourish. Surely it was never meant for a few rich to get richer, quicker and also fatten the license raj rulers.
Doesn’t a nation dream that the brightest minds man her civil services? IAS, IPS, IFS to be her foot soldiers in her march to a more humane society? And yet, how human greed, shamelessly naked, robs the under privileged, stuffing the coffers of the gluttonous power brokers.
The famed Commissions whether Judicial or Election, the watchdogs whether CAG or CBI, enough laws and statutes in place, and yet all, Paper Tigers ?!! Where on earth is their backbone? Spineless, pliant to their political masters. Does it bring to your mind the famed statement of an occupant of the highest Bhavan of our land, who was willing to sweep its floors, if so asked to by the most charismatic leader of our nation, the only man in her cabinet. And in legacy, if asked to bend they crawl.
Surely we have no reason to be so despondent. We have been told albeit, ad nauseam that India is Shining. The Chosen ones who followed have been parroting that we are well on our way to be an economic super power. Irrespective of what our present day master say, we are a young resurgent nation. It is another thing that as Time marches on we would be a few decades later a huge populace of elderly people. But that can’t and shouldn’t negate our present. Isn’t our PM the most qualified economist amongst all the leaders on the stage of the world? Aren’t we witness to some inhuman theatrics unfolding on the world scene.
Horrendous crimes perpetuated by inept dictatorial regimes that only the two legged animal, the homo sapiens species could be capable of such cruelty. Annual famines, migration of populace to hopefully saner safer countries in the neighbourhood, the world outside is in turmoil.
The London riots , where a populace vented their spleen, indulging in mindless burning of buildings and establishments, a grim reminder of the dangers of economic deprivation of unemployed have-nots. These are disparities in an upwardly mobile star-city of the world. No one in any corner of the globe can afford to sweep under the carpet the ever widening gulf between the rich and the poor.
The Dept ridden Greek Economy should be a wake up call. Blindly aping the aristocratic capitalistic societies, where the sheen of materialistic comforts has its dark under belly. They are credit card societies which at times have crumbled like a pack of cards. Bankrupt financial institutions and fraudulent misuse by the talk echelons in the most advanced country was there for all to see.
The Arab Spring, with uprising spilling on to the streets had simply to come one day. Commoner’s aspirations, who have been used to be fed and looked after by the liquid gold of the land, had to surface someday. No civilization can survive smothered, cyanotic. It had to surface for humidified oxygen. It is heartening to see the undying human spirit.
But we needn’t go so far out. Our Siamese twin, our very own next door neighbour has had nothing “Paak” or “Chaste” in their chequered history. Born out of hatred and in tolerance it has now been consumed by these very emotions. If not for India baiting or “Amerika-baiting” will keep it unified. But all negative emotions are self destructive and there are I believe & hope enough sane voices on both sides of the divide.
I snapped out of my reverie to find that the crowd around our Anna had in fact continued to surge. They were being exhorted to exercise the option of rejecting all the candidates on an election paper if they thought none was competent. I wondered why no positive message to people to identify capable administrators & help them fight elections. The cost of conducting elections ultimately is borne by the sweat of the common man’s labours. We can’t & shouldn’t throw out parliamentary democracy.
The politicians were all demonized. Could we afford to paint all politicians black? The crowd understood & identified the bribe takers. But who were the bribe givers? They were amongst us all, taking the high moral ground. They were the bodyguards of sacrosanct Anna. I sit with bated breath. God just make sure the mass uprising remains non-violent. No state can afford to ensure peace if people chose not to obey the rule of the law.
That such a huge gathering remained peaceful, a genuine “Satya” “Agrah” will remain etched gloriously for ages to come, not just on our sacred soil but the world will look up to our civilization and quote generously of a non-violent expression.
There can be no two opinions that corruption has long reached such demeaning proportion that it has smothered our nation since independence. The stench is nauseating. Anyone championing this cause with the kind of pristine purity as did Anna would find resonance in each one of the proud children of our motherland. And that would include both the ruled and the rulers alike. Let’s not have blinkers and paint each and everyone of the political class black. It would be still more foolhardy calling them illiterate donkeys. We would also do a great disservice if we didn’t recognize that the bribe takers and givers are all amongst us. It’s surely a great moment in our history when our people wake up from apathy and blame their karmic doom. Soul searching is what we need to do.
Its time to meditate to remain apolitical. That’s what should follow the great fast and the non-violent struggle. The youth could come out nearer their own hearth and have public meditation. No rhetorics. Reflect without prejudice where we stand. Critically analyse all that has contributed to the growth of our nation, from our political leaders to our statesmen, from the police to the postmen, from the doctors to the business class. Most importantly make up our mind where we should go on from here. Recognize that the we are all equally responsible to the moral bankruptcy, greed that the human settlement on this wondrously blue planet we inhabit. Let’s begin with cleansing ourselves and pledge to remain as steadfast as the lanky, frail man with twinkling eyes who walked upon this very earth a century ago. The world calls him ‘Mahatma’ Gandhi. And the present youth chorus, ‘Bandhe Me Tha Dum, Vande Mataram’.
Author is a practicing Gynecologist.
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