(20 Jun ’10)
Not once have I needed
to bribe. It took a bit long for us to get a phone connection in Goa, longer
than in other places, but it came with a valid receipt. Same was true of the
land papers: all in order, legal, done legitimately, though it took about a
year. My son’s admission in the government TB Cunha HS, without any sort of hera-pheri. The passports were done… no hassle. I believe
there still are persons in Goa and the rest of India that do work without being
corrupt.
We have a postage stamp
sized plot of land in Nashik which was in my late mother-in-law’s name. To
change the ownership took us over a year and several unnecessary trips. We
didn’t bribe. We got the paperwork in order, so there was no place, no reason
for us to ask for extra ‘help’. It worked.
When someone says they
had to bribe the police, I ask for what, and invariably the answer is: they
were going through a red signal or through a no-entry lane. If everyone of us
did the correct thing, who would cops catch, how would they make money?
The sky-scrapers in the
cities, the hotels in Goa: if all of them were particular about following the
fire-prevention and –escape rules, there would be no reason to have recurring
expenditure on bribes. Same is true of pollution control. Don’t give someone a
chance to find fault. The day isn’t far when social audit will be necessary.
More chance for someone to make money? I’d say more chance to do the correct
thing in a country where taking advantage of poverty is common. I believe that
at the moment we’re at a stage where the graph is picking up.
The papers give us
examples of honour killings in the north. In contrast, compared to two
generations ago, the hospital where I work, mixed marriages are becoming very
common. Perhaps honour killings were
happening over the years and we didn’t know about them. More importantly, it is
possible that their numbers are reducing.
Someone needs to study that. I believe television has improved the social climate in many ways. Recently, I heard from a
rural ‘social worker’ that fifty couples had been sacrificed (read killed and
buried) near a small dam in Maharashtra, about fifty years ago, so that the dam
didn’t collapse. The contractor who built it believed it was necessary to evoke
the blessings of the Gods. I don’t know whether the story is true, but would it
happen today? Unlikely. Things have changed and for the better.
Quite often I hear the
grumble that young managers and directors are ruthlessly running companies,
that money is their sole motive. Think about it. Money is, always has been, and
should the motive for any business. Philanthropy comes only after needs and
comforts are satisfied. I believe contribution to society must be voluntary: if
it’s made compulsory, it becomes slip-shod. It is these same young corporate
types who contribute a part of their salary to their favourite NGO or
charitable institution. In any case, if they are contributing to quality work,
they are contributing to society. Also, I find more young people involved in
what’s happening around them than was true in the years gone by. Younger
politicians, for example. The older ones have messed up the country, these guys
and those after them, I believe, will have to clean up before they can do
anything visible. It’ll take years, but it’ll happen.
Whether it’s ecological
degradation, disposal of garbage or consumption of water and fuel, we’re at the
awareness stage. The educational stage will follow and then will come the
implementation. The more I think about it, the more I believe that we’re
improving: fifteen years ago, one couldn’t come across a clean toilet in
people’s homes. Now one rarely finds a dirty one. See what I mean? Matrimonial
advertisements were a no-no for respectable young people and their families.
Today, internet-courtships are flourishing and successfully, too. I couldn’t
bear to live without a ‘book in my hands’ and vowed I’d never fall for that
new-fangled computer business… how I’ve changed. I surf, I’ve been exposed to
work of others, my work has been read by people in all corners of the world, I
do my homework in minutes, not weeks, I’ve grown to love technology.
They say ‘look at
China’, why can’t we be like it. I say, manufacturing cheap umbrellas or
genetically modified watermelons is something we’re likely to do sooner rather
than later. But we have one big advantage: we’re not cogs in a machine. As
citizens, we contribute both to ourselves and our country, unlike the Chinese
where the order is reverse. Our ancestors fought for independence. We’ve grown
up free. Unless we lose that freedom, we won’t realize how precious it is. In
the long run, India may be inching, maybe it won’t get the gold, but she’ll
wear a medal and flutter her flag with pride. Watch.
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