Attitude, not just Jan Lokpal

All this talk of the Jan Lokpal Bill capable of eradicating corruption seems ludicrous. It is easy to initiate a change in the system but difficult to adopt it. Even if Anna Hazare succeeds in bringing the Lokpal Bill into the force, it is difficult to expect too much from it.

Especially, in a country like India where the government is run by a mute President, an equally silent Prime Minister and his Council of ministers who are nothing but a pack of cards governed by the Gandhis. Corruption, since long, has been instrumental in destroying the functioning mechanism of a country. Needless to say, it is a disease and the Lokpal bill with all its benefits seems weak to counter it. Interestingly, the problem, in this case, is not the Bill but the mindsets of the people.

Despite having elections at regular intervals, one rarely knows the person who is contesting in his ward. By voting for the same party for years, it seems, as though, each person is carrying his legacy. Although, now, it seems as if India is waking up from its slumber and participating in the anti-corruption movement, the situation is far from the truth. Ask a Hazare activist about the Lokpal Movement and he will roll his eyes as if he is not the one who is expected to know it. In a survey undertaken by the Transparency International listed India as the 87th corrupted nation.Clearly, even the people are responsible for this mess. If India needs to clean its windows, every Indian citizen must be ready to mop them.

Why should we grease the palms of a few individuals to get a birth certificate? Why is it that a file, to be pushed from one level of communication to the other requires money and not just simple honest work? No, the dismal states of affairs fail to single out the babus and the bureaucrats. It is the onus of the citizens to be vigilant and be honest at every step of our life. Watching more closely, it all starts from the adolescence when our parents meekly exchange money for admissions in school. As students, we never resisted copying but only aided it.

We, ourselves, on countless instances have set bad examples for our children. Sadly, the country has failed to idolize the ‘real’ heroes who were known for their principles and character. The Lokpal bill is just a yardstick of what a man who has stood by his principles can achieve. There is a strong need of change in attitudes of the minds of the Indians.