Just a few months back, my country was about to be changed. It was going to changed through viral campaigns on Facebook, and missed call campaigns. Sadly, my country missed out.
The worst thing about the campaign was that there was no scope for any argument when the campaign was going on. No counter logics were accepted, and anyone who found any flaw with the campaign, was branded as someone against the idea of a corrupt-free nation. That was the first reason for me to get disillusioned with the campaign.
The second reason was the brouhaha over the fast unto death. All across the nation, students, professionals, and others went on a hunger strike to show their solidarity towards Anna Hazare. My problem was with the modus operandi of the campaign.
Has the situation in our country become so desperate that we need to have fast-unto-deaths to prove a point? Isn’t this technique tantamount to political blackmail? Had the government succumbed to the demands of Anna and his brethren, what precedent would we be setting for the future? If tomorrow a group of people go on a fast demanding a separate state, or for special privileges, what reason would the government cite, for not fulfilling their demands? Would it then be, that Anna’s fast has more truth in it that someone else’s fast??
What disappointed me the most was that it was more or less an urban campaign. Even though India won the World Cup, the best timing was by Anna Hazare. Just when our news channels had tired of showing how Lord Shiva was helpful in winning the World Cup and how Shanidev had blessed Dhoni and hence he had shaved off his hair, they had something else to stun us with – the campaign.
India was done with the celebrating a cricket victory. Check. What next? Hey, lets kick some politicians’ ass! And lo and behold, within days, a tasty, simmering nationwide frenzy was waiting to be devoured. And how we devoured it!
I was truly in awe of the power of Facebook. Within days, walls began to be filled up talking about Anna Hazare and his mission. Emotional mails with statistics about the amount of wealth stacked up in foreign banks welcomed your morning log in. PicBadges became the most common thing, after LOLs and :P’s. Urban, educated India had found its enemy – corruption.
And the technique that was selected to fight it? Fast-unto-death? Really, guys??
By selecting the fast-unto-death mode of fighting, we were belittling the cause, equating it with any other campaign that strives for the attention of the government by resorting to scare tactics. We were no different from the organisers of the bandhs in the country. The leitmotif was the same – We have something to say. You better listen to us.
Seriously, I was disappointed.
But above all, what disappointed me the most was the tone of the campaign. Slogans were written against corrupt ministers. Nobody bothered to point out that corruption is what makes our lives easy. Corruption is truly the greatest offshoot of a democratic system. It has ensured a system where one can get away with a little rap on the knuckle, and the officer with a little tap on the shoulder, and everything works as it was.
Corruption is such a successful institution because it has got its funda right. The beneficiaries love it, it is mutually beneficial, and like an overpriced Amway product, it is chain-marketed to more people.
My main grudge against the people who were part of the campaign was that the targets were the politicians. Now, politicians are just people who are doing their work, no? You think it’s easy? Running from this mantri to that mantri, organising rallies in the hot sun, shouting your voice hoarse? They are just going about their job, ensuring some bread for their family and butter for their seniors. What harm did they do to anyone?
What about us? You and me?? What about when we get caught by a cop and flash a smile and slip our hands into our pockets? What about when we ask the peon to get some ‘chai-pani’ for the sahib? Corruption is not the luxury of the rich. It is the refuge of the middle class.
But sadly, all we could come up with, was a fast-unto-death. Ironically, the method in itself seems corrupt.
Heartranjan's Blog 
Nice post dude. I would like to add a bit to this. Although it was good to see so many people trying to be part of the campaign, it was disheartening to see people reacting incredulously when you don’t support it. Some people like myself are skeptical about the bill, because we don’t fully know about its clauses. So, unless I’m sure about what it exactly is, I don’t want to join hordes of people marching down the street.
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Extremely well written. I appreciate the way you view the whole thing.
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You have put your point of view really well. I was also wondering about this and I remember talking to Sujit about it. A lot of people around me had no idea why they were involved in the Anna Hazare campaign. Even I got quite inspired to support the campaign against corruption. I did have questions against such campaigns where a bunch of people may fast to any of their demands.
You always bring the other side of the story. Nice.
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Well Said..
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You can put oglers and molesters in the same bracket, just like you did with fast-unto-deaths and bandhs, but that would be nothing more than your opinion. Let alone counter-logic. Gandhi, in no way, belittled the causes he fought for, when he fasted. So that amounts to counter-yes-logic-no.
The bill in concern wasnt brought out to address the corruption in areas you’ve highlighted (cops and peons), but something like the 2g scam (which dented government’s revenues by about 30000 crores).
Here’s a picture. Govt is in process of bringing in reforms such as subsidising food like never before, revising the list of food schemes, cutting off the fat thereof, land acquisition at market prices, to name a few. These are areas suceptible to corruption in such a way that you’d have to hire people just to count the number of zeroes to ascertain the figure. Since the current revenue is not enough for the govt to go ahead with the reforms, we’re counting on the 3g spectrum allocation in a big way. Can we really afford to wait for someone to come up with a sound technique in order to catch the government’s attention?
Keeping in mind the growth rate of the corrupt’s intelligence, we as a nation need to ensure a structure in place competent enough to monitor the situation for possible abnormalcies, if not check it.
Scare tactics? Here’s what’s scary. You are an excellent rhetorician, equipped with pathos powerful enough to influence a great number of people. A slight oversight on your part may engender a weed of a school of thought.
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Sumit, this is exactly the tone of dissent that I was talking about.
It is almost as if I am saying corruption is good for the nation. Moreover, your clear dichotomy of the two types of corruption: the one involving peons and babus, and the ones on the scale of the 2G scandal; in itself reeks of the hypocrisy that I detest about the campaign.
The huge scandals are no different from slipping in a hundred rupee note to the friendly neighbourhood babu. The scale is bigger, the operation is the same. No one talks about swearing to not involve in corruption themselves, but point out the massive crores of corruption that politicians are involved in.
Moreover, my argument, if you read between the lines, is that there is no real need for a fast-unto-death for such a cause. If the educated and intelligentsia could come up with nothing better than a fast-unto-death as the mode, it speaks volumes about our culture of raising voices.
Furthermore, how many people do you know who have really read the draft? How many people have analysed what is in it? How many people have realised that we are creating a Frankenstein through the Bill? Giving someone absolute authority over the system?
You talk about the scary thought of a weed of thought. In my opinion, it is better to analyse, understand, and then choose to participate/avoid a campaign. The more dangerous part is jumping on to the bandwagon, without knowing the nitty-gritties.
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Corruption being a refuge of the middle class. You said that. It being a successful institution may be a fact but its funda being right was your call. You’re all over the place on this one.
Analyse this. Corruption can help the middle class wiggle its ass out of unnecessary situations (read as, corrupt-in-me, the part that commands a lion’s share of your focus), then there’s middle class being cornered by people in authority who capitalise on their helplessness (the neglected part), and there are people coming together to raise a criminal amount for themselves by outsmarting the govt (corruption involving huge volumes, the part that was conveniently clubbed with other forms of corruption). There are other forms but nothing that needs a mention herein.
I’ve analysed the big picture, and based on my understanding of the importance of prioritizing (since for me, i fail to see why visiting a general practitioner of medicine and rushing to an intensive care unit be labelled under the same category), i rank ‘severe corruption’ higher than any other form of it. Hence, if one comes up to me saying ‘we’ll deal with it, put corruption in quarantine, but rankwise’, i’ll second him. Fair enough?
Now, in my opinion, ‘the culture of raising voices’ is Not limited to the educated. Suppose, an uneducated girl who’s tortured for dowry, is refused any help from police, chooses to parade down the streets in nothing but undergarments, the ‘intelligentsia’ should focus on what’s being said and act on it, not how its being said and comment on it. The role of the educated should be limited to just that, to the letter.
And so i request you to rank substance over form. Listen to what i’ve to say. Forget the tone. Happy hunting. 🙂
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Sumit- I like your views. You reflected most of what my lazy head was unwilling to put more thought on.
SHR: Sometimes it feels good to be the only one on the other side and enjoy the attention you get!
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this is the best you have written so far (that i have read) 🙂 loved the way you have explained your point of view.
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Thanks so much!
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I like the perspective put forward in your article, and I would like to bring your focus on 2 things
1. Sources of corruption: As you rightly pointed out, the degradation of social values has resulted CORRUPTION (big and small). And yes there is indeed a need for transformation in the social values that give rise to corruption . But meanwhile can we not have an institution to address the LARGE SCALE corruption… atleast to check the effect it has on a large number of individuals.
2. Fast onto death as a negotiating tool: What’s wrong with the method. The educated have used this time and again in different countries and circumstances to achieve their end. People believe that we should only try to change/influence government policies/decisions by being elected to power and that’s the ONLY EDUCATED way of doing it. Our constitution makers thought along similar lines and so haven’t or ever won’t make this tool an unconstitutional one.
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i don’t get one thing….ok i understand your views about the campaign……but what’s bad in doing anything non-violent for a good cause…..nd dude….ministers are people who are trying to earn bread for their families and butter for their seniors???….u sure u ain’t kidding…..like….u ever heard the term “reality check”….or the term…. poor minister???
well i agree….corruption is not limited to the rich…its more off a luxury of the middle class……
but don’t u think that the rich are a major factor hindering the country’s development….. fulfilling their pockets nd stashing fortunes enough to feed their generations for a thousand years or so….and at what cost?at low quality constructions and scams and loss to the treasury….ain’t it a tool which keeps middle class in middle nd digs the holes for the poor to just fall nd die in them???
And as far as ur “funda” of baba ramdev doing all this stuff to gain political mileage and create base for his own party and stuff….well everyone does things for their own little personal motives too….so what even if baba is doing it for his selfish motives(is he?) what matters is whats’ the bigger picture…..even if he is….well is his motive bigger than the cause he fighting for? ……well even if u say the modus operandi is corrupt……well does it ensure the people organizing it a safe hide away??? sooner or later….whenever the government changes…..role reversal will occur….then maybe u’ll understand what matter’s is not how u achieved something….wht matters is what is it tha u have achieved…..
as far as the concept of corruption goes…..its in the blood….of every man….v r corrupt cuz we have a thing call stomach and an endless hunger ….. well ok…. i ‘m hungry…we all are….for food , fortune,fame.things…for that we need money….the thing is that we realize what’s the limit….cuz in the end…its all sum ups to 1 ques.
“What will u do with so much money , where will you take all this wealth with you, all u will be taking is ur deeds, u’ll have to pay for it here only, one way or the other”
“dont worry……So shall you sow,so will u reap”!!!
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Pranjal,
Sorry for taking so long to reply to your comment. Here is my reply.
Firstly, it’s tragic that you didn’t understand what I meant when I said ‘poor ministers earning bread for their families’. It’s called sarcasm.
Personally, there is nothing wrong in supporting a non-violent movement that is aimed at a good cause. I am not a moron, I understand that. My problem is that the campaign is attempting to have an extra-constitutional force set up. You have to understand that every law, every Act, every ministry that is set up operates within the constitutional framework of the country.
Now, I understand you want corruption to end, and the country to progress, and all that. Good for you. But have you given a thought as to how the Lokpal panel is going to be set up? How will the person be elected? Where will we get a force of ten thousand officers who are needed to enact the Bill. If we take them from the existing crop of officers, how do we guarantee that those officers are not corrupt? And considering that the Lokpal will pretty much be the most powerful person in the country, isn’t it only right that he/she be democratically elected? And if that has to happen, do we have special elections to nominate the Lokpal? I wish you think about all this before shouting jingoistic slogans about how much the politicians suck. We all know that. We have known it all along.
Forget all of the above. There is something called the Right to Information, a powerful tool that can be used to obtain information on any sort of corruption – from the 2G scam to misappropriation of funds even to build a road in front of your house. If you are so concerned about corruption, have you ever bothered to find out about RTI. Have you used it to bring corrupt officials?
See? That is exactly my argument against the campaign. We have made the enemy external. We are willing to fall back on a 74 year old man to fast and end corruption. What do we do about it?
Zilch. Zero. Shunya.
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i don’t get one thing….ok i understand your views about the campaign……but what’s bad in doing anything non-violent for a good cause…..nd dude….ministers are people who are trying to earn bread for their families and butter for their seniors???….u sure u ain’t kidding…..like….u ever heard the term “reality check”….or the term…. poor minister???
well i agree….corruption is not limited to the rich…its more off a luxury of the middle class……
but don’t u think that the rich are a major factor hindering the country’s development….. fulfilling their pockets nd stashing fortunes enough to feed their generations for a thousand years or so….and at what cost?at low quality constructions and scams and loss to the treasury….ain’t it a tool which keeps middle class in middle nd digs the holes for the poor to just fall nd die in them???
And as far as ur “funda” of baba ramdev doing all this stuff to gain political mileage and create base for his own party and stuff….well everyone does things for their own little personal motives too….so what even if baba is doing it for his selfish motives(is he?) what matters is whats’ the bigger picture…..even if he is….well is his motive bigger than the cause he fighting for? ……well even if u say the modus operandi is corrupt……well does it ensure the people organizing it a safe hide away??? sooner or later….whenever the government changes…..role reversal will occur….then maybe u’ll understand what matter’s is not how u achieved something….wht matters is what is it tha u have achieved…..
as far as the concept of corruption goes…..its in the blood….of every man….v r corrupt cuz we have a thing call stomach and an endless hunger ….. well ok…. i ‘m hungry…we all are….for food , fortune,fame.things…for that we need money….the thing is that we realize what’s the limit….cuz in the end…its all sum ups to 1 ques.
“What will u do with so much money , where will you take all this wealth with you, all u will be taking is ur deeds, u’ll have to pay for it here only, one way or the other”
“dont worry……So shall you sow,so shall you reap”!!!
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Dear Sumit, I know there’s been disagreements over this topic.
I know that I sound like a cynic when I talk about the movement. But I’ve realised that the Common Man has no way to retaliate with the government.
The only time we matter is when there are elections. It’s sad. I’m trying to think of ways how a person’s dissent can be expressed to the government.
It’s scary, isn’t it?
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many citizens of india do not know about politics because everybody is busy with their own worries so they dont bother, simply because they do not have interest. i sat down on the net and found out what 2g scam is, sonia gandhi involved in the corruption i was shocked, i was thought that she was Ms Clean but the root of corruption is she. but it is also painful to know that inspite of she being christian she doesnt follow christianity. The Mosaic Law said thou shall not covet thy neighbors good. Our neighbor is not our next door but every person u come accros in day 2 day life is a neighbor and she has robbed every citizen of india. it is high time she humbles herself and listen to the voice of every citizen. Even Mahatma Ghandhi who was Hindu was moved to say,
” love Christ, but I despise Christians because they do not live as Christ live”
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