"I am not scared, I am not shocked, I don’t feel anything." It's two days after the Mumbai blasts, but the city runs. Drenched in pouring rain and the stench of bloodshed, Mumbai is moving on. Twenty-one people lost their lives. Hundreds lost a limb or a toe. Thousands were traumatized. And millions across the world watched in silent wonderment as Mumbai once again took a toll at the hands of terrorists. It's happened before and it will surely happen again. So, we can just sit around at this narrow stall and enjoy some fresh jalebis.
The common man in India is a miracle. He lives through life, working and laughing, waiting in hope for a better life. He nurtures his dreams through his children-- first, he teaches them lessons of ideals and principles and soon, he exchanges those morals and trains them to speak white lies and commit minor felonies to climb the ladder of the corporate world. And so the child of this common man, like all his peers, unwillingly yet consciously, falls in the face of corruption. This is my land. The land of the free, brave and corrupt.
During a recent visit to India, I engaged in a discussion with my cousin about the way corruption was embedded in every vein of every being who was local to the one country that teaches tales of honesty and perseverance through examples of freedom fighters and mythological heroes. As a child, my mother narrated the story of Valyo lootaro to me every night. The bandit of the jungles reformed himself and became Rishi Valmiki, the great sage who wrote the epic of Ramayan. Today, we lead our lives in reverse. A Valmiki gets lost and trampled in his attempt to embrace honesty while the Valyo soars above with fake certificates and ridiculous bribes. So I asked my cousin, where does it start? Can there be a way to cleanse our people from this vicious virus? And his answer yet again was that it starts with the common man. It takes one man to refuse a bribe. One man to ignore a donation. And just one man to lead a country.
But I disagree. I refuse to admit that the power is bestowed upon a single man. In fact, the power lies in the hands of corporate India. India is one of the most rapidly growing economies in the world. It's middle class is made up of young, educated and liberal minds. The youth is creeping into corporations as engineers, managing directors and CEOs of start-ups. And it's upon this population that the responsibility lies. Our political class is made up of old hags who have been stuck in a blame game since 1947. But we are smarter than that. And perhaps now is the time to say no. The youth in India has already rebelled against many outdated religious traditions and stigmas. It's now time to rebel against those corporate traditions. If you get pulled over for no mistake of your own, refuse to pay the bribe. If you are denied admission because your father can't afford the donation, say good-bye to the greedy dean and pack your bags for a future abroad. But don't do it alone. Bring a friend.
In an effort to cleanse the corruption internally, we will finally recognize the external enemies. A good friend once said, "The key to a strong democracy is to have a common language, a common religion and a common enemy." While it was a wise statement, I'd like to believe that the key to a good country, democracy or not, is to adopt a common principle (of honesty). This bloodshed was a calling that something is wrong. In this country of apathetics, the youth must rise with passion to overturn the corrupt. Because until we defeat the snakes that are hiding under the cloaks of evil politicians and crooked business tycoons, our battle against the terrorists will remain superficial. Once that is done, it'll be easy to kill the bastards who had the nerve to repeatedly attack our most precious city. Mumbai won't take it anymore. India won't be quiet. "I am not scared. I am not shocked. Because, I am empowered!"
References:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/India-Inc-must-clean-up-its-act-to-rid-country-of-graft/articleshow/9277245.cms
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jul/13/mumbai-bomb-blasts-india
http://tehelka.com/story_main50.asp?filename=Ws160711Mumbai.asp
Monday, July 18, 2011
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