A nation on the roll
Coping With Systemic Maladies
By Saumitra Mohan
These are testing times for the country. Although the economy is booming and the stock markets are
zooming, we are actually at the crossroads. Where do we go from here? We never tire of boasting that
we are the world?s largest democracy with the second largest population, the third largest army, the
fourth largest economy (in purchasing power parity terms), the fourth largest air force, the fifth
largest navy, the sixth nuclear country and the seventh largest industrialised country. For all that,
we are faced with many systemic maladies that are expressing themselves in various ways. These include
terrorists, secessionists, the Maoist violence, systemic corruption and institutional degeneration.
We are, today, one of world?s most corrupt countries going by the projections of such organisations as
Transparency International. Even though vigilance of an overactive civil society and judiciary led by
citizens supposedly with conscience, non-governmental organisations and media does give us some hope,
the fact remains that we actually don?t know as to what might happen the next moment, whose bomb
attack or violence some or many of us may fall prey to.
Misguided men
Surprisingly enough, today we have guided missiles but misguided men out there to scupper their own
boat for a few pieces of silver.
We all aspire to be a great power and as such hanker for such symbolisms as permanent membership of an
almost defunct and toothless United Nations Security Council and the recognition of an alien United
States for legitimising our national nuclear programme. But we shall do almost nothing by way of our
own character and behaviour that are becoming of citizens of a great country. We have all seen and
heard as to how a Hansie Cronje, a Shane Warne or a Gunter Grass, pricked by a guilt consciousness,
have come forward to confess their mistake or folly, but how many times have we heard of an Indian
coming forward to do so even though inquiries have proved them to be on the wrong side of the law. Our
values and ethics are at an all-time low despite those stupendous growth figures.
Infused with a chalta hai attitude, we do anything and everything that suits us and our interests but
shall shy away to do things that actually evince a strong character behoving citizens of a great
country. We resent a bandh or a strike, but shall not flinch from calling and participating in one
such bandh, strike or procession when it suits us without any concern for others and, howsoever,
detrimental the same may be to the interests of the system.
When it comes to critical social issues such as women, dowry, girl child and others, we make loud
protestations but continue to do the reverse at home. Our excuse is that, ?it is the whole system that
has to change. How will it matter if I alone forego my son?s right to a dowry?? We run to America to
bask in their glory and praise their system but again when New York becomes insecure (as in the
aftermath of twin tower bombings), we run to England. Again, when England experiences unemployment, we
take the next flight to the Gulf. When the Gulf war struck, we demand to be rescued and brought home
by the Indian government.
Everybody is out to abuse and prostitute the country. Nobody thinks of feeding or nurturing the
system. Our conscience is mortgaged to our selfish interests and we don?t wish to look beyond them. At
times, we talk of the rich demographic dividend of having more than half of our population in the
productive age group of 25-50 by 2040 AD, but we are hardly bothered as to how to reap this dividend
successfully. John Stuart Mill was right when he said that ?you cannot think of becoming a great
country with small men?? with small capacities, small thinking and dubious character.
While almost all of us keep whining about our government being inefficient, about our laws being too
old or too bad, about our municipalities not cleaning the streets, about our transport system being the worst in the world, about our mails never reaching their destination in time, and about our
country having been gone to the dogs. But have we ever paused and thought as to what to do. John F
Kennedy rightly said, ?Ask not what the country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.?
Notice the behavioural change of an Indian while in India and while abroad. When out of the country,
we are at our best. When at Singapore, we don?t throw cigarette butts on the roads and we dutifully
come to the parking lot to punch our parking ticket if we have over-stayed there rather than sulking
and trying to sneak away without payment as we often do in our own country.
Similarly, we don?t dare to eat in public during Ramadan while in Dubai or we don?t dare to go out
without our head covered in Jeddah because the local laws demand that. We don?t chuck an empty coconut
shell anywhere other than the garbage vat on the beaches in Australia and New Zealand nor do we spit
paan on the streets of Tokyo. We also don?t dare to speed beyond the stipulated limit in Washington DC
and then try to get away with it by throwing our weight with the traffic cop.
Zero contribution
In America every dog-owner has to clean up after his or her pet has done the job. But we never do the
same when in our own country. We expect the government to clean up. We expect the railways to provide
clean bathrooms but we are not going to learn the proper use of bathrooms. We want our airlines to
provide the best of food and toiletries but we are not going to stop pilfering at the first available
opportunity.
We go to the polls to choose a government and after that we forsake everything, forgetting all our
responsibilities and duties. We sit back wanting to be pampered and expect the government to do
anything and everything whilst our own contribution is totally nil or, at least even negative. We
destroy our own national property during a bandh or a strike and then complain about government not
doing enough.
We should realise that a country is made of people and unless its people value themselves, their
country, their rights and, more importantly, their duties, we shall continue to grovel in the dust. If our system is bad it is because we are bad. We get the government we deserve. So we should first
deserve and only then desire.
(The author is an IAS officer presently posted as Addiional District Magistrate, Hooghly, West Bengal)
zooming, we are actually at the crossroads. Where do we go from here? We never tire of boasting that
we are the world?s largest democracy with the second largest population, the third largest army, the
fourth largest economy (in purchasing power parity terms), the fourth largest air force, the fifth
largest navy, the sixth nuclear country and the seventh largest industrialised country. For all that,
we are faced with many systemic maladies that are expressing themselves in various ways. These include
terrorists, secessionists, the Maoist violence, systemic corruption and institutional degeneration.
We are, today, one of world?s most corrupt countries going by the projections of such organisations as
Transparency International. Even though vigilance of an overactive civil society and judiciary led by
citizens supposedly with conscience, non-governmental organisations and media does give us some hope,
the fact remains that we actually don?t know as to what might happen the next moment, whose bomb
attack or violence some or many of us may fall prey to.
Misguided men
Surprisingly enough, today we have guided missiles but misguided men out there to scupper their own
boat for a few pieces of silver.
We all aspire to be a great power and as such hanker for such symbolisms as permanent membership of an
almost defunct and toothless United Nations Security Council and the recognition of an alien United
States for legitimising our national nuclear programme. But we shall do almost nothing by way of our
own character and behaviour that are becoming of citizens of a great country. We have all seen and
heard as to how a Hansie Cronje, a Shane Warne or a Gunter Grass, pricked by a guilt consciousness,
have come forward to confess their mistake or folly, but how many times have we heard of an Indian
coming forward to do so even though inquiries have proved them to be on the wrong side of the law. Our
values and ethics are at an all-time low despite those stupendous growth figures.
Infused with a chalta hai attitude, we do anything and everything that suits us and our interests but
shall shy away to do things that actually evince a strong character behoving citizens of a great
country. We resent a bandh or a strike, but shall not flinch from calling and participating in one
such bandh, strike or procession when it suits us without any concern for others and, howsoever,
detrimental the same may be to the interests of the system.
When it comes to critical social issues such as women, dowry, girl child and others, we make loud
protestations but continue to do the reverse at home. Our excuse is that, ?it is the whole system that
has to change. How will it matter if I alone forego my son?s right to a dowry?? We run to America to
bask in their glory and praise their system but again when New York becomes insecure (as in the
aftermath of twin tower bombings), we run to England. Again, when England experiences unemployment, we
take the next flight to the Gulf. When the Gulf war struck, we demand to be rescued and brought home
by the Indian government.
Everybody is out to abuse and prostitute the country. Nobody thinks of feeding or nurturing the
system. Our conscience is mortgaged to our selfish interests and we don?t wish to look beyond them. At
times, we talk of the rich demographic dividend of having more than half of our population in the
productive age group of 25-50 by 2040 AD, but we are hardly bothered as to how to reap this dividend
successfully. John Stuart Mill was right when he said that ?you cannot think of becoming a great
country with small men?? with small capacities, small thinking and dubious character.
While almost all of us keep whining about our government being inefficient, about our laws being too
old or too bad, about our municipalities not cleaning the streets, about our transport system being the worst in the world, about our mails never reaching their destination in time, and about our
country having been gone to the dogs. But have we ever paused and thought as to what to do. John F
Kennedy rightly said, ?Ask not what the country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.?
Notice the behavioural change of an Indian while in India and while abroad. When out of the country,
we are at our best. When at Singapore, we don?t throw cigarette butts on the roads and we dutifully
come to the parking lot to punch our parking ticket if we have over-stayed there rather than sulking
and trying to sneak away without payment as we often do in our own country.
Similarly, we don?t dare to eat in public during Ramadan while in Dubai or we don?t dare to go out
without our head covered in Jeddah because the local laws demand that. We don?t chuck an empty coconut
shell anywhere other than the garbage vat on the beaches in Australia and New Zealand nor do we spit
paan on the streets of Tokyo. We also don?t dare to speed beyond the stipulated limit in Washington DC
and then try to get away with it by throwing our weight with the traffic cop.
Zero contribution
In America every dog-owner has to clean up after his or her pet has done the job. But we never do the
same when in our own country. We expect the government to clean up. We expect the railways to provide
clean bathrooms but we are not going to learn the proper use of bathrooms. We want our airlines to
provide the best of food and toiletries but we are not going to stop pilfering at the first available
opportunity.
We go to the polls to choose a government and after that we forsake everything, forgetting all our
responsibilities and duties. We sit back wanting to be pampered and expect the government to do
anything and everything whilst our own contribution is totally nil or, at least even negative. We
destroy our own national property during a bandh or a strike and then complain about government not
doing enough.
We should realise that a country is made of people and unless its people value themselves, their
country, their rights and, more importantly, their duties, we shall continue to grovel in the dust. If our system is bad it is because we are bad. We get the government we deserve. So we should first
deserve and only then desire.
(The author is an IAS officer presently posted as Addiional District Magistrate, Hooghly, West Bengal)
1 comment:
These are things I sometimes think about... good article.
-Kitty Khat
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