Roots of Corruption

Scene-1:

Bus Conductor: Saar Ticket??

Guy: Next Stop. (Hands over Five Bucks)

Conductor: (Returns a two rupee coin, no ticket)

Scene-2:

Cops stop a biker.

Cop: Yellipa lissensu?

Guy: (Shows the License), Saar yella documentsu ide.

Cop: Over-speeding, 73 kilometeru!

Guy: Saar aduuu… aduuuuuuu….

Cop: Fine-u 300 rupaiee..

Guy: Saar, student saar, adjust maadi. (Handing him 50 bucks, making sure nobody notices it)

Scene-3:

Smoking in a Train or a Railway Station.

Scene-4:

Government Office, Gas-Connection or Water Connection.

Now my question is, how many times have you been the Guy in any one of the above scenario. There is no particular survey on it. (Considering 80% of the surveys are made-up). If there was one, it would read, “On an average, a normal Indian has faced 2 of the above situations at least twice a year”.

So, if we have been the Dude in the scene-1, will it make us corrupt? –No.

But, we are doing our bit in encouraging it. How many times have you in this scenario had courage to ask the conductor for ticket? Were you proud of saving that one buck on a four rupee ticket? Or were you scared that the conductor will throw you out?

The fact is that Roots of Corruption are strongly developed in our society. It begins from the day the child takes up errands at home. When for the first time your mother thinks you are capable of getting vegetables from the market in your locality. At first, it is the two bucks left from the shopping worth 50, to those text books you never buy or the fee for the tuitions which you have never attended.

We have all been corrupt at one point or other, to the extent of our reach. While we have been flicking Rs.2 as a kid- our politicians have been making Crores in Multi-Crore projects. Yet, corruption of this magnitude is tolerable.

1. When your mother asks you to get tomatoes worth 20 bucks, you don’t go to the market and but substandard tomatoes worth 5, which is the case with most of the Government scams.

2. When you are asked to buy a kilo Onions, you don’t tell your mother it costs 150 per kg when it is 25. As in CWG Scam.

3. This is closest analogy I could get for the Yeddi Mining Scam- when your mother asks you to clean up scrap paper and plastic goods from house, you don’t take the important stuff at home and throw it away as scrap to have those few extra bucks.

If in all the above cases mother is replaced with India, our Politicians will have a lesson to learn.

No doubt Anna’s fight woke us up. But, India at this point needs awakening beyond just fighting the Rajas, the Kilamdis, the Yeddis or the Reddys.

India at this point needs a bigger fight, fight against the system which fails the moral values, the ethics of our society. We need to fight against ourselves.

Lokpal bill will be just a small step, a small Battle in the War against Corruption.

You and me.

Today when I finally hold you here close to me. Looking back at all the troubles I have faced to get to you. All the reasons which have kept me away from you, all the times when I felt like giving up on you. There were times when on the journey to get you- I was asked to forget it and move on. Looking at you now, in my hands, I think- after all you are just a piece of paper which reads "provisional degree certificate".

My White Helmet

For all those who know me, I took humiliating long time to complete my Engineering. In my time at BMS, I saw SM Krishna as one of the best Chief Ministers, Dharam Singh as a Joke, Kumar Swamy as a 'thali ka baigan', the Rise of BJP and fall of Yedurappa.

It was humiliating, so much so that when I applied for my PDC I was shocked myself that I almost made it 60%. I was so tempted to post that I am finally, a BE (Mechanical), with Ph D in Heat and Mass Transfer, Mechanical Vibrations, Machine Design and Basic Electronics.

No regrets for my past, I have seen my share of highs and a lot more lows. If given a chance to blame I do have poor health, a freak attendance shortage, a food poisoning episode, but I need to learn to agree that I have been a big Idiot. But, BMS is a place where I have become a complete person, from a shy guy who was shivering to give his introduction to one the who lead a team to one of the biggest departmental fest in BMS. I have realised my potentials and has helped a few on that as well.

While at this journey, I had lost hopes, I had lost all the interest in being an Engineer, never found proud in what I was doing. Glad I stood to fight.

White Helmet

With my exposure at BMS and thanks to my friends, I had a good first Job where I got experience in Business Development, Brand Development and Training Industry.

And with just 2 days in my new job, working on a site. I feel proud that I have earned my WHITE HELMET. I am proud that I am an Engineer.