The year was 1290 . A crowd had gathered around a clearing, where broken down pillars marked the presence of an ancient temple, now long gone. A young boy, just 14 years old, leaned against one of those pillars, deep in thought. Then, he began speaking, and the crowd fell silent, listening to his every word. He spoke without any notes, translating the Bhagavat Gita, from Sanskrit, which only the pundits knew, to the language everyone in the village knew and spoke – a variety of Prakrit which developed into the Marathi language. Even as he spoke, one of the men in the audience realized how momentous this event was, and how important this composition would be. He began writing down the words the young boy spoke, and this composition was named by its author and composer, the Bhavartha Deepika – the enlightening meaning (of the Bhagavat Gita). Now, the ancient, holy text, was no longer restricted to the pundits, but accessible to all, understood easily by them, composed as it was, in their...
- I have never bribed a traffic cop! Though this does not really apply to me, because I don’t drive
- I haven’t paid a donation for my child’s admission – This is something I went to great lengths to achieve, hunting schools till I found the right one which suited my concepts of education, as well as didn’t ask for a donation! I pay a hefty amount in fees though, but completely by cheque! Not a penny in cash!
- I have never bought a movie ticket in black – not very difficult, since I either book well in advance, or wait till I can get a ticket.
- I have paid the entire amount for my apartment by cheque – this is something I have to thank Shankar for, because he was the one who insisted on this, and actually found a builder who was happy to take a cheque for every single penny! For those of you who know me, and are wondering what I am talking about, the house is almost ready and we will be taking possession soon, the reguistration has been done, and the stamp duty paid, all without a single penny in bribes or as cash!
- I have never bribed a government officer – I have got my passport, my election card, ration card, and multiple other things, all without paying a paisa as bribe! It has not been easy, but once the officials realize that I am not going to pay anything, and intend to come back again and again till they do my work, they tend to give up!
This was especially true at our local
election office, which is notorious for their inefficiency. I turned up with a
printed copy of their ward wise list with our names on it, and the officer’s
face was a sight to see! It took me a while to explain to him that the entire
lists were online, thanks to the government, and I had just printed it. Since
my name was there, but my photograph wasn’t, and since I didn’t have an
election card, but had voted at every election in the past 10 years, he had no
choice but to give me my card, which he did, throwing a filthy look my way! When
I turned up again with the application for my in-laws, and then my husband, he
simply stopped looking at me, but simply gave me the card without a murmur!
The only time the officer insisted on a
bribe was years back when I was in college and needed a domicile certificate. I
tore and threw the form into the dustbin right in front of him, and walked out
of the office without a backward glance.
Having said all that, there is something else that must be
mentioned – this does not mean that I have never paid a bribe in my life!
The ‘baksheesh’
that we give everyone at Diwali – from the boy who delivers my newspaper to the
postman, even the telegraph man, who is now redundant – it is not a big amount,
but it is a bribe nevertheless.
The small change that I give the LPG delivery man, what is
it, but a bribe to ensure that he brings my gas cylinder home as soon as I book
it?
What about the money I pay the pujari in a temple so that he
calls me aside and does the puja for me, helping me bypass the crowd and give
me a moement alone with the Lord. What is it if not a bribe?
I can go on and on about the small ‘bribes’ we pay to our
service providers to ensure that our lives are made easier…. Is any bill or
rally going to change all that? I wonder!
But then what do we expect in a
country where even our prayers are but bribes to God for answering our prayers.
I do believe in God, and even in some rites and rituals, but what about our
attitude of promising Him a coconut or an amount if our wishes are fulfilled?
No matter which part of the country we visit, there are trees outside to which
are tied either threads or cradles, or bangles. Each of these is the promise of
an offering if a particular wish is fulfilled. It makes me wonder – does He
really want us to offer Him all that?
The minute we are faced with troubles or face some difficult times, I am
told, “Pay this amount to this temple for this puja. It will solve all your
problems” I can understand going to a temple and pouring out our woes to the
Lord. Speaking for myself, I don’t need to go to a temple for that! I can see
Him in the most unexpected places and communicate with Him when I feel the need
to, but I can still see and feel the atmosphere in some temples which induces
me to communicate. But I can never understand the need to pay money to solve my
problems. Aren’t we attributing Him with too many of our human attributes,
especially our failings? Aren’t we assuming that He is as corruptible as our
politicians, willing to help us solve our problems for a few coins? Is this
really the one we want to worship? And what does it say about us?
Much as I appreciate seeing how
Anna Hazare has managed to bring Indians together for the first time after
independence, I must admit I have doubts about how far the Lokpal Bill will
actually help eradicate corruption from our society. It is not a magic wand
which once waved can bring an end to corruption! If only it was so easy! There
is so much more to be done, and is much much more difficult than shouting
slogans, waving flags or even getting arrested.
Nice post - Here is my take - reasons why I support Anna . Do I actually support " him" - No ? Am I slogan shouting type - No . Do I think a Lokpal bill is necessary ? Yes .Do I think this is the best method- No. But the key thing is that its made people stand up and introspect, stand up and question and also made us more conscious about the small little tip they give to people ..will it eradicate corruption ? whom are we kidding ? but is it a beginning - YES and thank God, its put the fear of God in some of our politicians who believe no one will question them.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Lakshmi! I agree that thanks to him,people have at least started to get up and take notice of whats happening around them, esp the youth! indifference is our worst enemy... getting rid of it is the first step/// but so many more steps are needed, and to walk those steps needs more courage and strength of will than anything else
ReplyDeleteGood post Anu, to get my ration card I was made to wait fr 3 years , made me run around a lot but I was adamant not to pay any bribe and I won. But we do bribe in form of Bhaksheeh to those around us to get our work done really fast.
ReplyDeleteAnu, I think you are getting confused between a tip and a bribe. The latter has a well understood quid-pro-quo which defines it, while a tip to the LPG delivery man or postman is entirely voluntary. BTW, why did you leave out restaurant waiters?
ReplyDeletedsfdsf
ReplyDeleteNo chitappa.... see, if i am happy with the service, it is certainly a tip, but when it is demanded, it becomes a bribe.... when the postman brings me my passport and demands 50 Rs for delivery while the rest of the time he doesnt even drop my post properly, it cant possibly be a tip... and again, when he refuses the 50 bucks I give him during diwali and asks for 100, it cant be a tip! not when he is demanding and getting that amount from every person in his area over and above the salary paid for his duty.. same thing with the telegram chap, who doesnt even come home now! when was the last time we got a telegram? but does he stop asking for the baksheesh??? and arent they paid a salary and a bonus just for doing their duty???? and this is why i left out restaurant waiters... at least they dont demand here yet!! am sure its coming soon, but at least, if i am not satisfied with the service, i can still walk out without a tip!
ReplyDeleteThanks Chitra..... i know.. thats what irritates me... the idea seems to be.. if u have no time, pay a bribe.. if u want ur job done, pay a bribe! and the problem is that we dont always have all the time in the world to get the job done without a bribe :(
ReplyDeleteVery clean post. Barring exceptions enumerated by you, I also find myself in your group.
ReplyDeleteThough-provoking post. You are right in pointing out the flaw. We are busy playing the blame game but forget that we ourselves are a party to it in a large and small way. The day we will stop ourselves first that day real change will take place.
ReplyDeleteThanks!!
ReplyDeleteThank you! It is nice to see the kind of enthusiasm people are showing in rallying behind anna. I just wish more people would actually begin to stop paying bribes!
ReplyDeletevery nice article
ReplyDeleteSummary of All scams of India : Rs. 910603234300000/-
ReplyDelete“दर्द होता रहा छटपटाते रहे,
आईने॒से सदा चोट खाते रहे,
वो वतन बेचकर मुस्कुराते रहे
हम वतन के लिए॒सिर कटाते रहे”
Thank you!
ReplyDelete