Corruption: Gandhi's definition

Sitting on a couch on a weekend in suburban chicago, an engineer - a s/w engineer from India - me is writing an essay on corruption. What the hell? another one of those troubling millions of electrons for nothing!

I changed the title a twice from 'what is corruption' to corruption's definition to the current one.It is not long ago that Munna Bhai made honesty, compassion and gandhigiri popular and we Indians connected again to those principals.

Time for some confession ....I am not a saint.. I paid for passport verification and paid many traffic police men bribes to get away for not having bike's and later car's papers, driving on wrong lane etc..

Before I write any further, I would like to offer my apologies to my fellow country men and the land where I was born  - for not standing up and putting my foot down. 

So, I was wondering what possibly Mr Gandhi would have twitted about corruption scandals that have swept the country from north to south, east to west. 

I grew up with a notion that Army was the cleanest organization in India, it employed the best men and there could be nothing wrong with it, till they messed up with coffins in Kargil and the adarsh scam. 

I also want to address the reason why it took a 79 year old man(The great Anna jee. hats off to him)  to stir up the imagination of whole country with his  agitation -  because for him it was not the truth. For him corruption is not the truth, is not the way things should be like. 

Rest of the country has, at least, till then accepted corruption as a way of life - from postman to marriage certificate to doctor's appointments to a blockbuster (black) tickets - one pays - not to do something good or exceptional but to survive, to live, to go to office each day and return, we pay. paying extra is embedded in our psycho. 

And its not only that the reader of this blog pays. everyone pays - vegetable vendor, ice cream, auto/cycle rickshaw everyone needs to give away a percentage of what they earn.

We all have had polio shots, Indian TV broadcasts messages each season, schools teachers and other government officials go home to home to find children and administer polio drugs to babies. Big B is on it too, he says even if one child is left without polio vaccination, the country is not safe. The same is true for corruption. Eliminate it and our life become beautiful. 

Each one of us has his little own cycle of corruption. This cycle needs to be broken. A start needs to be made by each of us. Can we do it? Each one of us has his cycle of corruption. Can you break the the cycle you are in? Can you give it a slight jolt today and second tomorrow and another the day after? Try it, it should be fun and you will feel great. 

I am not able to arrive at Gandhi's definition of corruption, I wish to do so soon. 

A extract from my next blog -

We Indians are a busy lot. hard working worried family oriented people - and yes we are proud of it, we are proud of our culture, family values, and we also take pride in getting things done out of turn for ourselves and our kin through acquaintances, contacts. I think that's corruption. 

Next time your Dad says he can have this done quickly, refuse it. Go stand in a queue, fill forms and you will feel proud of yourself.