|
 Another
Independence Day is here. As usual, the national flag will be
unfurled, speeches will be made by political leaders and
rallies and parades will be held. Then the people will go home
and India, like a sick giant, will continue to hobble,
sometimes forward, sometimes backward, pursuing confusing
concepts and conflicting goals. Will this sick march continue
forever? Just think, my fellow Indians.
There are more questions to be asked and answered. Why are
farmers committing suicide in distress? Why are mindless
people, driven by communal madness and atrocious rage, killing
innocent non-political Indians? Why are there arrears of
undecided cases in courts which makes the best of our legal
luminaries hang their heads in shame? Why are national issues
cut and parcelled into political issues with the rulers and
the Opposition blaming each other for underworld connections,
petroscams, job rackets, nepotism, and the like. Why are women
not safe in the temples of learning, the universities and
colleges? Why is corruption the rule and not the exception in
our administrative system? Why are the benefits of development
and growth being cornered by a few? Why do we not have any
clear and honest policies? Why cannot leaders be relied upon?
Why cannot bureaucrats be trusted?
As I see it, we have become victims of our own moral decadence
and corrosion of character. We have become unblinking slaves
to political and economic non-entities who are themselves
people of questionable motives and character.
What can we do? What should we do? I can tell you what I think
and ask you to think for yourself too. In my view, our biggest
enemies are corruption of the high and mighty, cowardice of
the political and administrative bullies, hypocrisy of the
sanctimonious frauds and the weaknesses and flaws of the legal
system. We can do a lot. Our slogans and weapons should be
Transparency, Accountability, Equity and Humanity. With these
as both goals and weapons, let us revolt. Yes, let us revolt,
first of all against our own selves. The biggest enemy of our
democracy is the fast-growing hypocrisy. The biggest enemy of
our freedom is our slavish mentality. The biggest enemy of
humanity is the cruel, petty-minded communalism of men and
women of greed and hatred. These are the enemies that beset
us. On this Independence Day, let us resolve: We shall revolt
against ourselves. |
