POLITICS, the icing on a cake or perchance this expression should be used as one of the most sought after profession in India today. Why? It carries with it the widest range of possibilities as a person with no basic qualification and unworthy background can participate with high chances of selection. The political persons in power carry with them the law, the bureaucracy, the police, the underworld, the business class and the cream of the society – the foolish and insensitive public. Foolish because they have committed the same mistakes over and over again for the past six decades and hopefully they will continue to do so and insensitive because they have stopped thinking about these matters. They have put their brain to eternal rest. The society is coming to a coma stage and so is their children’s future come to a not so desirable end – the end of their conscience. So, do we remain human beings thereon if we throw away conscience just like any one of our torn bathroom slippers, perhaps – YES.
With all these possibilities in sight is not politics the best option a person in India can get. Money makes the world go round. Though money is not everything but even then it mobilizes scientists for being responsible for great inventions and to the extent in compelling a man to lose his ideals for a paltry sum of money. So, how did hard cash get its priority in a society of humans! Well, we gave it the importance it never deserved. If the master desires to be slave for a day and moreover wants to remain as it is then no one can be blamed for that - except us. As the wheel of time turned round we started to go deep down, really down the drain. In all these happenings a class of people started to exploit the unseen but often felt need of money. They were ready to leave aside everything for cash. The world’s largest democracy was about to die a painful death and be engulfed in darkness forever. The political persons started this carnage by involving people from all walks of life especially the upper class which runs the society. Everybody should not be blamed, as cent per cent is not in the wrong track. Ironically, the persons who tried to move against the tide were either swept away or understood the futile exercise and moved with the wave. Then these people were shortening their life span and dying premature deaths. Deaths which often remain unanswered and unquestioned. Well who cares for such useless deaths? No one has the time for such mean “no-money” jobs. People are being used like a crutch nowadays. The lighter part is that one section of the society is using its other half and there is no one to protest.
No one wants to bear the heat really. If a commoner goes against a group with whatever reason behind its back the protest can not stand in its podium. The rest of the persons watching this jugglery will give the advice to stand back and digest the bias attitudes the society metes to its inmates. Everybody is and should be concerned of their security and even the law says so. What the law doesn’t say is that for your own betterment you can not spoil the rhythm of some one else. The system of democracy in its current phase is like stone grinder with the politicians the turning the wheel of fate and the commoners are crushed like grains and other leftovers of the society are acting as mobilisers for attaining their preset objective. We always think of our own outcome but never give it a thought otherwise what would have happened if only we had the confidence to stand up together and protest of the wrongdoings done to the society as a whole. Not being co-operative in attitude resulted in the creation of some sore clusters in the society. A disease which spreads even if not touched. A burn even that person can feel who did not lit the fire itself. Such is the wrath that we face in one way or the other for being under the nose of the politicians.
As immobilised as we were before, everyday prices are rocketing sky-high. Who is responsible for that? Surely not the man who wrote the Constitution of India six decades ago! Had he ever imagined the future state of affairs in the country would be such then either he would not have tried to write such a fallacy or else he would have done something else. The constitution was made to bring everybody at par with each other. Now, it is nothing but a sugar dart aimed at this over multi-billion population. The business class gives money as an investment to the politicians for fighting polls and in the outcome of their victory they hike the prices of their respective products or else ease their path in business with unjust manipulations and undue favour. Are we not aware of it? Yes we are aware of it. We forget things very easily (nowadays) and force others to do the self same damn deeds that we ourselves do. We are like the three monkeys as depicted by M. K. Gandhi – we can hear but we should maintain silence, we can speak out but our lives will be in danger and we can see but our eyes should remain closed for the security of our loved ones. So, are we kind hearted Indians not ready to make such a small sacrifice for our near and dear ones? Did I say ‘ready to make such a small sacrifice’? Well we are already on the path of sacrifices. We have cremated honesty, truth, benevolence and lastly the ultimate mirror – our conscience. What is left to cremate is our body that we do when we breathe our last and free the already dead soul from our body. Any metropolis or city under these political godfathers seems to be a place where corpses live. They do their daily chores and indulge in the not so very important discussion of the increase in gold prices, about sachin’s health or even to the extent of discussing if Aishwarya is going to marry again. Is our life restricted to these petty things only? Today no person is ready to give a patient hearing to the other perhaps out of frustration. Before blaming these people for their less tolerance did we give a justified thought as to why people are less lenient in any sphere of life? We did not feel the need otherwise. Everybody being a part of this system suffers individually. Those who are weak can not complain – an excuse that has a strong basis considering the political system in India. What about those in the bureaucracy who oil the politicians for personal vendetta or for unwanted mileage over others.
In this predominant society believing in the give-and-take policy it is to be taken for granted that a highly literate officer is licking the boots of a school dropout politician just because that shrewd fox has power or money or conceivably both. How can we expect education to be a criteria in politics when the politicians are themselves not literate? Or the instance that a politician going to jail reinstates his family member as a minister. The person then can rule the state straight from jail. Such is the magnetism of the Chair-Power that they are willing to let mayhem begin and rule the country with the constitution as a guideline of their personal safety and the Courts of Law as a bullet-proof vest. Our soldiers in the far flung border are guarding the border day and night not for the salary but that they love their country and is ready to defend the motherland at the cost of their own lives. They do never think what will happen to their families when they will be no more. They may think that the government will take care of them. They are perhaps the most foolish stuff of our society. They sacrifice with the notion that they will be remembered by their countrymen for whose bright future they sacrifice their present least keeping in mind that a stalwart figure like Shubhas Chandra Bose is on the verge of forgetfulness in the minds of this generation. When the freedom giver can be sidelined for inferior vested interests and malafide intent then surely the sipahis, majors and other ranks is no mean bargain! Every year, during the republic day parade we see wives, old parents or even the wards of the soldiers who died while defending the country get various gallantry awards posthumously and that is a matter of prestige. If that is a rare instance indeed, then is not this incident rarer that the very selfsame family if not of a rich background will have to travel table to table, door to door to make their ends meet or even spend money from their pockets to get their rightful due. Who cares for such petty things! Which corrupt clerk has so much time to look after the files (the breeding grounds of insects) if their required ‘extra quota’ is not given to them. The clerk and all the people of this associated nature seldom give a thought about what situation they are leaving for the next generation to deal with. A country where corruption does not even spare the dead (and scams occur due to the buying of coffins, printing stamps, illegal property, cattle fodder to name a few) has crossed the visible limitations and opened new avenues for illicit deeds. Ever widening succulent scope of corruption isn’t it!
The big business houses act from behind as sponges to soak support for the party they think should muster majority to remain in power. If anyone thinks that India is a poor country then the notion can be granted as a wrong one. They buy MLAs at high prices reaching the crores mark or maybe even beyond, who knows! Pity the cost for purchasing a single MLA can feed, clothe, educate and provide medical facilities to hundreds of under privileged for days on end. But then that is not their objective. This singular stance gives a rough idea of how a minor part of our national wealth is going down the drain. The rest follows suit. Who is to be held accountable for that? The one to be held accountable is corrupt himself! There is even no need to single out a person in the queue. The entire lot in a particular chain is corrupt. If even there exists a honest person in the bunch, how much of an option is left for him to decide what to do? There is very little scope to resist the temptation, moreover nearly no chance to protest against the system. If, the person desires to protest then that is going to boomerang on that selfsame being. Where does the person take shelter then? The person to save skin becomes an integral part of the system most unwillingly. From outside that person appears to be one of those rotten fleshes, but the reality is otherwise. It can’t be distinguished from outside.
The parliament has become the get-together hall of the thick skinned politicians. Their representation based on our vote casting has yielded nothing except price hike, unemployment, ill health care and more and more people going down the poverty line. This is all that we have got by the representation system in the world’s largest democracy. When they beg for vote from door to door little do their eyes depict what their brains are thinking? After the results we have to wait for another five years to see their face again at our doorstep. Oh no no! Nowadays the elections are held whenever the MLAs switch over from one party to the other. This again results in the burden of thousands of crores of rupees for the election campaign and afterwards will be extracted from the commoners as sales tax, excise duty, price hike in essential commodities and what not. Unemployment as ever on the rise is leading to the society getting crippled. The per capita income is decreasing day by day. The demands of daily life are increasing in leaps and bounds. To maintain a balance in the requirement and sufficing ratio they are looking for easy means to earn money. To maintain a family is a not-so-tough job but to maintain it with all its requirement fulfilled is tougher. So, if the resources are not compliant with the regular demands of the society there is bound to be an imbalance.
EASY-MONEY is available from all sources of daily life. You just have to snatch it from the rightful person, and it becomes yours. What happens to the person who ends up on the losing side? Be it in business or in service, that very person will try to make good for the loss suffered. Bribe or in a better word ‘enticement’ then becomes an integral part to make up for the loss suffered. Nobody is ready to work without bribe. The notion nowadays is that bribe is a bonus they deserve alongside the salary. Some ask in the corner of the office while some ask for it in the open. Files and other official papers only gain mobility from desk to table and further if proper amount of money is placed in proper hands within proper time. Where does the money come from? The Government treasury is the ultimate loser and the total burden falls on the lower class and people below the poverty line. Nearly all MLAs are having black mark in their political career be it scam, rape, kidnapping, extortion, smuggling or any other incidents oh this sort. With money comes power and strength. The basic reason of why each and every politician is associated with local dons and businessmen. The former is used as strength and the latter for money. In this critical juncture, what can we expect from a commoner who has neither money nor strength as a backup to protest against any wrongdoings of politician? Either keep shut and bear the difficulties being inflicted or else get pointed out by the local goons and get thrashed up or else if possible cut the sore of the society from the roots – Yes kill them if you (dare to do so) can and then spend the rest of your life in jail and your family will be wiped out from the society’s mainstream.
Whenever an innocent is killed, it will hardly be spoken out but if on the other hand a criminal gets killed or is beaten black and blue by the local public then that will be highlighted by the human rights commission and other related organization. It will be ‘stated’ as public becoming intolerant and outrageous. These incidents are never judged weighing the public sentiment but then the fallacy is that the ‘innocent becomes the hunted’. When we like to look for solution facing the opposite direction of trouble then are we not making a futile exercise? Who cares for such damn things when public die for a cause they are not responsible? Some people go even to the extent of saying that it is a good procedure to control the population! Who knows, maybe it is that person’s turn next. Someone else will comment the same when he/she will be bleeding to death on a roadside with the passerby watching the last scene of the drama. The frustration of the young generation is being used as a weapon by the leaders as the easy-way-out. All sorts of illegal works are done by them with the assurance that they and their families will always be taken care of. Those who can not resist the temptation indulge in these activities and remain in the darkness forever. If ever danger tightens its noose around it has to be the ‘frustrated lot’ to suffer not the politicians. So, the enigma remains unsolved and continues as a daily chore. The socio-economic condition of the society is not favourable for the lower classes of people. Money that is being disbursed by the Central and State Governments for different welfare related works never reach the last line of Govt. Officers. The amount keeps on lessening on the way and ultimately the residual remains are false promises, inauguration stones, incomplete projects and hopeful visions of the foolish public.
We live in a society where the ruling party makes their ‘party offices’ by kicking people out of their homes, such FIR reports never really come to life and is rendered ineffective. So, where do we stand – nowhere. Our only duty is to inhale the dirt around us and make the heart keep on beating. Even if they are in the dire need of doctors they first judge the capacity of their pockets and then behave accordingly. A profession near parallel to being held divine is rotten from the core. Of course not to blame all, there are always exceptions to every rule. But then that is not going to help us all. The doctors are in such a cushioned mode in our society that even if it is clearly understood that patients are dying due to their negligence, not a single utterance of protest will ever stand the test of time. Such is their protection under the IPC with the help of the politicians that they are always out of the reach of the law. Within 57 years of independence there is not a single instance that a doctor committing negligence has been put behind the bars and the degree snatched off. Why? They are an elite group and we are the leftovers in a dustbin named ‘society’. A character in a film aptly remarked about our current state of affairs) “Corruption is a part of society; a honest man is a liability”. It befits the situation but that should not have been the situation.
As quickly as we are getting downtrodden with that rapidness the upper stream of the society are filling their treasures in India and abroad. Indian economy is lying on its death bed. Our economists have only formulas to tell in meetings and seminars but no scope to utilize the resources at hand and all the more they are not interested in doing so. They know deep down their heart that they are also responsible for this decline. This is applicable for those persons who have the capability to alter the course of Indian status in this world. They maybe think otherwise. To live abroad and say that ‘I love my country’ has become a fashion nowadays. Not that going abroad is a sentimental offence, but that staying there for the rest of the life on grounds that a foreign country suffices everything is really an offence against the country. Why they do this? Money does the entire talking and nothing else is deemed so power. All the knowledge of an entire student’s career as developed in India is being put to use by other countries just because they can pay more. The economic system needs to be backed up, whose ultimate reins is in the hands of the ruling Central Government. We are expecting help from those self-centered people in approach who do not care about the rest. They are callous enough to make a mockery of the democratic system. The wheel turns full circle and we somehow forget to exercise our proper powers properly. The IPC rules still today remains fallow as we are ignorant about its proper use. Maybe we are giving up the hope of going against the mainstream or maybe we desire to live the rest of our lives maintaining dead silence about what we see, think and hear. The habit of suffering has percolated deep within the lower rungs of the society.
The entire machinery is divided into two parts – the hunter and the hunted or even worse. When a person hunts down an animal for pleasure or food it is a crime. Assumably the duty of the strong is to protect the weak. A story is predominant in the African safari that every morning as the sun’s ray fell on the vast grasslands the gazelle and the lion would race long long distances, with a difference – the lion would run for its daily food and the gazelle would run for its life. It is because nature made them so to survive. We are animals, ‘social animals’ and should try to behave like the definition itself. The lower berth of the system is being delivered the ultimate pressure and pain of poverty, unemployment, corrupt people, imbalanced attitudes and the directory of anomalies of heinous crimes goes on and on.
It is like cornering a cat in a closed room. When the last resort to save ones own skin will not subsist the cat like the general public will pounce back and tear the administration of the hunter apart. It will not be done as a pleasure but as a true exception as sometimes in the African safari we come across incidents where the gazelle instead of running for life had turned back and pounced on the lion with its horns inside the lion’s stomach.
Stunning but true, so let not the hunter tease its prey too much.
Prasenjit Das©1997-2010
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