Shades of corruption

A short story based on a real life conversation that I was privy to after an enjoyable run in the park.

The tea leaves floated amidst the boiling water, leaching their flavour into what was to be Kishen Lal's next customer's relief from the numbing cold. A well intentioned, yet miserly old man, the customer haggled over the increase in price of 1 Re for a cup of tea, arguing that a Rupee was all that he paid for an entire glass, with a few pakoras thrown in when he started working in 1966. After finishing the beverage, he asked Kishen how long a gas cylinder lasted. On finding out that it lasted only a week, he proceeded to offer Kishen advice on how he should exchange his gas burner for the stove his wife used at home because a gas cylinder lasted nearly two months that way. The old man further quipped that his consulting talents, from which the world of business could vastly benefit, were wasted on household chores handed down by the wife, whose tone had acquired a new-found sense of authority after his retirement. Kishen politely nodded and waited till the old man was out of earshot before he exchanged a knowing smile with Karim, a fruit seller with whom he shared his kiosk on the footpath.

The city of Delhi had provided Kishen a tough means for survival for over a decade now, since his luck had run out in his home town in Uttar Pradesh. The hope of a better life that had dragged Kishen to this city was exemplified in his various beliefs. He was the migrant, one who exchanges the familiarity and comfort of his village for the opportunity that presents itself in the milling crowds of the city. He picked up that day's newspaper and looked at the headlines. It reminded him that a party positioned as a champion against corruption had defied incredible odds and swept to power in the Delhi assembly. He lifted his eyes from the usually disappointing piece of paper and glanced at Karim with a glint in his eye.

Karim Khan was an old Delhi resident in every sense. His ancestors had inhabited the city for as long as anyone could remember. His family, a mirror of the turmoil and strife that had torn the glorious city apart in the last three centuries, had now befallen difficult times. As he eked out a survival on the footpath, Karim harboured the condescension and cynicism that the old Delhi wala had for the migrant. His sense of arrogance was rooted as much in the city's long standing heritage as it was in the smattering of Urdu poetry that he could dabble in. Karim then noticed Kishen smiling at him.

Kishen said, "Did I not tell you that they would come to power? It is always good to have a sense of optimism. After all, what are we without Hope, the unacknowledged goddess that sustains us all?"

Karim replied, "One government has replaced another. Our lives will continue to be the same. I don't understand what you are happy about."

"But don't you think the people have chosen a new voice? A fresh perspective? Don't you think this is a welcome change after being let down for 60 years?"

"My family has stayed here for the last 500 years. Pardon me, but I don't see anything significant happening in the next five years. Could you name one thing that could change for the better?"

This was easy for Kishen. The wave of public scams of proportions that would never make sense to tea sellers and fruit vendors had rocked the entire country. The new party had risen to prominence riding on the wave of outrage that these scams had sparked in the entire nation. The agenda in the campaign that the new party had most prominently highlighted was to eliminate corruption in the government. He reminded Karim of this promise that had been made.

"What?", Karim said. "Are you of the opinion that voting them in is going to remove corruption? My dear naive migrant, corruption is a die hard habit that is deeply rooted in our very selves. Choosing another name and symbol is not going to change that. The average Dilliwala is corrupt to the bone."

Karim continued, resorting to his artistic side for emphasis, "Corruption is the grease that oils the otherwise painfully slow mechanism that goes by the name of bureaucracy in India. It is this tangled web of corruption that holds this entire country's commercial fabric. Now the fabric and the web are interwoven and inseparable. How can one start a hotel or acquire rights to a plot of land in the absence of a bribe? In fact, is it not ironical that you and I, who are having this conversation on a public footpath after setting up shops on it are in blatant violation of the law of this land?"

Karim ended his sanctimonious tirade with a sardonic smile and looked at Kishen. Kishen bowed his head slightly as a bead of perspiration rolled down his forehead in spite of the wintry weather. What his cynical companion had expressed very bluntly seemed to be the harsh truth. He replied in his characteristically simple words, "I agree. We are all corrupt like the ministers and the industrialists that we read about. I also agree that in its absence, I might have as well perished without hope in a village in UP that nobody has heard of. That is right. I am corrupt. I am corrupt because it is essential for my survival and the one square meal that I eat everyday. However, is there not a distinction between greed and desperation? While arabs of rupees are being pilfered, can you not see that we are corrupt merely to feed our stomachs a couple of rotis after a hard day's toil?"

The heavy silence that ensued was punctuated by the arrival of a traffic constable at the scene.

Unconstitutional?

There has been a lot of outrage on the part of the intellectuals of this country that the present India Against Corruption movement has been unconstitutional. However, as a friend rightly pointed out,

 "There are many political parties that conduct bandhs, hartals, dharnas, padayatras and what not on a regular basis. Offices are shut down, stones are pelted at buses, tyres are burnt. Anyone who goes on the streets are wounded too. However, the same political parties say that a peaceful, non-violent, non-disruptive, perfectly legal protest is undemocratic?"

The Constitution of India is the supreme law of India, whose principles are to be followed for framing of laws, policies, granting of rights, and the functioning of the state. Like any other legal document, it can prove quite hard to read. The principles enshrined, however, are simpler to understand. Only the intellectual population of the country pays heed to even these. Hence, only a very small population of the country actually knows what is constitutional and what is unconstitutional.

Having read the speeches that Dr BR Ambedkar made on drafting of the constitution, I know that he would have surely struck down this protest as unconstitutional. I agree. This protest has been unconstitutional. However, let me tell you that if Dr Ambedkar were alive today, he would have been baffled enough at the rampant corruption that the parliament is responsible for today to immediately recommend some amendments to curtail the powers that the Legislature possess.

The legislature towers high above any other institution in this country. They seem to be able to call all the shots at present: How to obtain arrests of anybody (by using the Delhi Police as a scapegoat) in case anything goes wrong? How many Jan Lokpal bills to consider?  Whether they should present bills to the standing committee? Whether the bill should undergo the process of voting in the parliament at all? (Whoa!)

I'd say that any constitution that has allowed for the parliament to thrive in such unfettered corruption definitely needs a re-look. (There! I've uttered a blasphemy). I'm sure that the founding fathers of the country would never have, even in their wildest dreams, envisaged the  whole sale sell out of the country that is happening today. Why, A Raja might have made only a few hundred crores out of the deal, but has cost the country a potential whopping 1.76 lakh crores. Ethics apart, costing the country so dearly for making only a fraction of that cost is bad business!

We need laws to reign in the MPs today. The constitution has been amended in their favour so much so that they are the ultimate authority in this country. The laws against corruption, and their punishments are so ridiculous, particularly in light of the powers that MPs have. Also, these laws are so replete with loopholes that one can slither his way out easily with the legal expertise that the ministers have at hand, what with many of them being lawyers themselves.

The people on the streets have seen this happening time and again. They know that any political party that comes into power in steeped in the same systemic corruption. They do not care about the word of the constitution at this point of time. They just see that the country is being looted and want changes now! In their anger, they aren't ready to wait for a decade for palpable change to happen. Hence, they jump the gun on many occasions and demand the passage of their bill outright. It is true that anger clouds our ability to make the best decisions. It is also true that for this anger, the politicians are to blame and they are now facing the music.

As Arvind Khejriwal pointed out, intellectuals abound in the country, who think about how to proceed on every matter and are quick in their criticism of anything that goes against the grain of the many principles they hold dear. However, the vast numbers of people in this country operate on something much more basic: Common Sense. They don't want to hear your explanations of what is constitutional and what is not. They want corruption rooted out, and they want it now. The intellectuals are very relevant though. They keep checks and balances in the system so that things don't get out of hand. This movement has been a refreshing attempt at a correction of the Indian democracy. Rather than saying that Indian democracy is being threatened, it is good to see it thriving as ever.

What makes people lose faith in the democratic process?

India is a participatory democracy where people have a say in who is ruling over them. Democracy is India's biggest boon, and in my opinion, the prime reason why we haven't broken up into separate states like Europe, since independence.

The best (and only) suggestion that critics of the current anti-corruption protests provide is for people to use elections to tackle corruption. However, the protesters seem to be exasperated at this democratic system's failure. Why are they on the streets? What makes the democratic process fail?

Let us start off with a young voter of this country who wishes to do it good. He isn't a walking, talking archive of The Hindu  but he is far better informed than the huge masses who are transported in truckloads to voting booths. He can vote at the assembly level and the Lok Sabha level. But let us look at whom he can vote for. He has a choice between the two central parties, both of whom are steeped in the same corruption and malpractices. On voting for an independent candidate, he realises that his candidate will either not even cross the minimum number of votes required to collect his election deposit, or will side with one of the two 'national' parties. On voting for a state level party, he'll realise that he is playing into the hands of regionalists who are increasingly resorting to dirty, caste based politics. These regional parties also hold the trump cards in today's coalition governments and demand that they get ministerial berths out of which they can make the most money out of. ( viz. A Raja's telecom ministry)

The system is neck deep in filth. He compares it to vibrant democracies in the west where any spot of dirt on the candidates makes them liable for impeachment and unspeakable humiliation. He is now rendered speechless with humiliation at his country's netas. The parliament's first Lokpal draft dates back to 1968. His politicians haven't agreed on passing that bill for 43 years and counting. How could even the brightest optimist still harbour any hopes in the parliament?

Why not contest elections? If he wished to join either of the big parties, his purpose is defeated. Besides, there is the huge contribution he'll have to make to the party coffers for his entry. If he contests as an independent candidate... Oh wait! He already knows the fate of those naive independents.

The civil service! That is surely the panacea to his angst and eagerness to do good for the country. So he goes about exploring that option. Well, there is the rest of the young people in the country to compete with. As the civil services are highly coveted, the entire mass of India's huge and burgeoning population adds to the weight of this competition and he is faced with lakhs of competitors, vying for a few hundred posts. This also demands intricate knowledge of the country among a whole lot of other things. Only graduates can apply. After rigorous selection processes that run into the best part of a year, these hallowed people are selected to serve the masses. But wait. They are selected to serve the masses under the thumb of their neta who might not have even passed second standard! The neta is sure to transfer them if they try to do anything good against his vested interests. There is also this tradition among IAS officers to spend a huge amount of money on coaching classes and attempt at making solid returns on investment once they are in power.

The legislature and the bureaucracy are pretty much closed doors to this citizen. The judiciary is so swamped with cases to be heard that he has very bleak hope there. The legislature, with its passing of 17 bills in 12 mins, including amendments to the Prevention of Corruption Act, has also substantially weakened the judiciary's hold on it. Now that the supreme court is interfering with their dirty affairs time and again, they are going to threaten it with a judicial accountability bill. I rest my case.

The gentleman whose example has been taken in this post is mostly from the middle class. The poor are too busy making their 30 rupees per day to worry about these things. The rich aren't bothered to find out how their agent obtains their driving license. As long as he delivers it to them, they are happy. So how then does this young, middle class voter, bubbling with enthusiasm to be a part of the change and redress his grievances against systemic corruption that he encounters everywhere, from getting his birth certificate made to getting a cremation done and a death certificate obtained?

He waits for an Anna Hazare to come along. He doesn't even bother to find out the merits and demerits of the proposed bill, but plunges headlong at anything that helps him channel his anger against the corrupt politicians he so loathes. The majority of people at the rallies today don't even know what the Jan Lokpal bill does or how it proposes to root out corruption. They have lost faith in the politicians to such a grave extent that they go by the saying "An enemy of my enemy is my friend."

A few truths about the Jan Lokpal

In all this squabble over whether the Jan Lokpal is a panacea to a corruption ridden nation or a looming apocalypse, I thought I'd do some actual research before having anything more to say.

I'd posted in support of the movement here, without saying too much about the bill itself.

Yesterday, I attended a public question and answer session with Justice Santosh Hegde organised by The Hindu. Justice Santosh Hegde, whose track record on fighting corruption speaks for itself, has served as a lawyer, the Advocate General for Karnataka, the Additional Solicitor General and a Supreme Court Judge. He was instrumental in preparing the Jan Lokpal draft. He came across as an incisive and knowledgeable stalwart in the practice of the law.

Today, I spent half my Sunday reading the bill in its entirety and also looked up some of the other acts that it often referred to. The bill can be found here.

Why the bill is required would be obvious to everyone but the completely oblivious. Anyway, just to present a taste of how our country is run, here is something you might want to chew on.

India has over 1456 Billion USD stashed away as black money in Swiss banks. This was according to a declaration made by the Swiss government. Here's the dubious top five list.

1. India—– $1,456 billion 2. Russia —-$ 470 billion 3. UK ——-$390 billion 4.Ukraine – –$100 billion 5. China —–$ 96 billion

The Indian total is far greater than the sum of the other four countries. But hold on. Figures as large as those don't make sense without some perspective. $1,456 billion translates to Rs 65,520 billion. The order of magnitude here is 13. 6.5 raised to the 13th power of 10. This happens to exceed the entire revenue budgetary requirement for the year 2010-11 by 5 times. And this is just the Swiss black money issue.

The four other countries have promptly transferred this wealth back to their shores. Our government is still consulting its lawyers.

I'll look at only those parts of the draft that have come under rather heavy criticism.

1. The Rogue Pal charge

Under the apprehension that the Lokpal could turn renegade, a few critics have bestowed upon it astronomical powers akin to those who run parallel governments.

The Jan Lokpal cannot mete out punishment, contrary to popular belief. It is merely an investigative body and can at the most submit its findings to a special court, whose judgement can be challenged in a High court or the Supreme court of the country. Hence, the Lokpal is answerable to these courts with regard to all its actions during the prosecution.

Article 29.7 states

"Appeal against the orders of Lokpal shall lie in High Court of appropriate jurisdiction, which shall decide the matter within two months of filing of the appeal."

Now let's turn our attention to Section 17.2

"Nothing in this Act shall be construed as authorising the Lokpal to investigate any action which is taken by or with the approval of the Presiding Officer of either House of Parliament."

which categorically strips the Lokpal of investigating any executive action whose approval is sought from the leaders of the parliament houses.

The Lokpal has been bestowed with police powers in only specific sections of the Criminal Procedure Code and the Prevention of Corruption Act. This power is granted to any wing of vigilance that functions in the country including the CBI and the CVC.

2. Its far reaching judicial powers

Article 10.2 highlights the judicial powers of the Lokpal.

"For the purpose of any such investigation (including the preliminary inquiry) the Lokpal shall have all the powers of a civil court while trying a suit under the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 , in respect of the following matters, namely:-

(a) Summoning and enforcing the attendance of any person and examining him on oath;

(b) Requiring the discovery and production of any document;

(c) Receiving evidence on affidavits;

(d) Requisitioning any public record or copy thereof from any court or office ;

(e) Issuing commissions for the examination of witnesses or documents ;

(f) ordering payment of compensatory cost in respect of a false or vexatious claim or defence;

(g) ordering cost for causing delay;

(h) Such other matters as may be prescribed."

Simply put, the Lokpal has the right to examine any evidence or subject the accused to questioning in the event of an investigation. Clearly, the points above do not exceed those that are required for any investigative agency to function. Anyone who claims that the Lokpal has far reaching judicial powers is just as far from the truth.

3. The dubious and arbitrary selection committee

Well, the proposed selection panel consists of

a. The Chairpersons of both Houses of Parliament

b. Two senior most judges of Supreme Court

c. Two senior most Chief Justices of High Courts.

d. All Nobel Laureates of Indian Origin

e. Chairperson of National Human Rights Commission

f. Last two Magsaysay Award winners of Indian origin

g. Comptroller and Auditor General of India

h. Chief Election Commissioner

i. Bharat Ratna Award winners

j. After the first set of selection process, the outgoing members and Chairperson of Lokpal.

Where the senior-most judge of Supreme Court shall act as the Chairperson of the selection committee.

Here,

a. represents the political faction. b. and c. comprise of the higher judiciary. e., g. and h. represent the bureaucracy and civil society representation is present at the other posts. This keeps a healthy balance in place where people from all walks of life participate.

Why are some people against representation from civil society? Aren't 12 members of the Rajya Sabha nominated from the same civil society?

The only thing that escapes my logic here is the inclusion of Nobel Prize and Bharat Ratna awardees. These awards are not given particularly for social service. But I'm sure that these details will be ironed out in a detailed draft.

The selection isn't as "ad-hoc" as the critics thought.

Here is the Government's proposed selection committee:

1. Prime Minister

2. Speaker of the Rajya Sabha

3. Leader of the Opposition

4. One Judge

5. One nominee of the Prime Minister

This selection committee can easily undermine any anti corruption bill in its very inception.

4. Unelected people have no say in how this country is run.

Yes. They don't. But neither does the Lokpal. They are merely an investigative organisation. If they shouldn't exist, neither should the CBI, CVC, CAG, Election Commission or the President of India. (Remember Abdul Kalam for instance? He was from civil society)

5. The Prime Minister shouldn't fall within the Lokpal's ambit..

.. for a host of reasons ranging from regional instability to the sale of defence secrets to foreign powers, they say. The Indian Penal code, drafted in 1860 by Lord Macaulay, and continued by the Indian government ever since we became a Republic, holds any government official including the Prime minister answerable to the laws stated there in. Why should we now make an exception? The same argument holds for judges in the higher judiciary.

This aside, the Lokpal has made provision for the PM to be excluded from the law in section 18.6 and 18.9.

18.6

" If during the course of investigation or enquiry into a complaint, Lokpal feels that continuance of a public servant in that position could adversely affect the course of investigations or enquiry or that the said person is likely to impact evidence or witnesses, the Lokpal may issue appropriate orders including transfer of that public servant from that position or his suspension.

Provided that such orders shall not be passed against the Prime Minister."

This is obviously framed keeping in mind that dismissal of the Prime Minister cannot be made easily by the Lokpal.

18.9

"Where after investigation into a complaint, the Lokpal is satisfied that the complaint involving an allegation against the public servant, other than the Ministers, Members of Parliament and judges, is substantiated and that the public servant concerned should not continue to hold the post held by him, the Lokpal shall pass orders to that effect. In case of public servant being a Minister or a Member of Parliament, Lokpal shall make such recommendation to the President, who shall decide either to accept such recommendation or reject it within a month of its receipt.

Provided that the provisions of this section shall not apply to the Prime Minister."

The clauses above are built for preventing bureaucrats and government officials from tampering with evidence against them from their position of power. 18.9 exempts all ministers and judges from its ambit and submits that decision to the president. Strangely, the media doesn't highlight these points to us. I doubt if the media has read the original draft at all!

Prime ministers have died in office without issue of prior notice in the past. Governments have fallen in no confidence motions several times. Interim prime ministers and acting prime ministers have stepped in without there being any threat to the regional stability of our diverse country.

And why must our national secrets be divulged to the Lokpal in any case? They are an investigative agency, and not the Indian equivalent of the ISI. These are just issues that are built to divert people's attention and dilute their support.

The investigative bodies today and the Prevention of Corruption Act are framed such that they fall under the ruling government's thumb completely and are hence not adequate in today's degenerate times. We can't blame the leaders of yesterday for making these policies as they, in their wildest imagination, couldn't have envisioned the evils that haunt the Indian Government today. That is why this movement is required in the first place. 1.76 Lakh Crores has 12 significant zeros.

I've gathered from the interaction with Justice Santosh Hegde the moment when he lost complete trust in the legislature. To quote his exact words in an interview to Tehelka,

"We expect our leaders to do their jobs, but I for one lost trust when on 23 December 2008, the Parliament passed 17 Bills in 12 minutes, without any discussion whatsoever. It included amendments to an anti-corruption law. Three sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act were removed, and only civil society prevented the Bill from going to the Rajya Sabha. After this, how can they say it’s my prerogative, stay away?"

How's that for an eye opener? Do we expect these minds to engage corruption at any level?

In light of the times we live in, the need for a strong ombudsman can never be stated enough. I was pleased to read today that in the all party meeting, most parties seem to be in agreement with this. The majority has also voiced its support for the inclusion of the PM under the Lokpal. However, their words are only token promises, as is my happiness ephemeral on seeing them.

This is why the movement needs our support. This is why Kapil Sibal shows up every night trying to denigrate this bill to its very foundations, because it threatens the solid foundation of corruption that they've spent generations laying and earthquake proofing by passing 17 bills in 12 minutes. And all those skeptics and apocalypse prophets trying to join him in his allegations are misinformed armchair professors at the least and dangerous agents of the government at the most.

Everyday, the TV is blaring with the same mundane debates where politicians, both from the Government and the opposition, engage in mudslinging. The media is out there to compete with tele-serials for ratings rather than give the nation the information it needs.

We must do whatever we can to see this bill passed. We can't afford to lose having come so far.

For all the Jan Lokpal doubting Thomases

There have been many views on how much good this movement to initiate the revamp of the Lokpal bill has done and many counter arguments exist that question the legitimacy of this movement while prophesying the creation of a group of all powerful, legitimate vigilantes. Let us look at what the critics have had to say.

1 Do Anna Hazare/Shanti Bhushan represent the civil society? Who made them the representatives?

Let us remember that we're not dealing with low down, selfish people with vested interests like KCR, who are making these demands. These are people who've spent the better halves of their lives selflessly serving people. We aren't talking about Karunanidhi and his half-a-day air conditioned fast. We're talking about Anna Hazare, Kiran Bedi and Arvind Khejriwal.

As far as civil society is concerned, it is obvious that no one in civil society has a problem with the ends that the Jan Lokpal bill is achieving. Its ends are undoubtedly to do much needed and much approved good to the people. I agree that there isn't a legally binding mechanism that makes them the representatives of the masses. But this protest is very much under the ambit of the spirit of the law which rises much above the written words that try to convey it. Objectively speaking, people may point fingers. But sadly, the world is extremely subjective in its approach.

There is also the fact that the affair of politics in our country has become so sullied that corrupt elements have crept in and conquered, preying on the ignorance and poverty in the country which is extremely prevalent. A free colour TV for every vote, votes for cash and various other false promises constitute a huge bulk of the parliament's votes today. This is a protest by people who aren't, at least, remotely as ignorant. It strives to see that these practices are rooted out, for the benefit of the poor and the ignorant. So essentially, they have their say.

Anyway, democracy still has its say. This is merely a plea for drafting a bill. The passing of the bill through the houses of the parliament will give it the fiat of the people of this country. The act of recommending what is to be implemented is well within the purview of the citizens of a democracy.

2. This sets a very bad precedent in a democracy where a person merely has to go on a hunger strike to bring the government to its knees.

Well essentially, its not just merely a person fasting. The success of these movements depends on who's skipping his meals. Nobody cared for KCR's sham fast. We're as close to Telangana as we were to before he started. While I deeply regard Irom Sharmila, who's not had a morsel of food for 11 years now, I'd like to bring to attention that merely threatening to fast doesn't move mountains.

Besides, every measure possible was adopted before resorting to fast unto death. It's just that the "elected representatives" were apathetic enough to completely ignore everything until it came to a Gandhian fasting for 5 days.

3. The people of this country will get demoralised if this fails.

Yeah. That's probably true. So let's not attempt to do anything while the country gets systematically looted and systemically conquered. Let us also not attempt any significant achievement in our lives. The possibility of failure is a far greater price than success itself.

4. The bill will give the Lokpal unquestioned and complete authority

There are seemingly learned people who've posted snippets from the proposed Lokpal bill and have interpreted it as one that grants dictatorial power to the Lokpal. I'm not very well versed in the language of the framing of laws and cannot evaluate how relevant these arguments are. When it comes to this matter though, I'd rather trust people who've spent their lifetime serving humankind than a few armchair political scientists who prophesy doomsday on their blogs.

Either way, I'm sure that the final draft is yet to be arrived at and that the drafting process must right a few wrongs that might have crept in. It is only fair to judge the merits of these arguments after the completion of that process. All we are saying is give these a chance.

The middle class, especially the thinking middle class has always been living in the established paradigm that the system is impossible to change and that anything done in that direction is merely a waste of time, akin to "throwing rocks at slush" as one such has described. It is obvious that it will continue to live in this paradigm and that it will fiercely defend its point of view to stay there.

Sure, this bill has its share of shortcomings, like any other bill. However, I deem that this movement is much worthier than sitting on our asses and watching the country get looted. Everyone who takes part will get sensitized against corruption. Once that happens, it is less likely that they'll resort to corrupt means themselves. It's just a means to changing society as a whole. It is symbolic of the good that we've always wished to see.

As for me, I'm crossing over from the side of cynics who believe that nothing can ever change and throwing my bags in. After all, a great soul once proclaimed "Be the change that you wish to see in the world."

True Independence

Yeah, everybody is talking about it. Whenever I switch to the news it has essentially been the same catchphrase - "enough is enough!" (One realises that in three days, the news persons have not had anything else important enough to mention. So it dawns upon one that their normal reporting is so pointless!) Enough is enough? I'll tell you what there is enough of in this country - Hypocrisy!

Everything that we commemorate in the name of national pride, and hold high (except the national flag, song and emblem) are but shams. Why even the national anthem makes little sense to me. 'Thou art the ruler of the minds of the people.... ". It is often reported that the anthem was sung to mark the arrival of king George V, which it definitely wasn't (in the words of the great poet himself). However, it is not Jana Gana Mana that echoed in the hearts of people when they fought to free the country from enslavement. It was our dear national song that was adopted by the great martyrs to honour mother India. Vande Mataram should become our national anthem.

In addition, celebration of Independence in this country is hardly justified. When our great forefathers envisioned independent India, it was not one of mere self governance. They were against the British rule because it did not tender the interests of the Indian populace at large. How then have the politicians of today done justice to that pure vision? They have abused and ravaged the nation to the worst possible depths, making her diseased to the bone with the pestilence of dishonesty.What we have done is replaced corrupt British officials with locals who are even worse. Our Independence is the highest form of glorified and latent racism that I have heard of.

And coming back to the bomb blasts, the Pakistani government, having nurtured terrorism to such an extent, is as helpless about routing its proliferation as the mumbaikars are of the underworld in their city. The mafia has done enough and more damage to the city of Mumbai to have cried and protested like this a thousand times over. The people seem mute to these unscrupulous criminals in our own soil. Why? Because here, like the politicians of Pakistan, they are as much a part of the system. Now there is hardly a difference between a terrorist and the underworld - both of them exploit the poor to loot our nation. And at the helm, the underworld and the terrorists are closely knit, which becomes very evident when you think of Dawood's connections.

And finally, the root cause for all this remains to be the common man, who is ranting and wailing with card boards screaming, topped off with lipstick and make-up! In a state where the citizens are honest themselves, there can be nothing that can shake their status. I am reminded of times like the Salt Satyagraha, where the British were absolutely helpless in the face of righteous struggle. The non-cooperation movement went to such an extent as to reform the British, who saw that there can't be anything achieved out of fighting a force so righteous. So think twice before you bribe the next cop on the road. Stand up for your rights at the RTO and get your licence without subscribing to bribe. Realise that the root of all evil is deep within the common man; within those people who are protesting its very existence on national television so that people who have nothing better to broadcast can make a pretty penny out of the glorious display.

True Independence shall that day be achieved, as described by the great poet himself in Gitanjali, -

Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high;
Where knowledge is free;
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls;
Where words come out from the depth of truth;
Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection;
Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way into the dreary desert sand of dead habit;
Where the mind is led forward by thee into ever-widening thought and action--
Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.

I continuously look forward to that dawn which shall see this vision being realised.

Vande Mataram.