ANTI CORRUPTION-YES. FASTING ON THE ROAD? NO.

We have been watching the grand spectacle of a well meaning mass leader creating awareness about the scourge of corruption that is destroying our social fabric. There can be no doubt whatsoever about the impeccable integrity of Sri.Anna Hazare and the timeliness of the topic that he has chosen. But we need to think, if this brand of instant populist dispensation of public will is what a matured democracy should opt for.Any amount of frustration about our inability to do away with the evils of corruption cannot justify destruction of democratic institution and processes,even with the glorification of this brand of patriotism by the media which simply want to sell itself. While print media showed a lot of equanimity and restraint, the visual media went all out to make the event sensational as sensational can be. Passive internet activism is so easy as it can be expressed with the click of a mouse.

Here is what Dr.B.R.Ambedkar had said:

"
We must abandon the bloody methods of revolution.It means that we must abandon the method of civil disobedience, non cooperation and Satyagraha. When there was no way left for constitutional methods for achieving economic and social objectives, there was a great deal of justification for these unconstitutional methods. These methods are nothing but the grammar of anarchy and sooner they are abandoned, the better for us."

I think what we need more than new institutions and authorities to curb corruption, is better implementation and awareness. What we need is not armchair mouse-click solidarity with populist expressions of discontent, but active confrontation of corrupt people and their actions.This is not as easy as lighting candles at road junctions and posting messages on social sites.We can exercise our franchise to eliminate bad elements from getting into positions where they can steal. We can be the whistle blowers against practiced corruption in daily life. Even if we successfully install a super duper Jan lokpal above Chief vigilance commissioner, CBI, Lokayukta, court judges and ministers, can there be a guarantee that the system that breeds corruption consisting of Industrialists, big businessmen, babus, government structures, politicians... will cleanse themselves overnight and create the Utopia that we are dreaming of? I have my doubts.

What we need to do is to strengthen the character of our nation by educating our people, strengthen our institutions and processes rather than looking for filmy like instant arm twisting to solve long standing systemic problems.We need massive reforms, political, educational, financial and legal reforms.There is no romantic short cuts and it is dangerous to make our youngsters believe so.

Every evil... and that includes corruption...originates from the human mind and that is where the cleansing need to start.