We have expressed our anger, helplessness, disagreement, criticism and dissent in the last few months, about the ongoing issue of corruption - in our polity, bureacracy, administration, at people in positions of power, in short, in whole "India".
It is time to ask,
Do we have any ideas / suggestions / proposals to offer to fix this deep rooted, organised, institutionalised corrupt practices ?
One thing that is clearly evident, is a truth :
it is our tolerance, and inaction for decades that has contributed to this growth. We failed to raise our voice, dissent, protest all these years and are to share the blame too.
And those that say, there still are many amongst us, who do in their individual capacity, fight these practices and live by clean principles, yes while this may be true, the nature and extent of this malaise calls for collective, nationwide, proactive action to fix this. And Now.
Here is my view and suggestions.
1) Since we are a democracy, and we have 543 MPs representing 543 geographic constituencies across the country, each MP has to be made to present his timed plan (monthly, yearly targets) for development of his constituency during election time. The action plan/promise must include a prioritisised commitment to address, basic issues of sanitation, drinking water, medical infrastructure, education, policing and safety, etc. He must be made (by law if necessary) to hold periodic meetings with local representatives/ people of his constituency to review the progress of his targets. And where he /she is found failing, and does not deliver or commit offences, or engage in illegal activity to reach his target...he must be made accountable and punishable through a local referendum which will be issue based.
The same could be extended to state representatives - the MLAs in their constituencies.
When each MP and MLA has to make a committed promise (not empty manifestoes), and will be audited / reviewed by the local people periodically, it will bring in transperancy and accountability. The MP or MLA will then do the job he is elected for - ie., to reperesent and serve his people. This is his job description and he will meet his targets to stay in the job. His job will be subject to review by the people who elect him ie., give his job.
2) There should be fast track investigative and justice mechanisms instituted or strenghen already existing laws and courts, to deal with serious offences of financial, ethical, criminal nature. And judgements of punishments have to be immediately carried out without delay, fear or favour.
Infact we have got a wikipedia page on this - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corruption_in_India
It says - A 2005 study conducted by Transparency International in India found that more than 45% of Indians had first-hand experience of paying bribes or influence peddling to get jobs done in public offices successfully.
Just two ideas to set the debate on.
Read and React. Its all yours.
Over to your positive suggestions!
Dada, Ek Vadaa-Pav dena ...
"6 rupees only."
After a day off at office and was at a vadaa-pav centre for some refreshment.
As I scrounge my pocket battling for those 6 rupees, I watch them walking towards me (or) the shop. As time passed by, everyone picked up a vadaa-pav from dada's center. I wouldn't call them my closest friends, let alone, may be best buddies for some point of time. They're those people in my friends zone who come with no emotional entanglement, no long facebook chat messages, no erratic phone calls at 12 in the night post depression session or may be during bithdays, yet they do have an important place in my life. May be sometime of m life, I may miss 'em, a lot.. but as you know everything is fair in love, war and friendship. They probably wont stay after the completion of this vadaa-pav, or may be somewere in near future and even if they do, our pragmatic relationship will not be touched, coz by far thats obvious in today's modern era, or so called "our generation".
We sit down on the roadside together on the couch, all of us looking at the buzz-town boys and girls smoking or chattering across the road. The crowd is chaotic as usual out here as though they got lost midway after a party or while returning from a live match from the stadium. I find it almost funny that we sit there in silence amidst them and let out a giggle and someone, a hiccup.
Lost in some thought or something else, the others don't notice and I don't mention. I then started refreshing my mind for what to do next if at all a sentence called - "what's next" exists. 20 mins pass and the crowd seems to have dissipated to a lesser number.
Suddenly, all of us look at each other and realize the same thing. "Wow, we forgot to speak all the time we were at the refreshment centre. Infact everyone were lost in their own life, thinking what to do next or whatever".
Suddenly, a small whispering sound comes from the middle of us. "Yeah, chalo be. Let's go. I was thinking, I kept on wandering what must have made all of us to remain in silent for that span of time. But as I look back, the time has flew away. I can't find anything on that topic, except some moments to be remembered."
I don't remember anything what happened after this moment on that evening nor did I ask any of my buddies what they did after reaching home, but as distinctly as happened, that day I decided that these chaps (or) fellows (or) buddies, came a step closer in my friend zone and had been promoted from being just daaru buddies to maybe, better daaru buddies.
Cheers to those who made my life wonderful that evening, Cheers for our friendship.
They were Tanmay Vankalas, Vishal Budhawant, Ajai Pal Singh and Ankit Goyal.
"Thats what a friend is for, when your lost in darkness and searching for the light, to help you through those lonely nights, when everything around you fails just hold out your hand, and i'll come running, thats what a friend is for." - Marty Keith
It rained yesterday evening and the smell of wet muddy soil and crisp air overwhelms me. It takes me back in time, when it was all so complicated, simple and pure. It takes me back to school, my drive on my bicycle to school, my hostel, to the long walks from the dinning hall, to the Maggi parties and bathroom water fights. The walks lit by the moon, the misty mornings where I woke up to the voice of hostel warden shouting at somebody, hoping to squeeze out an extra minute(s) and dancing to the latest song played on my laptop at any time of the day or night. There are so many such memories I would like to forever and ever keep in my arms and visit in times like these.
I closed my eyes and random images pass by. Of faces, places and moments. They start of in a random order then go on to suddenly spin around and come together. It is mysterious and at the same time magical. I would trade anything asked for if I could just go back for a few seconds to those sandy paths, those flowering trees and those familiar faces. The warmth, compassion and sincerity of relationship. The passage and stillness of time and memories. The everything of everything.
I was chatting with a junior yesterday and we spoke about our hostel lives. The ice breaking session, the freshers performance, the clothes people wore, the morning ramp walk in the dinning hall, the faces turning sour on seeing the Idly and what not.
As much as I tell myself that I have moved on and that is the past. It will never leave me and deep down I never want it to. It is a treasure trove of memories, some of which make life worth living.
Boys Hostel. Kitchen. Four Rooms. Bed. Chair. Coffee. Her. Moonlight terrace nights. Music. I miss everything and everything.
Us and Them.
Then I remember, its life, you have to move on and on and on :)
Someone truly said - Life changes from hell to heaven and vice-versa in a flash.
Note - This is a very abrupt post written in a flash. It may not be that good. Sorry :)
