The father of our nation recognised the power of violating laws and used it to fight foreign domination. That he could inspire an entire nation and lead it to freedom by resisting our rulers through non violent, peaceful protests continues to awe the world. Almost a century later, more than a billion of us, most of whom were born free, are trudging the same path not realising that the Britishers have long gone and by not obeying the laws of the land we harm ourselves the most.
Lets admit it, we are a nation of law breakers. We break them constantly and with impunity. We skip traffic lights and ignore speed limits, we overload goods and overcrowd passengers, we feel that seat belts and helmets cramp our style. We drive as we please, stop when we want and turn when we have to..and we pay heavily for this……sometimes with our lives
We ignore guidelines and evade taxes, we cheat on duties and surcharges, we undervalue and oversell, we sweet talk our way through pollution control, barge through check posts and trick our way through speed traps. We hate to be frisked and searched, questioned and probed……and we pay heavily for this……sometimes with our lives
We ace exams without appearing, procure false degrees and documents, we get life insurance without health checks and licenses without driving tests……..and we pay heavily for this…… sometimes with our lives
We drop names and flaunt connections, we bribe and berate, bully and beseech to get our way. We jump queues and skip procedure, we litter, spit and urinate, deface and defecate with gay abandon ….and we pay heavily for this….not with our lives….but we do pay .
Driving through a red light with a cavalcade of cars is our ultimate dream. We haven’t arrived till we arrive in a lal batti ( car with a red beacon), even if it has been acquired by fraudulent means. We want the whole world to know who we are, and take it upon ourselves to educate people about our importance. ” Jaanta nahin mein kaun hoon ?” ( Don’t you know who I am?) is a phrase we use shamelessly, for petty gains, to evade a speeding ticket or save on measly toll tax.
We teach our children how to score, in exams and job interviews. The spirit of inquiry is resoundingly crushed as we straitjacket them into lucrative adult roles. This seemingly harmless endeavour to focus on the future kills creativity and makes sheep out of potential lions. In a country which gave the world the philosophy of ‘ Nishkam Karma‘ we teach them to focus on the end whatever be the means. We stop at nothing to get our child in a good school and a good college which will land him a plump job. As we dutifully shuttle our children from one coaching class to the next there is no time for character building. Moral science is just an ‘easy to score’ subject which is learnt by rote, a day before the exam. It is not surprising that these children grow up to become builders, bureaucrats and business tycoons who have little sense of right and wrong.
For a self proclaimed religious society we fail miserably in areas of righteousness and piety. We idolise saints and peers but rape, butcher and maim fellow humans. Our Gurus and Mahatmas are, themselves, far from perfect. They advocate celibacy and self control but are convicted for rape and molestation. They talk about renunciation and shunning possessions but themselves build empires.
Although it may appear that we are drifting towards lawlessness, the fact is that we have merely exposed our true self. Independence has given us the freedom to do as we please, and so we have dropped the garbs of civility and decency and stand naked for all to see. Sociologists and historians blame it on centuries of repression. First we suffered the atrocities of foreign rule and now tolerate the high handedness of our own democratically elected agents of the State. For the smallest of needs, a water connection, power supply, a ration card, a birth certificate or to file a police complaint, bribes are demanded and paid. Most Indians lead lives of quiet desperation. Like tightly wound springs they walk around, ready to unravel at the slightest provocation seeking revenge for perceived wrong.
Apart from this subjugation we live under moral repression of our own making and are seething within. We are double faced hypocrites with a public persona and a less alluring private one. Despite our lofty talks about morality, moksha, nirvana, truth, devotion and prayer the typical Indian mind is full of sexual depravity, rage and hatred which is expressed the moment we feel that no one is watching. So people are burnt alive, women are raped, children are maimed and mutilated, unborn females are aborted. Osho says, ” A repressed society can not be creative.” The truth is murkier, a repressed society is destructive and the resulting ruin is staring at us.
It is not that we are bad people, we are just misguided. We see the privileges enjoyed by our elected leaders and want to join the club. For isn’t that what democracy is about, a government of the people, by the people, for the people !! We love to be above law, to appear well connected , to do what others can’t. Such is our misplaced notion of ‘ respect’ that if a person breaks a rule for us we feel honoured. A couple of years ago when the American President visited England , he was asked to pay congestion charges whenever ‘the beast’ entered central London. The paltry ten pounds was not to enrich the British economy , but to send out a clear message. No one is above the law. Not the Queen of the Kingdom, not the Master of the Universe! Cut to India, we live to please the high and mighty and feel it is our right to expect a similar treatment from those further down the socio- political ladder. And like spoilt children we persuade, demand, threaten and even arm twist to get these privileges.
Our best behaviour is reserved for our foreign jaunts. On alien soil we patiently drive in lanes, follow decorum and procedure, clean up after ourselves, obey rules and queue up for everything. Stripped of the comfort and clout we carry in our own land and scared of the consequences of unruly behaviour, we become law abiding citizens. Even in our own country, the discipline with which disciples conduct themselves and the humility with which they submit themselves for kar sewa in ashrams is awe inspiring. The same scene unfolds in churches, gurudwaras and mosques across the nation. Once outside this sacred space the pious devotees are back in their role of the boisterous Indian. This goes to show that the fault is not ingrained in us. We are capable of following rules, out of fear or reverence, if our environs are conducive of it.
We lack character which is a by-product of consciousness and not enforced. We function out of fear and greed, the fear of punishment while alive and hell thereafter, the greed for material goods and subsequent heavenly pleasures. We are not unique here, this basic human instinct of unruliness is prevalent across the world. The infamous New York blackout demonstrates this sordid truth. On a hot summer night in 1977 a power failure plunged the city into the dark ages with incidents of looting, arson, rioting and the maximum number of rapes ever reported in a night. A sad comment on how humans behave if there is no fear of redressal. Similarly, fear of punishment can make people do the right thing. Mr. Rajat Kumar Gupta, an American businessman and philanthropist served a three-year term in U.S. federal prison for insider trading. His admission of wrongdoing was not merely a conscience call, he pleaded guilty to save himself from a ten year sentence for felony.
Till we reach a level of moral integrity which is an end unto itself, an able and fair judiciary remains our only hope. Human waywardness is universal and has to be tamed by society. Law is used as a deterrent in all civil societies. For it to be effective in controlling human behaviour certainty of punishment is more important than its severity. In India the conviction rate for crimes is abysmally low. Due to the politician, paisa, police nexus the high and mighty escape unscathed. Justice is bought not sought.
No nation with such an abysmal law and order situation can claim to be civilised, no matter how glorious its past or upbeat its economy. We are a seventy year old democracy but most of our laws are what the British left behind. They are antiquated and inadequate to deal with modern socio-economic realities and criminal patterns. Parliament has become a circus where members squabble for petty political gains, thus preventing the draft of much needed bills and reforms. Also, as long as law enforcers are, themselves above the law, there can be no order. The last bastion of effective governance, the judiciary, too, is giving way, overburdened by cases. The higher courts attempt to uphold the rule of the land, but for the average citizen, justice delayed is justice denied.
All this looks bleak but things can change. This lawlessness can disappear if we realise that nobody is benefited from it except the politicians. The more lawless and chaotic a society becomes, the more they have to depend on the state for some semblance of order. An orderly society precludes the need of the government to act as big brother. But for that we have to change our mindset and respect each other’s vision, views, life style and attitudes.
We need men and women of character to respond to the call for public service. Most of us deride our politicians, refuse to participate in the political process, and lament the need for good governance. We forget that to change the system we have to be a part of it. Parliament needs reforms. State funding of political parties to fight the elections and a ban on criminal elements is imperative. Decentralisation of power so that governance is closer to the needs of citizens will make it more efficient.
Government officials in India demand bribes to provide public service. It is true that conscientious politicians and activists have been waging a war on corruption, but their focus is on the corporate side, bribes taken for government contracts etc. The more insidious aspect of corruption, which affects the common man keeps growing. Unless grassroots level corruption is criminalised and punished, the rot will stay.
Leaders have the moral responsibility to lead the clueless masses. For this we don’t need big leaders we need true leaders. Consider this. Imagine the Prime Minister of India raising his arms, dutifully submitting himself for a frisk , imagine the pilot car stopping at a toll booth to pay toll for the Chief Minister’s motorcade, imagine a party heavy weight patiently waiting for his turn and imagine the effect it will have on the public psyche. It will no longer be cool to throw weight around, to bend rules, to break laws. If the Top Brass of the country obeyed the laws they purport, the commoners will follow because we are basically order compliant. Of course there will be logistical and practical difficulties but they are not unsurmountable.
In the end a ‘Mann ki Baat‘. I am an extraordinarily ordinary citizen but you Mr P.M sir are in an enviable position. Not only do you rule the land, you rule the hearts of people. They look up to you with adulation and respect. Free us from the shackles of indiscipline and lawlessness.The country desperately needs a Savinay Aagya Andolan. Like that other great man from Gujarat lead us by example and we will gladly follow.
(published in the HIndustan Times on 13/12/2016)