Is corruption: The Indian way of Life?

Urban India is struggling with corruption since the past century. Has corruption now found its roots in the culture itself?

Before commenting on corrupt nature Indians we shall dwell upon the root cause. India may be a very ancient country but it is truly a young nation. India since the start of the civilization was and is an agrarian economy. We have always been agriculturally driven nation. Even till date, agricultural exports play a key role in the GDP.

Because we were an agrarian society, Indian was a rural country. Certainly in the most part of the past millennia. Indians were never been asked to obey the laws of a country though we were fairly disciplined and followed the tribal law. In a village, it is the community that mattered most and almost every villager knew the leader personally. Members of a community would not hesitate to lie in a court or harm others for the sake of any other fellow member. After all, they considered them to be a part of their family and expected the same in return. It was considered an ethical code of conduct. None of the members thought that they were doing a crime by helping their fellow mate. You stand on your own. It is what we call as, ‘Biradri’.

Since ages, we have been following this system and it has been efficient enough too. In the past, all the issues were solved by mutual compromise or negotiations, it was only when grave crimes were done then harsh punishments were sentenced. In past five to ten decades many things have changed. Post-independence India is gradually trying to become an urban country but the values still remain.

During the election, we might vote for a leader who cannot only provide us with a free liquor bottle but is also from the community. In a diverse democracy like India, the vote bank is all that counts. The community chooses its leader and expects to be well taken care of in return. Most of the funds of the Government ruling party are spent just to take care of the target community and to retain the seat. At least it is the power that is superior to anything in politics.

We might have tried to become urban but the rural ethos is deep-rooted within us. It is the same reason why when we recommend someone for a Job we prefer someone from our own community who may not be the best suitable candidate. When an ill-paid bureaucrat takes a bribe, he doesn’t feel anything wrong in it as he is doing it for his own children, father, brother or sister. According to him taking bribe has become his moral duty for the better future of his family.

In truth we are still a rural society, many citizens of the cities still possess the impulses and impulses and the moral code of the tribal societies. India is the first country that has democratized before urbanized or modernized. We live in a society infested with hypocritical intellectual elites, who on one hand want democracy while on the other expect the politicians to blind to the expectations of the masses who vote them into power.

An urban society is based on formal organizations and abstract laws. The major aim here is to consider the country as a whole and set up a different code of ethics. It is in no way a superior style, it is just different and efficient in leading large societies. In an urban society, the rural values are prone to be eclipsed by new laws and loyalties. Now self-interest starts playing a major factor as we don’t consider others as a part of the family.

India is at a juncture where one of its feet stand in our ancient values while the other is moving forward in the new era. India right now is at an evolutionary stage and it will take time to adapt and appreciate the new urban life. Hence we were not corrupt in the past and nor we are genetically corrupt today. We are simply realigning our goal posts in times of change.

During this chronicle of change, I proudly stand by my country with my head held high.