Corruption and the Indian Civilization

India today is not only among the poorest countries of the world but also among the most corrupt. There was a time when, according the accounts of some foreign travelers, no man was found dishonest and no woman unchaste in India. The Gita explicitly says in the 16th Chapter that wealth earned through dishonest means blocks the paths to the heaven. Books like the Gita and the Ramayana have vanished from homes, and there are few leaders to teach honesty by example. Money has become the summon bonum of life. It has replaced God as the principal object of worship. All institutions in India today are neck-deep into corruption. Some of the reasons of this state of affairs are: impact of the consumerist culture combined with poverty and lack of education; leaders corrupted by the political and electoral system of India, and bureaucrats prepared to toe the line of their political masters.

On the 23rd of November, I came across a group of students sitting on fast-unto-death near Governor's House at Ranchi. I talked to them. The alleged that to favor a few for corrupt reasons they had been rejected on dubious grounds by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission - the statutory body for recruitment at the high levels of government service in the state. I talked to the JPSC Chairman and other officials, but their replies were mutually contradictory and unconvincing. They refused to be transparent. Then I also sat on a symbolic fast for three days with the students, but nothing moved. Then I finally filed a Public Interest Litigation in the hon’ble High Court and I myself argued the case before the bench headed by the Chief Justice. The PIL was admitted for hearing. The next date for detailed hearing is the 6th January, 2016. Let us see what the outcome is.

Coming out of the High Court after filing the PIL which was accepted for hearing.

On fast in support of the students