Where do we learn Corruption ? 

Not only in India but in many countries of the world, its citizens have been found involved in corruption. The top leadership in the government of many countries and the people sitting in its cabinet have also proved to be involved in corruption. Now the question is what is corruption? From where do people get this education for corruption? To investigate this, we want to put some factual things in front of you.  

Citizens of many countries understand that people sitting in government jobs are responsible for corruption. This notion cannot be completely disproved but it is not an absolute truth either. For the last one or two decades, the ministers sitting in the government have also been accused of corruption. On the other hand, MPs, MLAs, members of Municipal Council and elected public representatives up to Panchayat level have also been found involved in corruption. It is seen that the wealth as well as  living standard of these elected public representatives start increasing very rapidly. Common people are compelled to think that these public representatives are looting public money directly or indirectly.

Some people want to enter politics just because they can earn more and more money. whereas some billionares  looking for ways to get into politics so that they can find some way to convert black money into white or protect his interest. Such people want to ensure their presence in the Rajya Sabha by giving crores of rupees to political parties. Now the sense of service to the country through politics has remained in the philosophy of few elected representatives. Which gives strength to the notion of the general public that now people’s representatives are engaged in making themselves prosperous and powerful more than the development of the area and the welfare of the people.    

No man becomes corrupt as soon as he is born. He learns everything from the happenings in the environment. So corruption will also learn in the same environment. Let us try to know how corruption flourishes?

If I say that most of the people get its education from his home in childhood, then you will definitely be surprised but it will not be wrong. At the time of feeding the babies, most of the mothers put some cartoon in the TV Or played songs / any tune of child’s choice in mobile phone , so that the little baby can eat it quickly and easily. After doing this for about a week, the child gets used to it, after that it becomes almost impossible to feed him/her without playing such cartoon or song.

Now you must be thinking what is the harm in this? If doing like this saves both time and energy, then this is a good way. But wait, don’t we try the same habit in places other than that baby.Like if you go to an office and a government employee asks you to come the next day saying that his tenure for that day is over, Then what we think,  to save time and energy as well as avoid the hassle of coming the next day, We offer to bribe that employee ourselves. There are  several occassion, when people offer bribes for not completing all the paperwork. Just as the habit of playing music or cartoons to feed the child now becomes a compulsion for a mother. Similarly, the government employee also gets into the habit of taking bribe, Now a days,  you have to pay bribe even after going to the office within time limit and completing all the paperwork.
When we were kids, no one in the house had mobile or TV. Mobile were not even invented and television was very rare. Still, we must have eaten. At that time food would have been given to kid  with the education of becoming self-dependent.I can say this because in those days people usually have four or five children, so there would not have been time to bear so many tantrums in feeding one child. I remember that if you did not like the food, then the mothers did not hesitate to give two or four slaps on demanding varieties of food. Today people have one or two children and mothers are too busy. There can be many reasons for this, It would not be appropriate to go into the root right now but just imagine, what if the mother had been more patient in feeding of child, or  a person would have been present at the right time on the next day in the office without offering bribe. It it was possible that you don’t have to do what you were forced to do later

Who is the corrupt?  

As the child grows up, we ourselves start teaching him to give and take bribes. Many times we are not able to give time to the child, then we try to make him happy by giving him expensive gifts, chocolates etc. in bribe. Many times we tempt that if you get good marks in the exam then we will give you cycle/motorcycle/car etc. All these temptations are like bribes. Then many times the child himself starts demanding that if you do not bring this gift on my birthday or on any other occasion, then he will not even talk to you. Many parents come to me who are going through such problems and also expect our help. sometimes,child creates such tension in the house to get an expensive mobile/Macbook/racing motorbike/car etc that parents come to us for counselling of child. Because in that situation,  none of their arguments reaches the mind of the child.

I mean to say that we always  accusing the government and the officials in its institutions for corruption. But  It will not be wrong to say that the general public is equally responsible for corruption. There will be hardly anyone who has not paid bribe in his life for some work.  The punishment for crossing the red light is Rs 100, we request the traffic police not to cut the challan by offering Rs 50. While buying any item, we request seller not to take a original bill so that you can save on GST. Then we say that the business class is a thief, they do not deposite the full tax. When we have not paid full tax then how will they pay full tax. Almost everyone adopts this double standard.
The state governments appointed the sons of legislators in government jobs without selecting them through any competitive examinations. This is also a type of corruption. Even the Governor has been accused that he uses his authority to appoint his relatives in his office. At the time of reinstatement as guest teacher in the school college, the principal appoints his relatives or gets them done. Government officials use the car provided for commuting to the office to take their wife to the market and send their children to school and college. In defence, officers of  high-ranking get their orderlies to do the work for which they are not appointed. Such news keeps coming in the public domain through various media. In the most idealistic field of education, a professor ask students doing Ph.D under him/her do many such tasks which are not part of his subject area.
It is all corruption. Meaning the roots of corruption are so deep-rooted that it seems impossible to get rid of it. We all Indians are directly or indirectly responsible for corruption. This cannot be denied.
Note: This article has not been written keeping in mind any particular class or person. There is no intention to hurt anyone’s sentiments.
Jai Hind
Writer: Arbind Singh
Director, Career Strategists IAS, Delhi