When Will We JAAGO RE ?

Today, all of us stand united by the demand for the "Jan Lokpal Bill". We demand that CORRUPTION be eradicated from this society. We have lost trust in our manipulative government and the extremely slow legal system, a system which doesn't punish the bad, a system which doesn't give Justice to the victims, a system which is a toy in the hands of the government and the powerful. Hence, we believe that this Bill which has been drafted by Justice Santosh Hegde will form an independent body to eradicate corruption and give justice to victims of such acts.

At this moment, Mr. Anna Hazare is fasting for this very cause. The government has been passive to the implementation of this bill so far. But since the Fast-unto-death movement has caught the media's attention, they have been forced to "look into the matter". The citizens all across the country are participating in rallies displaying their support towards the movement and also educating people about it's benefits. The implementation of the bill in the present form will be a great achievement for the common man. A man who is frustrated to switch on the television and read about the scams, a man who sees a criminal getting bailed after just 24 hrs, a man who wants accountability for the taxes he pays and the lack of progress in his neighbourhood.

But we forget one very big hurdle in our path- US. We surely don't deal in spectrum scams and eat away lakhs of crores of money,putting the reputation of the country at stake. We , the common people, are not like our evil politicians. We just bribe the police who comes to verify the passport document. We only pay extra fare to the auto-wallahs. We only pay a few thousands to get the learner's license. We just pay a hundred to the traffic police when caught without a license or an RC. We just spit on the roads and litter the parks. We pay lakhs of rupees to admit our children to good schools and reputed colleges. Funny as it may sound, we only pay "small tips" to the waiters in restaurants where they are paid for the service they provide to us. It is we who try to board a bus and travel ticket-less. Due to the rush in the buses these days, we manage to escape, sport a smile on our faces with an air of achievement within. And, yet we go un-noticed. We constantly judge the corrupt government for its innumerous mistakes. What about WE-THE COMMON PEOPLE ?

Who is to judge us? Who will be the one who looks at us with eyes that make us guilty for not paying our taxes right. Who will be the person to make us realise the consequences of these little acts ? The government low-budget advertisements which ask us to follow the legal procedures, no matter how much time we lose. Or the TATA TEA JAAGO RE Campaign ? All these will only give us a picture of how we are. What we cannot comprehend is that all these little things are the things in our control. If you refuse to bribe the police in whose hand the fate of your passport is, there's a good chance that you may not get a passport. Then what do we do ? Nobody is ready to jeopardise their future education just for a few hundreds of rupees. So, the practical thing would be to bribe. But just imagine if the entire population on this country refuses to pay a single penny to each of the pot-bellied, gutkha chewing police officer, then maybe there won't be a future to worry about. The essential point worth noting here would not be us saving a few hundreds. It would mean the beginning of the end of corruption embedded in US.