We all have heard this phrase or slang- Oye Harishchandra Ki Aulad! ( Hey! Son of Harishchandra).
I begin my argument with reference to the king Harishchandra to highlight the status of the seriousness and behaviour of people in our country towards corruption and how we use his name exactly opposite to the values and standard which he had maintained and practised throughout his life.
The iconic king, who appeared in several Indian legends, is believed to be the symbol of utmost honesty and loyalty. We all have grown up listening to incredible stories on his high moral standards, so much so that he is popularly known as Satywadi (one who practices honesty) Harishchandra. But, unfortunately, his name is now used to criticise or sarcastically stop someone for following the honest path. The most frequent slang ‘Oye Harishchandra Ki Aulad’ (Hey, son of Harischandra) or Satywadi Harishchandra Mat Ban (Stop acting like Satywadi Harishchandra) completely defies the meaning and the name for which king Harishchandra stood for throughout his life.
Values like honesty have now been replaced with comfortable manipulation and selfishness. We have become the slaves of our desires and greed. Whenever we take the shortest possible path or manipulate or cheat the system for personal benefits, we forget the harm it will inflict on the society.
Sometimes, we don’t want to do corruption, but circumstances force us to involve in it such as getting a seat on a train or bribing to get documents like driving license, birth certificate, among many others. Even I have been guilty of the same. Most of us don’t want to be corrupt and practice honesty, but we have to look back to see where we all went wrong.
There’s nothing like good corruption or bad corruption. It is not the act itself, but the tendency to be corrupt in a given circumstance. This tendency develops because of the certainty one wouldn’t be punished for it. This is the reason why corruption exists at every layer of society. From leaders to farmers, rich to poor, and men to women, everyone is involved in it in one way or the other.
India is a functional democracy with the second largest population in the world. We fought the battle for this democracy on principles and high morals. It’s is our responsibility to keep this pride intact and rise above ourselves and contribute to making our beautiful country better.
For an honest society, it’s imperative for governments to function as an independent and non-corrupt entity to run the country. The accountability of the governments depends on how aware, empowered and democratically active the citizens are. The first step is to vote and choose a responsible representative and fix their accountability. The second step is to demand a robust anti-corruption law from the government and be vigilant of the execution of the law and policy.
To deal with corruption, we have to deal with ourselves first. As Mahatma Gandhi said: “Be the change you want to see in the world”.
The Promises we can make to change ourselves and the society:
- This change will start from me and will follow, practice and spread the path of honesty
- Never discourage someone from following the path of honesty. Instead, join them.
- Respect other people feelings and uphold the sense of belonging to the people around me
- Play an active role in strengthening and protecting my country’s democracy from the evil of corruption
- I will exercise my right to vote and try to make our country corruption-free.