The latest issue of India Today magazine
studies what it calls India’s Gross Domestic Behaviour (GDB). India is all
poised to be an economic superpower. But what about its civic sense? Very poor,
that’s what the study has found.
Can GDP numbers and infrastructure projects alone determine a country’s development? Obviously, no. Will India be a really ‘developed’ country by 2030 although it may be $7-trillion economy by then? Again, no is the answer. India’s civic behaviour leaves a lot, lot to be desired. Ironically, the brand ambassador state of the country, Uttar Pradesh, is the worst on most parameters: civic behaviour, public safety, gender attitudes, and discrimination of various types. And UP is governed by a monk!
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| India Today |
Is there any correlation between the
behaviour of a people and the values and principles displayed by their leaders?
This is the question that arose in my mind as I read the India Today
story. I put the question to ChatGPT.
“Yes,” pat came the response, “there
is a significant link between political corruption and violence in society.
Corruption among political leaders can weaken institutions, erode trust in
governance, and create conditions that foster social unrest and violence.” The
AI chatbot went on to tell me that a lot of crimes like offences against women are
on the rise in India. It added that Delhi reports the highest crime rate among
Indian cities while Kolkata is considered the safest among metropolitan areas. And
Delhi is governed by a leader who claims to be an avatar of God while the West
Bengal chief minister has no religious pretensions.
The India Today study
is not really about violence and crime; it is about India’s civic behaviour. I
brought in the theme of violence and crime because there are too many reports
about crimes everyday in our newspapers and TV channels. “India has witnessed a
rise in violence and uncivil behaviour in recent years,” ChatGPT goes on. “This
includes mob lynching, communal clashes, road rage incidents, and violent protests.
The interplay of political corruption, economic distress, and social
polarisation has contributed to this growing trend.”
What else can we expect when nearly half of our parliamentarians are criminals who face charges of rape, murder, attempt to murder, kidnapping, and crimes against women?
Apart from the excess of criminals in
high political places is the problem of corruption in our institutions
including the judiciary and academics. The union government has placed their
own venal agents everywhere: courts, universities, police stations, and even in
places of worship. When there is almost nothing left untouched by the toxic
presence of people with spurious ideals and principles, crime and violence
become the quotidian reality.
What is shocking is that youngsters are becoming criminals in large numbers. Why are young people who should be dreaming of romantic worlds becoming hardcore criminals? There's something seriously wrong somewhere and I think we all know where that is.
The best place to observe our true selves is on the streets. Motorists care little about other motorists. The way they create a traffic jam and then try to resolve it is a spectacular sight! We love to create a problem, then come together to resolve it!
ReplyDeleteOne good reason why our streets are dirty is our lack of civic sense.
At stores or at bus and railway/metro stations, no one believes in the system of queue.
We are the ones who stand for elections and we are the ones who elect lawmakers. So there should be no surprise about the quality of governance, either!
On the one hand, we boast about our millennia-old civilisation and, on the other, we do everything that is against the dharma taught by that civilisation. Our leaders are the worst and I am convinced their hypocrisy is doing the maximum damage to the moral fabric of the country. I agree that we as individuals have our own duties and responsibilities to be moral or dharmic. But when you see crores of rupees in the store room of a judge of the apex court, you begin to wonder why you should be so honest. When you see mass murderers occupying highest positions, you begin to wonder... especially when these criminals preach dharma.
Delete"There's something seriously wrong somewhere and I think we all know where that is." - You said it!
ReplyDeleteAt no other period in the history of independent India were we, ordinary citizens, rendered so helpless!
DeleteHari OM
ReplyDeleteSociety generally has deteriorated in the measures of civility, morality, and charity. I do wonder (as I suspect Pradeep is suggesting) which comes first, the chicken or egg, in this situation. If we need an example of be careful what we vote for, there is no more clear one than what has been happening in the USA. Trump himself, is (IMO) copycatting the examples set by Putin, Orban, Xi, and - yes - Modi. All of these populists are there because of exactly that - being popular. Promising the people what they think they want... promises, promises... YAM xx
The chicken-egg analogy is valid. We get the leaders we deserve in a democracy.
DeleteThe monk who sold his morality!
ReplyDeleteIndeed 😊
DeleteThis seems to be a world-wide phenomenon right now. Lots of corruption in government (and those governments without corruption have factions that are corrupt that are trying to gain power). Scary times.
ReplyDeleteIndia would call it Kali Yuga.
Delete