Tomichan Matheikal's blog

Courtesy: Joshi Danie l More than a century and a half ago, Charles Dickens converted selfish Scrooge into a compassionate human being on the Christmas Day.  Today’s Indian Scrooges have awarded themselves a gargantuan pay hike on the occasion of Christmas which has already been converted into Good Governance Day.  Our MPs have decided to double their salary .  If the proposal is approved (it will be), each MP will take home Rs 280,000 every month as their salary.  Plus all the freebies whose cost will run into lakhs of rupees.  Plus a doubled pension.  When the vast majority of Indians who slog their entire life for pittances will retire in their old age with no benefits such as pensions, an MP who may serve a term of a few months or 5 years at the most will enjoy a monthly pension that is higher than the annual income of many families in the country. Democracy has been strengthened, mocks a cartoon in today’s Malayala Manorama referring to the MPs’ pay hike. 

Baba Ramdev, Anna Hazare, thousands of their supporters (i.e., thousands of Indians) are demanding a corruption-free India, corruption-free politics in the country. How many of these thousands of Indians trying to save the country from corruption have paid bribes to get their job done?  Is paying bribe an act of helplessness?  Or is it an act of convenience? The above cartoon is from The Hindu [11 June 2011]. The Sunday Magazine of the same issue of The Hindu carries an article by Harsh Mander on the cover. Mander tells the story of a young DM who tried to rid his district of corruption.  He faced staunch opposition from the politicians of all levels including the local sarpanches.  Finally when he was about to win his war, he was transferred and all his efforts were scuttled. You can read Mander's article here: http://www.thehindu.com/arts/magazine/article2090149.ece Corruption is deeply rooted in the Indian psyche, in the collective unconscious of the country. That's why