Wednesday, January 16, 2008

A Poet Forays into the world of Moral Hacks

As a thirty five year old poet forays into the cacophonous society, he encounters overpopulation, overpopulation and corruption of all sorts. While pollution and population are measurable problems, corruption is a tricky issue, going down deep into the roots of our culture. What is meaning of the term `corruption' and what are the reasons behind it, I often think. Corruption probably means, demanding favours for simply doing one's duty, or bending the law in exchange of favours. It is commerce, illegal commerce.

Indians wax and wane eloquent when there is a discussion regarding `dharma', one of the meanings of the term is one's duty. However, in actual practice, `dharma' is not `dharma' but a form of illegal commerce.

Were we as corrupt since the earliest periods of our civilization? Look at the Mahabharata. Putting one's wife at stake, or five brothers marrying one girl, or a teacher demanding a thumb as part of his dues were not seen as illegal moral hacks. In fact, there are efforts to justify these acts.
In medieval period, the rebellious religious poets were tortured and even killed for daring the uppercaste and priestly mafia of all the religions. If this is our moral report card, then even the Lord God cant save us.

Is there any hope at the end of the tunnel? Or is it, as they say, the light of the approaching train?

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