And we say we care about corruption...

A few days back I carried out a simple experiment: I asked this question on Quora.com: India: How does corruption impact you as a person? Please be specific - how you have had to pay and for what; perhaps despite not wanting to? What could you have done to stop it and not pay?

3 people went to the trouble of penning their experiences - a grand total of 3, from hundreds of viewers. Wow! I apologise for all my anti-corruption spiel: India does not have corruption of any sort. If people cannot even answer anonymously and state that their have paid a bribe to do "x" work, then obviously there is no corruption in India. If people do not even care to acknowledge in a forum that gives a manner of answering that ensures nothing can be traced to yourself, then either the problem does not exist... or the respondents are a part of the problem. There can be no third reason

You can find the time to pen on any number of inconsequential topics, but have nothing to add on this vital topic. What can it mean? Frankly, from where I stand, it means that you dont care. This has nothing to do with the number of followers I have, or indeed even my reputation. It is a simple question; pen your personal experience. Quora offers anonymity as well; and yet... silence. That can mean only one of two things - either you havent ever encountered any corruption; or that you dont care enough to openly state it.

And then we go to the overt and insincere show-baazi "support anti-corruption" etc. We cant even openly acknowledge it when it comes to a personal individual level- and we talk about eradication? We all scream India mein corruption hai - and go mute when someone asks you to give instances? Well done India! You have just shown your insincerity and attitude towards corruption. I may lose some followers by writing these words - but I call it like it is. If the shoe fits... wear it.

We are the problem; we need to change first of all!

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Reflections

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