What is it about India and soft state?
I accept we are a different culture, different breed, different ideals, with a different heritage and many more such factors that differentiate us from the rest of the world.
Now, I write this not to mention how jingoistic we as Indians are, but to just highlight the fact that only an incident of such huge magnitude (if measured on Richter scale and compared with an Earthquake it should be right up there...almost at 10!) can make us move!
Still, there is that meek, humble, obedient citizen inside each one of us, who hopes and thinks that things will change because a few hundred or a few thousand are running the protests on their behalf...
This is where we go wrong! Each one of us needs to sit up and take note of what's happening in our country today...
Just yesterday a friend was telling me about an incident where Bharti Walmart had some Famous Hyderabadi biscuits branded as their own with their label, and some other supermarkets were duping people with wrong measures and weights of groceries.
Right from the grocery stores to the issue which is taking up our nation's interest currently, its only a few who stand up for what is right...When Kargil happened, we were all happy to see our Army fight for us, but a majority of us surely did not know how we could be of any help...
I certainly do not expect people to leave their careers and personal life and go on the roads, as I do not think that is the only way to protest...Use the opportunity provided by this Social Earthquake, thinking what exactly can be done to make the people in power understand that solutions do exist...
Write in to justice.verma@nic.in with your suggestions about what you think needs to be done to bring sanity in the society. Yesterday the CJI while opening the fast track courts mentioned that we must be careful while passing such laws...as there is always a flip side...I totally agree with him. We must not hurry, we must not let our emotions run high! Ultimately we do not want an innocent man to be punished for a crime he never committed!!!
Soft State and India are so synonymous not because our government is incapable or our politicians and bureaucrats are corrupt, but because we as citizens have failed to look above our petty selfish needs. I doubt if even ten percent of the entire Indian population pays their taxes regularly without submitting false medical bills or rental bills etc., follows traffic rules, constructs their houses as per law, etc.
One who can do no wrong can only raise his voice without fear...if the society collectively decides to be law abiding citizens only then can we make the criminals fear...
Deterrent punishment is only a small part of the entire solution, but please do not forget to do your bit one way or the other...
Social change is brought about by us...not the government sitting at the center...
Let us do whatever is possible by us, without forgetting its for us to decide what kind of world we want our future generation to live in!
And take the first step towards not being called a soft state!!!!
I accept we are a different culture, different breed, different ideals, with a different heritage and many more such factors that differentiate us from the rest of the world.
Now, I write this not to mention how jingoistic we as Indians are, but to just highlight the fact that only an incident of such huge magnitude (if measured on Richter scale and compared with an Earthquake it should be right up there...almost at 10!) can make us move!
Still, there is that meek, humble, obedient citizen inside each one of us, who hopes and thinks that things will change because a few hundred or a few thousand are running the protests on their behalf...
This is where we go wrong! Each one of us needs to sit up and take note of what's happening in our country today...
Just yesterday a friend was telling me about an incident where Bharti Walmart had some Famous Hyderabadi biscuits branded as their own with their label, and some other supermarkets were duping people with wrong measures and weights of groceries.
Right from the grocery stores to the issue which is taking up our nation's interest currently, its only a few who stand up for what is right...When Kargil happened, we were all happy to see our Army fight for us, but a majority of us surely did not know how we could be of any help...
I certainly do not expect people to leave their careers and personal life and go on the roads, as I do not think that is the only way to protest...Use the opportunity provided by this Social Earthquake, thinking what exactly can be done to make the people in power understand that solutions do exist...
Write in to justice.verma@nic.in with your suggestions about what you think needs to be done to bring sanity in the society. Yesterday the CJI while opening the fast track courts mentioned that we must be careful while passing such laws...as there is always a flip side...I totally agree with him. We must not hurry, we must not let our emotions run high! Ultimately we do not want an innocent man to be punished for a crime he never committed!!!
Soft State and India are so synonymous not because our government is incapable or our politicians and bureaucrats are corrupt, but because we as citizens have failed to look above our petty selfish needs. I doubt if even ten percent of the entire Indian population pays their taxes regularly without submitting false medical bills or rental bills etc., follows traffic rules, constructs their houses as per law, etc.
One who can do no wrong can only raise his voice without fear...if the society collectively decides to be law abiding citizens only then can we make the criminals fear...
Deterrent punishment is only a small part of the entire solution, but please do not forget to do your bit one way or the other...
Social change is brought about by us...not the government sitting at the center...
Let us do whatever is possible by us, without forgetting its for us to decide what kind of world we want our future generation to live in!
And take the first step towards not being called a soft state!!!!
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