Politicians have always had very terminal images.
Thief…….
Murderer…….
Adulterer………
Incompetent……
Competent…….
Selfless…….
…. And the special ones-
Satan
God
Initial designed as a special group to work for the welfare of the common man, these "special people’’ soon started evoking special attention, for they worked diligently, but for whose welfare…. Well the matter’s still under debate. We can guess though and usually that is the only thing we do.
Getting out of moral issues and coming back on the topic- corruption.
Well nothing new there, you would say. It’s been here for as long as man has been civilized… or was it there in our cave-dwelling club-wielding days too? ... ‘Psst buddy. Listen to me my man. You look after our cave food storage right? Well how about you give me something extra and I give you this brand new club? It’s oak wood see? Look at the sheen, the balance on this beauty dude! So what do you say eh?’! ….. For that matter do apes have corruption? ….
‘They must have’, Dudhe says sagely ‘for corruption is an unavoidable fact of life. If you are alive then you ought to be corrupt!’ Dudhe; ever the philosopher.
The reason we, ‘the most irresponsible people I have ever seen’ according to a certain female classmate, were discussing this rather serious topic was the Anna wave our country was going through sometime ago…. and also that we had just bunked a lecture and had an excess of free time. Well whatever the reason, the topic for that day’s discussion in our daily canteen meet was corruption and Anna’s movement against it.
‘But if that’s so’, one of my friends argued against Dudhe’s earlier statement ‘then is Anna agitating against a basic fact of life?’
‘Like sex?’ Vinit asked and shrunk back as we glared at him. The guy seriously had a one track mind.
‘Yeah. If corruption is a part of living,’ I said with dawning horror ‘then is he really agitating against our right to live, to exist?’
‘Now I didn't say that...’ Dudhe said looking alarmed.
‘Then what did you say?’, Prashant asked confused.
‘I uh I said that,’ Dudhe fumbled, ‘corruption is a basic fact of life but that doesn't mean we can’t hope to live without it. It is for this hope that Anna is fighting, I think.’ Did I mention that Dudhe was an expert juggler?
‘But will he succeed?’ that was the million dollars question.
‘I think he will’ Vikram said. Of all of us he was the one most informed on current topics, sometimes the only one. ‘Though the victory will most likely be partial one as the government can’t be seen bowing to his every demand. Compromises have to be made in politics.’
‘Hm...’ Dudhe grunted contemplatively.
‘Nothing is going to happen I tell you.’ Sagar, the certified pessimist of our group quipped. ‘This is all a government plot. First let a topic stew then let the common man see it do something about it and then create a new controversy and let him forget about the topic. Anna and his followers will just disappear one day and the government will claim the Lokpal as its own’
‘What?’ Sagar defended as we stared at him ‘it has happened before.’
‘Still you don’t have to sound so certain.’ Vikram said agitated.
‘I don’t think it matters in the long run.’ I said ‘This isn't the first time that people have raised against corruption. Our history is full of such events. The methods have been different, the people have been different but the results have always been the same. You can suspend its growth for some time but you can’t kill corruption. It always returns and usually more powerful than the last time.’ I too can generate a brain wave sometimes.
‘Then is Anna’s struggle futile?’ someone asked.
‘Not at all.’ Vikram said ‘In fact this makes his agitation all the more important. It teaches us to fight on even when we know that the enemy is too strong to be defeated, to live the life on our terms even when the death is inevitable in the end. To give hope to our future generations when this monster of corruption raises his head again, fiercer than now, that it can be stopped. That it can be contained. All they have to do is rise against it.’
We stared at him. I pinched him to see whether it was really Vikram sitting before us. Someone even slapped him a few times.
‘What?’ Vikram protested embarrassed ‘Its true!’
‘Its also very philosophical.’ I said shaking my head sadly. Vikram had broken one of our group’s cardinal rules. ‘You can’t speak anything philosophical here if you aren't a Dudhe.’
‘I am sorry guys.’ Vikram hung his head in shame ‘I won’t let it happen again.’
We nodded solemnly and forgave him.
Meanwhile Dudhe didn't seem to have left his contemplative mood. He was still staring off in space and grinning like a shark about to have his meal. When we finally decided to wake him up from his day dream ask him about it he replied excitedly that he was thinking about a new career aspect.
‘And it is….?’ I hazarded.
‘I want to be a corrupt politician!’ Dudhe spoke triumphantly as if he had found the goal of his life.
‘You mean a politician right?’ Sagar wanted to clarify.
‘No. I mean a corrupt politician.’ Dudhe replied excitedly.
‘You mean not an activist like Anna?’
Dudhe stilled. ‘That’s a good idea as well.’ He admitted. ‘Renown activist Dudhe fighting for the rights of common man, resolves to not take a grain of food or a drop of water till his demands are met or till his dying brea….. naah.’ Dudhe shook his head ‘I will stick to corrupt politician.’
‘But why’ Vikram asked carefully ‘corrupt?’
‘That’s where the career is man.’ Dudhe said excitedly ‘These politicians are some of the wealthiest people in the world. Think of the business aspect of this line of career. Even a few years stint as a corrupt politician can make you rich beyond imagination.’
‘But what about the law?’ Vinit asked ‘You are bound to get caught sometime.’
‘That’s the beauty of it dude.’ Dudhe grinned ‘There is always a warning beforehand. You take your earnings and leave. The world is a big place. Think of it. With endless money I can go where ever I want and do whatever I want. The life on run, the mystery, the girls …. It’s perfect!’ he turned to us ‘What do you guys think?’
I wonder what Anna would think of this.
