Yesterday, I was in Oshiwara – a small suberb of Andheri (W):) The roads near the police station were completely dug up on one side. A long overdue process of widening and concreting was underway. The otherside – which has already been concretised – was jammed with traffic on both sides. We had to take a left to get back to the office. But we couln’t. Because, a driver had decided to make the road even narrower by parking right on the kerb. As her elderly parents (or was it parents in law) got out with a baby – she began reversing in a completely jammed scenario. Parents began waving their hands at the rest of the traffic trying to get them to stop. She began honking madly – disrupted the traffic flow for a few minutes and then managed to park. My car was just behind hers. As she got out she began to give grief to Santosh. At which point, I rolled down the window and told her "but, you are not supposed to park at the kerb, madam" . Her response "But, you were going to". I wasn’t, i explained. I was merely trying to take the right. But, someone else would have, she justified.
And, this more or less explains the general social malaise that exists in the country. It is ok to break laws or rules, because someone else is doing it. Look at Ullhasnagar or Delhi. One common response that you get on various television channels is "what was the government doing for all these days – when the constructions were happening". My response is why is the government responsible for our morality? What were people doing breaking the law in the first place. Ordinary people in other countries don’t break laws with such casualness. They don’t look to see whethere they can get away with it or not. In a way, In India, we are dichotomous in our behaviour. We want to impose medival soical norms that govern our private life – but resist laws that are there for our own safety – and ‘common good’. Just look around you and see how many poeple still drive a two wheeler without a helmet, or don’t wear their seat belt while driving, or talk on the phone while driving, or take over plots of land that don’t belong to them, or build constructions that are unauthorised. And, i am not even talking about the political or criminal class here. Just ordinary everyday people.
Maybe we do get the leaders that we deserve. Makes one wonder doesn’t it!
very very valid point.
An sharp increase in the accident rates will help things.
This is an interestign point. I think the unethical values that are creeping into society are not the fault of the whole society though. There are some corrupt people in society, and they destroy the system so badly that normal people who wouldn’t have commited inexcusable acts, now have to in order to get anything done. For instance, bribery. Any government work pretty much will not get done without some form of bribery. There are too many people clammering for too few resources. Survival of the fittest, in this case, the most worldly savvy.
tnx Sriram. nice to see u back here. how goes life?
Nilu – that’s quite funny . accidents are already high. some 20 people die everyday in train accidents just in mumbai. but somehow as a people we internalise accidents that happen to other people
Hi Shushant. i am not quite sure that i agree with you. it is not about ethical or unethical. it is about internalising the fact that a set of rules exist and that, i the citizen, need to follow them. its convinient to blame the government. but, for everyone in the governmetn who takes a bribe – there is some one who commits a crime – by giving it. when i was a student abroad – my visa was stuck for some 15 months. no one there even suggested that i bribe someone to get the job done. 15 months was considered to be due process. in India – the first reaction to this would be – kisko pakde aur char paise khilaye.
We have never been a civilised society- not now, but from eons. Your blog explains the plight. As a fragmented society, we have never believd in accepting and following norms that are good for the general weal, unless we have a man with a whip at the other end.
The more powerful you are- either in politics or in society, the bette is th manner in which you can mibehave and get off with it.
Unfortunately, the country is imbibing the worst of uttara bharatiya culture. Why should we only take the negative aspects of others is what i wonder.
And today’s society sadly reflects that.
Nicely said.