Reforming the political/bureaucratic
system (to eliminate corruption) will be on almost everyone’s list of top problems
India faces today, but not mine. I am not saying that they are not one of our
biggest problems, but by targeting the political/bureaucratic class (as if they
are the only corrupt people in India), we are only attempting to cut the leaves
and are not focusing at the root of the problem.
Which is, The people of India….
A society that believes and indulges
in corruption/favoritism at every available opportunity will only produce
corrupt leaders. That’s one of the principle flaws of democracy, but then
democracy ensures that people get the leaders they deserve.
1. Corruption – The first problem I identify in
India is corruption/favoritism, but the way to solve it would be to change
people’s ideas/attitude about corruption. Stricter laws, punishments can help,
but these are not sufficient. We know that corrupt society will find ways to
bypass rules/laws.
I can write on why corruption is
bad, but such articles get a very limited reach. And besides, majority of our
people still don’t have access to Internet or even basic education. But, there
is one medium that has enormous reach – TV/Cinema. If directors/movie
makers/Tele-serial makers could come forward to make good movies/serials that
make people rethink about their corrupt ways and still make it interesting with
a gripping story-line, the message might spread faster.
The Leads to corruption can be multi-faceted,
and not necessarily only money oriented. Corruption in morality, in competition
and attitude are of the same generic form of corruption.
One of the solutions could be to come
up with a crowd-sourced funding platform (a site maybe) where prospective movie
directors showcase stories/ideas and people vote/fund (not donate) for best of
such ideas/concepts. The revenue from the movie should be shared with the
funding bodies. Awareness is the first step to solving any problem.
2. Sustainable Living – Well, sustainable living is the
solution, not the problem! In our quest towards success, wealth, happiness,
etc. we forget that we are over-exploiting the resources available to us. Want
wood? Destroy forests. Want energy/mobility? Pollute environment. Want
connectivity? Make non-recyclable products and destroy the earth. Want space?
Occupy marsh-lands. Want food? Kill animals. Want enjoyment? Drink alcohol,
smoke, eat unhealthy food and risk diseases (The current COVID19 pandemic is a
manifestation of the same unsatiable appetite of human beings). This list could
go on…
Sustainable
living is a wonderful concept that let’s us enjoy life without
over-exploiting worldly resources. It’s a concept that encourages inclusive
growth, for us as well as all the creatures living around us. We need
sustainable living ambassadors to promote this wonderful concept in all medium
(blogs, FB, newspapers, TV, movies, etc.) that can take the message to its
beneficiaries (people). Though Indian culture and traditions have been majorly focused
towards sustainable living but needs to be reinvented through movements
like SUSTANIA.
3. Education – The kind of education we get
is one of our biggest problems. Of course, it is much better than not getting
education at all, but we are struck with an education system that produces
imitators and not innovators/inventors. We have parents/teachers who are
content with the current system and focus only on marks, and don’t much care
about knowledge transfer/unlocking the true potential of students.
If our previous generations were
blind to this problem, it’s understandable – they were the first generation to
receive any proper education. But how can we be blind to it? Why do we want our
children (also) to become back-office processing agents? Why is a Google or
Microsoft not coming out of India, despite high proficiency in coding abilities
and English?
I have written on this extensively in
my previous blogs but whatever we do, we should eliminate the concept of memorization/mugging
up for exams quickly. Examinations should not be a one day affair and should
much largely focus on grasping the overall fundamentals of the specific domain.
Moreover the curriculum must trigger thought processes and counter questions.
4. Neighborhood Cleanliness – Yes, we are all experts in keeping our
homes/offices clean. But when it comes to the neighborhood, we give it scarce
respect. We notice excessive waste that get accumulated around waste-bins
and empty plots being used as dump yards.
Of course, first we should make sure
that there are enough waste-bins in each locality. Corporation should appoint a
coordinator from within each community, who would give them feedback on the no.
of waste-bins required etc. Secondly, our Government should look at innovative
methods like this solar-powered compressing waste-bins that can not only
accommodate more waste (per bin), but can also message authorities when full.
5. Economic independence – Each and every person in our
society (except minors) should be economically independent. Especially, women.
That will prevent subjugation and crimes (esp. against women). I guess we have
come a long way in educating girls, and in cities women equal men in the
work-force. But, in small towns and villages, women are not given equal rights
to work. We need more SHG’s(Self Help Groups) for women in rural
areas that will impart skills and create a dependable income stream for them.
Economic independence also triggers education and incubates business ideas for
future small start-ups for building the village Eco system of India.
Overall all of the above needs a
deterministic approach towards execution and constant metrics driven follow up
and monitoring…. It is immaterial as to who holds the helm of power, the
citizens of our country should ask sticky questions to their chosen leaders,
related to the achievement of the above metrics.
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