Corruption in India

It is commonly-held view that India is backward because it is corrupt. People routinely blame all ills on corruption in India. Is that really the case ?
There is no doubt India ranks low among the listings for both- the Human Development Index and the Transparency International ranking for corruption. But the association does not necessarily imply causality. Indians are both critics and willing participants of corrupt practises.
That does not explain Indias grinding poverty and backwardness. That is more attributable to Social ills such as caste, sexual and other discrimination. If people do not see each other as social equals , they will be reluctant to enter into egalitarian economic transactions. It is the lack of discrimination that results in sweepers and attendants in developed countries earning more than executives in India.
The more people interact with each other , the more they understand each other. More more they understand each other, the stronger is the society. Discrimination may yield some social benefits to its practitioner, but it weakens society and ensures that everyone loses in the end. The discriminator is always discriminated against by someone else. No group in India seems to think it is privileged.
Its time we dropeed labels such as vaishnav, bramhin, bania, woman, man, punjabi, tamil, gora, kaala, muslim , hindu, poor, graduate, etc.. and looked upon everyone as just the same as ourselves. There is not too much to be gained by taking these labels very seriously. The egalitarian system is the most sensible - both for society and for the individual.

A View of Indian events

This starts a new viewpoint towards the events of the day in India. Far too much coverage of events from the subcontinent are pessimistic, patronizing and sometimes even unpatriotic. A small change in our point of view can restore pride , honour and grace to a truly deserving country.
The topic for today is India's performance in the Athens Olympics.

At first glance, there is nothing to cheer about. There is no chance for India to gain more than two medals . It is probably that India's tally will remain at One. There is no guarantee of success after another four years either. Should wee be resigned to underperformance ? Should we even care ?
The star athletes shine during the olympics. But a lot of energy, time and expense goes behind every athlete. Young people dedicate their lifes for a few minutes in the spotlight. And even then people remember only the few who win spectacularly. A week and everyone is promptly forgotten.
For a whole lot of people, it is just not worthwhile. Failed sprinters and swimmers languish- unremembered after their peak. Their youth is just fodder for the shining event called the olympics.
If you do not care for every single athlete, you should not care for the medals tally either. So Indias poor performance should no bother you. Even in America, for every Carl Lewis, there are a hundred sprinters who could not make it. When the Indian is ready to support a hundred failed athletes for a single successful one, It will become a strong sporting power. Till then, its lack of performance is simply the result of its unreadiness to pay the price for performance.

Indias lack of medals is not its failure. It reflects the ability of the nation to see through the glitter and perceive that the olympics extract a very heavy price for the fleeting glory it bestows on the victor.