Thoughts, Comments & Views on our existing legal system - Part 2

Thoughts, Comments & Views on our existing legal system - Part 2

This is a continuation of an occasional series with my thoughts on our legal system.

You can see part one in

• Thoughts, comments and views on our existing legal system - Part 1

In Part 2, I'll deal with a few observations of the proverbial common man:

We Indians are big on talk and are often found wanting in action.

We're willing to bicker about our legal system, the delays, the corruption, etc., but at a personal level, many of us do not hesitate to break the law of the nation, break rules of the organisation where we work, indulge in corrupt practices, etc. Some examples:

• Look around the number of people jumping traffic signals. Especially at night, but even during the day if there's no cop watching.
• Look at the number of people (often including yours truly) not wearing a seat belt while driving a car / not wearing a helmet / drive in the wrong direction of a one-way road / overspeeding / parking in a no-parking space.
• Take a peek at the number of small-time restaurants / tea stalls using the subsidised gas cylinders which are NOT meant for commercial purpose.
• Observe the number of rich (and poor) households dumping their garbage on the platforms instead of the dustbin which is a few blocks away.
• Take a walk on the beaches and get shocked by the extent of littering - all of which has been done by people like you and me.
• Go to any "old" government building - to find that many walls and floor corners are used as spittoons.
• Try to find a single person who has sold a flat / house / land without a "black" component. I've come across a few, but believe me, it took a lot of efforts. I can perhaps try to understand the "self-rationalisation" that is behind someone "Paying a black component" to buy a property. But what prevents a so-called honest person from selling a property without a black component?
• Look at the number of people willing to buy a "black ticket" for a movie
• Look at the number of persons who use office time and resources for browsing the net, making personal calls, etc.
• Look at the quantum of office stationery that is presently available for the use of your family members right now at home.
• Try to recall the number of occasions when you've told a lie to your boss to either go home early or to take a day off.

I could go on and on. In short, in many instances in our own personal lives, our actions would not make us feel proud. I'm afraid, our value system is rotten. We certainly need to work on it.

When I bounced off this post with a few friends, a common response was that I'm magnifying trivial matters.

I just wish to recall a dialogue from a Tamil film ("Anniyan", starring Vikram) - "When a billion Indians indulge in corruption to the extent of Rs. 10/= per head per month, the impact is huge. It is not trivial any more".

As our old adage goes, "When character is lost, everything is lost".

Regards,

N

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