Why I neither supported, nor opposed Anna Hazare's Anti-Corruption Campaign

What Anna Hazare did to ensure the Lokpal Bill was approved by the Parliament is indeed commendable and a courageous act! After all, how many people are willing to self-sacrifice to fight for the greater good?

The reasons why I was neutral to Anna Hazare's Lokpal Bill are simple:

1) Why I didn't support -

While AH's campaign indeed created a furore in the Indian Political & Social Community, it will stay as just "another law" unless every Indian citizen pledges sincerely to stop paying bribes, no matter what. For one, I do not think I have the courage to accept the penalty for a 'mistake' willingly committed by me. As a rational human being, if the penalty is significantly big I'll try to cover up my mistake by doing some sort of "settlement" i.e. by paying a bribe. Recently, I picked up a friend of mine who bombarded FaceBook with "I am Anna" messages and actively participating in the anti-corruption rallies that were conducted in Mumbai. He wanted to ride my Royal Enfield Bullet and I willingly allowed myself to be his pillion. This guy jumped a signal in Andheri and when caught by the traffic police, slipped a 100 Rs. note to escape from the fine. I find this a classical example of hypocrisy and I surely am not a hypocrite! If I was in his place and jumped the signal, maybe I too would have paid Rs. 100/- to the traffic police but I would have done it with a clear conscience, without being a hypocrite.

2) Why I didn't oppose -

Simple reason - I am selfish, like all other human beings! If the Lokpal Bill would have been approved by the parliament (which it eventually did), I am to gain from it for sure. Next time I jump the traffic signal, the cop will atleast THINK twice before demanding a bribe. Even if 10% of the officials start thinking twice, India will be a much better place to stay and I love staying in India, no matter what!

I believe in walking the talk and if my above reasons sound illogical to you, so be it!


- Swapnil

We Killed Jessica

We, killed Jessica!

Nothing attracts people more than a human tragedy and the packed movie theatre in the 3rd week is a testimony to it. This movie is certainly a must-watch, not only for brilliant performances of Raani Mukherjee and Vidya Balan but for its deep rooted message. The movie doesn't tell us anything that we don't know already. We all know that wannabe model Jessica Lal was shot for refusing a drink at a party. We all know that the assailant enjoyed freedom for quite a number of years due to his father's political clout. We all know that not one of the 300 people present at the party during the shooting testified in the court. And we all know that money can buy everything in India - from silence to justice. So, what is the movie trying to tell us? Is the movie only a tribute to the relentless persuasion of a woman for justice. Or is it more? To me, the movie had a strong message – Its We, the common man that killed Jessica! I could sense the audience’s anguish during the scene when the prime witnesses turn hostile in the court. I could sense people’s anger during the scene when everyone who attended the party had a common excuse to the police “Sir, mein toh baarah baaje nikal gaya that”… And I am sure, most of us would have behaved exactly the same if we were present at that party! And what could have been our excuse for not standing up? “Let’s be practical, a Crore Rupees is better than a Bullet!”, “Why die for someone who has died? Its not gonna bring the person back!”, “Why should I act heroic and stand up when everyone else is silent?”… Now, just imagine for a minute – would we behave the same if it would have been our own family member? Would we still go with the logic of "why die for someone who has already died"??? I am sure our action would have been drastically different! And yet, just because it happened to someone else, we say “why bother” and move on.... If you really think, Jessica Lal dies every single day in front of our very own eyes! Every person who is thrashed by a group of people on the road is a Jessica! Every girl who is eve-teased by a group of men is a Jessica! Every hawker who is coerced by the local goondas to give chaanda and the policemen to give haftaa is a Jessica! Every person who is refused by the rickshaw driver just because it’s a short distance is a Jessica! Everyone who is arm twisted to do something against his mind is a Jessica! And each one of us who dumbly watches this is the prime witness in Jessica’s murder. Each one us who helplessly watches an innocent suffer is Jessica’s murderer! The movie is an eye-opener – either you stand up for your rights, or you perish! If you continue to be a spineless bystander and treat the event unfolding in front of you only as a drama, the day is not far when someday you will play a lead role in a similar drama and all you will have will be spineless bystanders!

If you don’t stand up for something, you will fall for everything!