By Chirag Naiknavare
There are many discussions happening in all parts of India about getting rid of the rampant corruption in the country. However, nobody is quite sure how to go about doing it. India, as well as China, are two of the fastest developing economies in the world, and are also featured on the list of the most corrupt ones. A common tendency is to blame the politicians for this, not only in India, but the world over. Although this might be partially true, the main problem lies with the mentality of the common man. The basic concept of what constitutes an ideal person to follow in the country has to be changed. Today only the successful persons are imitated. There is no harm in that as long as the person has the great qualities that led to his success. But the fact is, most successful people make several compromises in their lives to achieve their goals. So are they the right examples to follow? Although the answer is no, why on earth are we teaching only good things about them to children in schools? Wouldn't it be a better idea to compare the good and the bad things that an idol has done and teach the children to differentiate between them?
Another thing that worries me a great deal is that after completing his/her education, the student faces the momentous task of getting a job that will support him and his family. When he gets one and starts working, he realizes that the education he received through the books does not actually apply in reality. So are we teaching them one thing and asking them to face reality later on, so to speak? By reality I am referring to corruption at all levels. What is worse is that despite knowing this to be a terrible trap, this youngster with dreams in his/her eyes has to accept this reality and join the band wagon, so to speak, in order to succeed. Otherwise he is left alone in this world. Soon, this youngster learns to kill his/her desire to change the world and goes about making money perhaps by immoral or illegal means. There is no escaping the terrible world of corruption. Even the government anti-corruption bureau is corrupt.
The problem, in my opinion, lies in the lack of relevant education and widespread poverty. All youngsters should be required to take some IQ tests at an early age to check their capabilities and decide what would be a suitable education for them. If we are asking a person of lower intelligence to become an expert in algorithms it isn't going to happen, right? This person could then be guided to do physical work that involves less intellectual capabilities or maybe asked to join sports. However for this method to work, these other alternatives have to be economically viable ones. I was extremely happy to see the success of IPL as it allowed many domestic youngsters to showcase their talent and earn an income as well. Why can't other popular sports, such as Kabaddi, wrestling, martial arts and athletics be encouraged to get professional? Now one must carefully understand the meaning of being professional. A good professional in India is meant to be a person who manages to make more money than the quality of services that were rendered. This person, in my opinion, is a crook not a pro. A good pro on other hand gives you more than you hoped for. This enhances his reputation and ensures that he gets work during tough times. So, professional sports doesn't mean only the sports that require lavish infrastructure but those that are popular with the people and require little or no infrastructure. I am referring to sports such as Wrestling and Kabaddi that are still loved and enjoyed in the rural areas of India. People are willing to pay a small fee that they can afford in order to watch their favorite wrestlers and other sportsmen. Now here you can see a link developing for some talented sportsmen to make a living. This can all be arranged domestically and does not need the support of huge multinational corporations. This way, you are basically redistributing the local money without causing anyone any distress. People are enjoying their sports and sportsmen are earning their living. There are several other areas that can be developed similarly, like arts and cultural events. Ask people that love a domestic folk dance to pay a little bit to see the dance. My judgment is that a true fan won't mind paying a small price to watch his favorite dance.
Another problem area in India is cleanliness. This is a major worry as we badly need to clean our house if we really want to go global and expect the Western world businessmen to come and live here and do business. However there are several clean structures in India especially in cities for this, like five star hotels, thankfully. When I was young I used to watch the terrible trash lying on the roads and wonder why doesn't anyone clean it up? But after doing some cleaning myself I realized how difficult a task it is to perform every day. The person doing this job should be paid well for the service. I mean really well. You need to realize that he is doing something that you and I can't. I was quite surprised during my stay in Australia to find the cleaners getting more money than engineers. It is a fact and is based on this principle. Similarly you need to tackle every situation independently and then have people who are talented enough to recognize the connections between these communities to supervise these activities. That is doing it professionally; knowing what is required and executing the required task efficiently. Government and other institutions should provide economic help for such ventures.
The social workers willing to work in these areas should be taken to the places in world where these things are being done well and learn the reasons for their success. What is required is a well coordinated effort from all sections of the community, including the high tech experts who might know about some instruments that could help. Get the politicians involved as well. Remember that only the well coordinated efforts succeed. This basically will also result in creation of job opportunities that governments should finance.
Every student wants a job in IT but those that are unsuccessful in this and in other fields might want to consider a career in cleaning area. Government has to realize that they are doing something most people cannot do and therefore, pay them well. Let the people around see that these individuals are actually settling well and are supporting themselves and their families. I am not saying that an IT engineer has to start sweeping the roads. No, but he can process the data faster than anyone else right? Maybe develop software that will be useful in any some other ways. The people concerned need to think of the possibilities and rethink them while the original ideas are being executed. It is a constant work in progress like performing a high level research.
Summary
For this article I have made a deliberate attempt to stay away from discussing the scams, Swiss bank money and things like that. Everyone knows about that. I have tried to be constructive and show some solutions as a way for the youngsters in India to proceed so that they will not just join the brigade saying this is how it happens. All the good work done for economic progress will quickly be undone if we don't succeed in killing corruption and take solid measures to fight poverty. Here I have presented some measures I could think of. Maybe you have more!
Another thing that worries me a great deal is that after completing his/her education, the student faces the momentous task of getting a job that will support him and his family. When he gets one and starts working, he realizes that the education he received through the books does not actually apply in reality. So are we teaching them one thing and asking them to face reality later on, so to speak? By reality I am referring to corruption at all levels. What is worse is that despite knowing this to be a terrible trap, this youngster with dreams in his/her eyes has to accept this reality and join the band wagon, so to speak, in order to succeed. Otherwise he is left alone in this world. Soon, this youngster learns to kill his/her desire to change the world and goes about making money perhaps by immoral or illegal means. There is no escaping the terrible world of corruption. Even the government anti-corruption bureau is corrupt.
The problem, in my opinion, lies in the lack of relevant education and widespread poverty. All youngsters should be required to take some IQ tests at an early age to check their capabilities and decide what would be a suitable education for them. If we are asking a person of lower intelligence to become an expert in algorithms it isn't going to happen, right? This person could then be guided to do physical work that involves less intellectual capabilities or maybe asked to join sports. However for this method to work, these other alternatives have to be economically viable ones. I was extremely happy to see the success of IPL as it allowed many domestic youngsters to showcase their talent and earn an income as well. Why can't other popular sports, such as Kabaddi, wrestling, martial arts and athletics be encouraged to get professional? Now one must carefully understand the meaning of being professional. A good professional in India is meant to be a person who manages to make more money than the quality of services that were rendered. This person, in my opinion, is a crook not a pro. A good pro on other hand gives you more than you hoped for. This enhances his reputation and ensures that he gets work during tough times. So, professional sports doesn't mean only the sports that require lavish infrastructure but those that are popular with the people and require little or no infrastructure. I am referring to sports such as Wrestling and Kabaddi that are still loved and enjoyed in the rural areas of India. People are willing to pay a small fee that they can afford in order to watch their favorite wrestlers and other sportsmen. Now here you can see a link developing for some talented sportsmen to make a living. This can all be arranged domestically and does not need the support of huge multinational corporations. This way, you are basically redistributing the local money without causing anyone any distress. People are enjoying their sports and sportsmen are earning their living. There are several other areas that can be developed similarly, like arts and cultural events. Ask people that love a domestic folk dance to pay a little bit to see the dance. My judgment is that a true fan won't mind paying a small price to watch his favorite dance.
Another problem area in India is cleanliness. This is a major worry as we badly need to clean our house if we really want to go global and expect the Western world businessmen to come and live here and do business. However there are several clean structures in India especially in cities for this, like five star hotels, thankfully. When I was young I used to watch the terrible trash lying on the roads and wonder why doesn't anyone clean it up? But after doing some cleaning myself I realized how difficult a task it is to perform every day. The person doing this job should be paid well for the service. I mean really well. You need to realize that he is doing something that you and I can't. I was quite surprised during my stay in Australia to find the cleaners getting more money than engineers. It is a fact and is based on this principle. Similarly you need to tackle every situation independently and then have people who are talented enough to recognize the connections between these communities to supervise these activities. That is doing it professionally; knowing what is required and executing the required task efficiently. Government and other institutions should provide economic help for such ventures.
The social workers willing to work in these areas should be taken to the places in world where these things are being done well and learn the reasons for their success. What is required is a well coordinated effort from all sections of the community, including the high tech experts who might know about some instruments that could help. Get the politicians involved as well. Remember that only the well coordinated efforts succeed. This basically will also result in creation of job opportunities that governments should finance.
Every student wants a job in IT but those that are unsuccessful in this and in other fields might want to consider a career in cleaning area. Government has to realize that they are doing something most people cannot do and therefore, pay them well. Let the people around see that these individuals are actually settling well and are supporting themselves and their families. I am not saying that an IT engineer has to start sweeping the roads. No, but he can process the data faster than anyone else right? Maybe develop software that will be useful in any some other ways. The people concerned need to think of the possibilities and rethink them while the original ideas are being executed. It is a constant work in progress like performing a high level research.
Summary
For this article I have made a deliberate attempt to stay away from discussing the scams, Swiss bank money and things like that. Everyone knows about that. I have tried to be constructive and show some solutions as a way for the youngsters in India to proceed so that they will not just join the brigade saying this is how it happens. All the good work done for economic progress will quickly be undone if we don't succeed in killing corruption and take solid measures to fight poverty. Here I have presented some measures I could think of. Maybe you have more!
By,
Chirag Naiknavare
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chirag_Naiknavare Chirag Naiknavare
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