Choosing to be honest, every time

Sanjeev Kumar

Corruption, I believe, is a state of mind. It may not have anything to do with status, money, or lack of it. I experienced two incidents in my life which made me ponder over the nature of corruption. 

The first incident pertained to a conductor of a DTC bus. It was a hot June day and I was travelling in Delhi. As soon as I got on the bus, I gave Rs 20 to the conductor for a ticket. He took the money but did not give me a ticket. I asked him for it, but instead of giving it to me, he remarked: ‘Sir, why are you worrying so much? As long as I am here, you should not worry about the ticket.’ I was already upset due to some personal problem, and decided to let it be. When the bus reached my destination, I got off the bus, without any ticket. This incident was an example of unlawful and corrupt behaviour of a government employee. Perhaps, a common occurrence in our country.

The second incident is also about a DTC conductor. A few months later, I again had to travel to Delhi. I boarded a bus and gave Rs 100 to the conductor as I did not have adequate change. The conductor also did not have change, and mentioned the balance behind the ticket. The duration of my journey was just half an hour. When the bus reached the stop, I was about to get down when I heard the loud voice of the conductor: ‘Hello Sir! Hello Sir! Listen to me.’ I asked him if there was any problem. ‘Sir, you have forgotten to take your balance.’  I realised the lapse on my part and thanked him. He returned the amount and I got off. 

I was forced to think about how people in similar circumstances, and perhaps of background, differ in their approach; one choosing honesty, the other dishonest means. Corruption is not prevalent due to the failure of the system or poverty, on the contrary, it has its origin in our mind and also depends on our attitude towards our duties. These two conductors presented two different faces of the employees of the same department.

The incident reminded me of the words of the great educationist and a former President of our country, Dr S Radhakrishnan: ‘Mental slums are more dangerous to mankind than material slums.’ In my opinion, the person misusing his powers or status is living in a mental slum where humanity, honesty, hard work and high thinking have no place. If we want a corruption-free India, each one of us has to work towards it. We must change ourselves first, and act responsibly. We can then be a great country.