Book Description

Cliché and reality are rooted in India's long history. No invader or British Raj is ruling us. We have our own government but are we anywhere near to what we were in our glorious past? If Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa had highly precise science of civil engineering and architecture then why can't we have clean and orderly cities now where people can live with basic dignity without unruly traffic and filthy streets? If Megasthenese said that in India thefts were extremely rare, that Indians honoured truth as a virtue, why today even after paying a bribe one is unsure if his work gets done? If Marco-polo rated Indians to be the best merchants in the world and the most truthful , then why in these times we think of our politicians, industrialists and bureaucrats as self-servers, obstructive, corrupt and always blocking the economic reforms? If we were straight forward, if it was love of truth and justice that Indians were known for, then why can't we insist loudly and clearly and courageously to defend our claim? If no one ever accused us of falsehood then why can't we redeem that same rule of law and decency? Why is there such deep rooted corruption and why an ever pervasive flair for free riding? Why are we ever ready to blame anyone but ourselves for our collective plight? How, where, what went wrong? Will our grandchildren also inherit a corrupt and inefficient system of governance? Is it that words come easier to us, actions come harder? If as people of one nation we have lost our sensitivity to the misery and mediocrity around us, then what value system we are passing on to the next generation; scepticism, oppression and corruption? Sometimes; questions are too complicated, especially if we fear the answers, sometimes; the worst battle we have to fight is between what we know and what we feel.