There is good news for Kannada language enthusiasts. Call them fanatics, if you wish. The good news is that Kannada has appeared in print in an international magazine, “National Geographic” in its April 2011 issue. The bad news is that it has appeared in print to show us, we Indians, in bad light, as one of the most corrupt people.

Ironically or sarcastically, I do not know which of the two adverbs was intended, it has appeared under the title “Culture”. Is taking bribe the culture of India? Well, looking at the all - pervasive evil of corruption from the Top to Bottom that we read about in newspapers, magazines and TV channels every day and night, giving bribe and taking bribe seem to have become part of Indian culture, rather than a criminal act.

The article by Hannah Bloch with the photographs of the likeness of our Rs. 500 currency note but with zero rupee value has much to speak about the pernicious culture — corruption. It says in India (our motherland) corruption costs the public and private sectors millions of dollars (in rupees it will be trillions) a year. Demands are made for petty bribes frequently in code words like, "Take care of me" or, for a two - note hand out, "Make Gandhi smile twice." That means give me two Rs. 500 notes — notes where a smiling Mahatma Gandhi's pictures are printed. According to the anticorruption crusader mentioned in the article, one Vijay Anand, illegal demands by Police and bureaucrats are deeply ingrained in our culture. No wonder the article appears in the column “CULTURE”. Shit on our face.

Democracy, corruption or no corruption, is the best form of government, despite its inadequacies compared to all other forms of governments we have seen down the centuries. And it stands, as generally understood, on four pillars, called “estates” in english language. First Estate is the Legislature [that makes law by consensus or majority decision]. Second Estate is the Bureaucracy [known as Executive responsible to administer the country as per the law of the land]. Third Estate is the Judiciary [watchdog to protect the rights of the citizen — life, liberty, property and freedom of speech and expression etc., and dispense justice]. Fourth Estate is the Media, both print and electronic media — TV and radio — to inform educate, entertain and above all, act as a newshound and a watchdog like the judiciary — in short be a whistle - blower. A ringer!]. Incidentally, I have named my house as “Fourth Estate”, for obvious reasons!

Be that as it may, now I have made a new discovery, after reading the article. I never knew there is also a fifth pillar [Fifth Estate] of democracy. This pillar is the “grassroots citizens group”, according to Vijay Anand, the anti - corruption crusader mentioned above. The zero value Rs. 500 notes look like regular notes but printed slightly larger in size than the genuine note and on thicker paper [to discourage folding which is the common way the bribe is given]. This was the idea of this crusader. People, the Fifth Pillar, are asked by this crusader to give these notes "as a polite protest to corrupt officials trying to squeeze extra payment for routine services like issuing driver's licenses or loans”. I would add to obtain birth and death certificates, caste certificates, ration cards, BPL cards, encumbrance certificate, revenue records etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. ad infinitum, ad nauseaum.

I have a friend who became a victim of corruption in the Revenue Department twice. In one case, a J.B. extract with wrong information was given to enable the seller to sell the property which had otherwise no clear title. My friend had to pay a penalty of Rs. 1. 5 lakh to get the RTC in his name, after over one year and many visits to the Revenue Department. Later, my friend learnt that the false (fake) J. B. extract was issued by the Tahasildar for a bribe of mere Rs. 5,000 while the property at stake was valued at Rs. 50 lakhs. In another case, he had made an agreement to buy a property paying heavy amount as advance, based on an encumbrance certificate in which the heavy loan borrowed by the seller from a Bank mortgaging this property was not reflected. Bribe Sir, Bribe.

To come back to the article in National Geographic, these “special” notes are given to the corrupt, unsuspecting officials openly without folding them in order that others could see and to shame them or scare them. Some idea to shame these shameless, immoral, corrupt officials.

According to an anticorruption researcher [Is research being done on corruption? For a Ph. D? Then India is an ideal country with so many Universities where corruption is all pervasive] Funiko Nagano, these zero rupee notes embolden people to assert their rights.

It seems these zero - currency notes are spreading to fight corruption in Mexico and Nepal as well. Indeed a non - violent way of resisting corruption that would make Mahatma Gandhi smile for real, as he does in the picture on the Rs. 500 genuine note. Gandhigiri of a kind!

Mahatma Gandhi Ki Jai!

By K. B. Ganapathy
Editor in Chief
Courtesy: Star of Mysore

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