There is a saying – Dhan (Money) has three dasas (stages). Anubhav, Daan and Naash or Enjoy, Gift and Ruin. The money that one doesn’t enjoy himself or gift to someone else would be ruined.
Well, I was travelling from Mumbai to Pune and back on the day when high denomination notes were banned. It was already in the news that there were traffic jams as many drivers, especially long distance lorry drivers do not have sufficient money in lower denomination. So the government had suspended toll tax across nation, till the mid night of 11th November. But, what I saw was another thing. Attendants at these toll collection centres were standing at their regular positions and were trying to collect tolls. As the news of suspension is not known to many passengers, some of them who has smaller denomination notes were paying. Those who held either 500 or a 1000 rupee note were simply allowed to pass through. The question is, if the toll tax is suspended, why the collection centres were ‘trying’ to collect in the first place?
This explains the ‘psyche’ that has crept into us Indians, which Modi and his government is now trying to transform.
We talk about the greatness that ancient Indian had enjoyed. We talk about how ‘Karma’ is at the core of our Indian values. We had Krishna explaining that though results of one’s actions would depend on past deeds, one shall not crave for the fruits of his actions. We had Buddha, who unlike poor western philosophers had renounced his kingdom, walking into forests trying to understand the life and spoke of Nirvana. He also explained the difficulty in overcoming the lure of materialistic world. Then there was the eternal ‘Midhyavad’, where everything is considered to be a form of ‘Maya’
Before independence, people voluntarily donated money to Gandhiji. When Bose gave the call to fight the British, people flocked to join INA. However, immediately after attaining independence, none other than Gandh had chronicled about the corruption that became synonymous to the Congress. His advise to shutdown the Congress was ignored by the first Prime Minister, renowned socialist Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. Ever since, the moral downfall had continued with increased vigour with each new generation.
We have been reduced to a nation that cries foul on ‘corruption’ but everyone likes to practise it. More perverse is the definition of ‘common man’ or ‘Aam Admi’. Who is a common man? The traffic constable taking bribe at the corner not a common man? Or not the ‘kaali-peeli’ taxi driver who flees his customer? What about teachers in government schools who rarely visit them? And the doctors, who studied in government colleges at discounted fees, but refuse to work in rural areas? Is the local ration shop dealer who sells kerosene and sugar in the black not an Aam Admi?
If the Nehruvian era Congress promoted kith and kin of those in the power by the license raj, post reforms era had seen the Congress systematised corrupt practices. In the days when old trucks and cars emitting black smoke ruled Indian roads, there was a necessary for the PUC. Do we really need it now when most of the cars are Euro3 compliant? And, we regularly see trucks that have valid PUCs going on the roads, emitting black smoke. And most of these polluting vehicles are used by government departments – either directly or indirectly. So, is the system of PUC successful or a failure? Similarly, in the name of ‘Prepaid booking’ taxi drivers organise themselves – only to extract a fare more than twice of the regular one. When it is the duty of electricity board to collect charges, is it not the responsibility of the board to create facility for online payment? If online banking was promoted on the basis of providing efficient services at less costs, why the ‘customer’ is made to pay service tax?
The list could be endless. But, it is a fact that we, the people of India had come to accept the fact that corruption is a common phenomenon. A necessary evil that would stay with us, whether we like it or not. Am I categorically saying that we Indians in general, are a depraved lot, who try to suck the life out of our neighbour? Well, no. Deep inside the rotten flesh is the sane mind that cries and fights with the body. Still, many of us try to console the mind explaining we are trying to be part of the society – that wa rotten. But, who comprise the society? We. You, me and others. If components of a system are bad, how can the system be correct?
When Narendra Modi declared the news of banning higher denomination currency, whoever criticised the decision, had criticised – for the sake of poor people. First came news about an old lady was shocked and lost her life on knowing that her thousand rupee notes are no more valid. One could see people tweeting her story to criticise the move by the government, but it seems none of those present at the scene explained her the fact that she could exchange her old note at the bank! This shows, what our society had become.
Since then, many deaths were attributed to the lack of currency available for daily expenses. There were always someone to document or photograph or report problems of the people standing in the line. And from the top of their voices, we talk of these people as poor. Seems we Indians have a penchant to live poor. Despite having a job or business that provides steady income, having a two wheeler or a car, we compare with none other than Ambani and feel poor.
What about the countless rag pickers living off the scrap metros produce? Or those living in the villages with no work and migrating from one place to the other in search of livelihoods? And definitely those living in the forests under the red umbrella of Maoists? Are they not poor? Or simply they were discounted for they wouldn’t vote for any party? It may perhaps happen only in India that illegal migrants from Bangladesh can get all official identity cards and make their own settlements where even police may not dare to go, but the real poor Indians live worrying about their next meal and some space to sleep.
So, if someone stashed cash accumulated for generations by not paying taxes, can he still be called poor, for he appears like the ‘Babu Bhaiyya’? Then, who will care for the rights of the real poor?
Is it not a result of hypocrisy of our society that a street vendor could declare few crores as black money when the amnesty scheme was on? If a salaried person who earn more than thirty thousand a month pay taxes, how can a trader having equal or more income be allowed exemption from taxes?
Is the same constitution not applicable for them? Is the government getting sales tax form traders in agriculture produce? When the farmer gets only about a third of the market price of the commodity, who is pocketing the two thirds as profit, without paying taxes? Are they really poor that our opposition leaders cry for them? If they were not paying taxes for decades and the government is afraid of verifying sales tax records of these traders, what kind of society we are living in?
Can’t small traders pay the tax? They can, very well. Yet, they choose not to. And their logic is – why the hell only I should pay, when others are not paying. It was the governments since independence that should be blamed for the society be in such a situation. Everyone was expecting something or the other for – free. The richer the person, the bigger the requirement.
If Tamilnadu people vote for free televisions, Uttar Pradesh people vote for free Laptops. Almost every year, loans of farmers are waived off. Industrial loans are written off regularity. We cry how Vijay Mallya looted out banks. We don’t think how and why Air India had bled more money from the exchequer. We don’t want to know how staff joined Kingfisher Airlines were being paid more salaries, as long as Mallya paid. We never know the reason why the government that failed in its prime duty of providing governance, did establish many factories that are sick today, but the staff are still getting salaries.
We took it for granted that people enter into politics only to make money. The most we despise the caste system that is hereditary; we accept many families turning politics into ‘family business’. We know young and passionate leaders have turned into rich politicians inspiring many other young people to become ‘leeches’. If not for self greed, ninety percent of our political leaders should never have any following. No?
People do not complain if the government doesn’t deliver its promises. They knew that the system well. Grease it to get work done. Government staff, who technically are ‘public servants’ behave as if they are masters and citizens are their slaves.
We don’t feel shy to bribe the ticket collector in a train to get a berth. We pay for the admission of our kids into good schools and colleges. What the kids would do later? Start extracting the money paid by their parents, from the society. Our society has entered a vicious cycle of depravity.
The society that gradually lapsed into such a moral coma needed a well calibrated shock. Perhaps, that was what Modi did deliver. Those who were fearing that people would again start stashing money in sacks, may be partially correct. But, I hope at least some people start paying taxes. Even earlier there were amnesty schemes for the money hoarders. Always these schemes failed. I consider even the recent amnesty scheme wherein money about ₹65,000Cr was declared, a failure. I consider it so because; it could not bring out even ten percent of the hoarded money.
Amnesty schemes coming at regular intervals have erased the fear of taxman or the government in the black money hoarders. They thought the government to be a dog that only barks. Well, this time the dog did bite! And there was no anti-serum. Lost is lost. As most of the cash hoarders are men with enough intelligence, they understand the futility of hoarding cash in large. This may motivate them to pay tax and enjoy their wealth. The shock Modi gave to these cash hoarders has another by product. Even those who have amassed their wealth not in cash, also felt the reverberations of the heart beats of those who lost the money.
Perhaps, people now start using their money wisely and respect their wealth vis-à-vis their position in the society. It would be even better, if some of them realise the power of money and what they can do with it, rather than letting it to ruin it.
By the way, I somehow feel Indian currency may face such a shock every few years. If currency is changed every five years, say with the change in the government (new PM may have his face on it? Haha!), in three to four cycles, currency hoarding would be abolished. Problems? Well, we face them anyway, Yes?
