The other day a close friend wrote to me.
“Bob, if you don’t like India, why do you stay here?”
A fair question.
My answer was simple.
“I stay because I love my country. I complain because I love my country.”
If your child is sick, you don’t abandon the child. You try to cure the illness. And one of India’s biggest illnesses is corruption.
Now before he accuses me of being negative again, let me point to something all of us experience every day.
Our roads.
Forget economic surveys. Forget political speeches. Forget television debates where six people shout simultaneously while nobody listens.
Just step onto an Indian road.
Within five minutes you will see a practical demonstration of how corruption works.
A red light is merely a suggestion. A lane is a decorative concept. A zebra crossing is an artistic design painted for tourists.
A helmet hangs from the handlebar instead of sitting on the rider’s head. Three people sit on a motorcycle, a fourth balances a gas cylinder, and all of them appear deeply offended if you suggest there may be a safety issue.
India consistently ranks among the most dangerous countries in the world for driving. Experts often point to inconsistent enforcement of traffic laws.
Notice that phrase. Not lack of laws. Not lack of rules. Not lack of police.
Inconsistent enforcement.
Which is a polite international way of saying that rules exist, but many people know they can get away with breaking them.
Two years ago we drove around the United Kingdom for nearly a month. There were stretches where we hardly saw another vehicle. Sometimes for miles there was nobody around.
Yet drivers stopped at red lights. They obeyed speed limits. They gave way when required.
Nobody seemed tempted to test whether the law was watching.
In India, many drivers seem to believe traffic rules only apply when a policeman is visible.
And sadly, many policemen seem to appear only where revenue, influence or opportunity exists.
We keep talking about building wider roads, bigger flyovers and more expressways.
Wonderful.
But perhaps what we need even more is accountability.
Not just for drivers. For those responsible for enforcing the law. A nation does not become orderly because it pours more concrete. A nation becomes orderly when rules are applied fairly and consistently.
Want to see corruption at work? Do not look at secret files. Do not search for hidden scandals.
Stand at any busy Indian junction. The chaos before your eyes is corruption at work.
And yes, I feel like smiling sadly at that friend and saying, “it’s time you take what I’m saying seriously, before you jump onto a plane to leave the country, and fly back after eight hours in the air, because a corrupt engineer had not checked the engines properly, and another had certified the plane, airworthy…!
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Robert Clements is a newspaper columnist and writes a daily column, which has graced the pages of over 60 newspapers and magazines, from a daily column in the Khaleej Times, Dubai, the Morning Star, London, and in nearly every state in India, from The Statesman in Kolkata, to the Kashmir Times in Kashmir to the Trinity Mirror in Chennai.
Hi Bob 👋
Corruption at work…..you wrote it right 💯
Hi Bob ! 👋
Corruption at work , you wrote it right 👍
I hope all law enforcing agents read this article.
J.K.Galbraith, economist and US ambassador to India in the 60s , had described India as ” … a functioning anarchy”.
60 years later it still is, and still functioning.
How true!
Inconsistency in following rules is dangerous, sometimes lethal.
During my recent visit to Bhutan, our neighbouring country, I was mighty impressed with the “impeccable street manners and behaviour” of the locals and the driver of each and every vehicle who was patiently waiting for the tourists and locals to cross over the zebra crossing.
No honking or traffic signals in Bhutan. No littering too.
Silent enforcement of the law, respect for human lives, nature and infrastructure.
You nailed it Bob. Exactly how i feel and people tell me i should not be living here. But this is my land. I grumble, i complain only because i want to see it better. Any safety……it lags far behind in the schemes if our government.
We see it first hand all the time. Reckless &/ or drunken driving. Lives lost. One phone call & its over. Who cares about the family that’s grieving?
Love your answer! Next time I’m faced with such a question, I know what to say
Wonder who is the corrupt person?
is it the person accepting the bribe?
Or is it more responsibility of the person giving the bribe?
And what actually constitutes a bribe?
If you are a regular in a restaurant, you will find the habitual “big tippers” get much better service.
Is jumping a queue at hospital because you know the doctor a bribe?
Or getting faster service in a bank because you “know” somebody?
On another topic…
Many target 3 or more people on a two wheeler, licenced to carry 2 persons.
Does anyone question ten people in a four wheeler that has seats for only 5 (driver +4)
Or what about 120 people in a single deck BEST bus licenced to seat 64 + 17 standees?
Ever think about a local train with a capacity of 1120 seats + X standees, carrying 5000 – 6000 persons during peak hours
In a lighter vein, four people on a two wheeler are only heeding the PMs call to save petrol by “bike-pooling”
A sharp, honest piece that shows how corruption isn’t hidden in files but visible on our roads every day. It reminds us that real patriotism means demanding accountability, not staying silent. A powerful wake‑up call.
Bob Sir Your feelings and observations are very well verified facts. I observed the same whin I visited England in-2015. No problems of indiscipline. Every Indian will follow and appreciate your suggestions. Regards.
Two incidents of death of pedestrians due to high speed drunk driving in the Udupi district recently.
In both the incidents, not even an arrest was made. The videos taken by onlookers meant nothing.
What more can be said!
Sad Oliver.
Bang on !! Last evening, as I was returning back home from Bandra, the same thoughts came to my mind!! Our traffic rules should be at par with international rules..
They are Kiran, our people don’t follow them. And policemen couldn’t be bothered unless there’s money to be made.
I am on my first visit to the US. For me, the traffic discipline is impressive because we lack discipline. All traffic stop at the signals even when there is no traffic at the junction. There are no policemen on the roads and yet there is no traffic light jumping. There are no traffic signals for the pedestrians. The traffic immediately stops when a pedestrian steps on the road. No horning, no abusing the pedestrian, no traffic rage. The irony is, there are a good number of Indians driving around and all follow the traffic rules. Yet,when they come to India, all rules are forgotten. Will our country ever improve.
True Sam. The same Indian who follows rules there, breaks them here, Sad isn’t it? Have a great time my friend.
I too love my country, being from an army background the love for my lamd runs in my blood, however it hurts, really hurts to see what is happening around us. I feel it is time for everyone to rise to save this beautiful land we call ‘ours’ before it’s too late.
Well written Bobby, echoes thoughts if a majority of us.
Thank you Anita. Yes, it really hurts.
Bending or breaking rules leads to chaos.Let’s overcome it.
Thank you Hamsa. Glad to see you here.