Is corruption built into us by our culture and philosophy?

There's so much of hoo-ha all over this country because a quixotic campaigner has built a brand out of standing up against corruption and trying to get the government to legislate against corruption. I think it behoves us to try and understand the issue of corruption in the Indian milieu first before we really try to obliterate it!

When we as a people visit one of the holiest of shrines in this country, the Tirupati temple, many think nothing of paying a buck or two extra to ensure that they can get to the head of the darshan queue or to spend an extra few seconds in front of the deity. Is this not tantamount to bribing the powers that be right under the nose of your god? The fact that priests and temple-workers think nothing of accepting that bribe indicates that its ok to bribe to get an undue advantage! Why, there are actually different queues which officially cost different amounts to get to have a darshan - that must indicate that even the Gods think the rich are entitled to a quicker and longer darshan! Tough luck if you cannot afford the higher official fee. We have thus institutionalised a form of corruption right in the abode of the gods! There is thus no place in the country where all men will be equal, not even in a temple!

Then there is the system of paying humongous amounts of money to get your child into a suitable engineering or medical college - true, seats are limited but we think nothing of the need to make merit count and officially allow colleges to accept capitation money so even below-par students make it to professional college. This in turn creates a mediocracy where we should be building a meritocracy and then these mediocre students believe money can buy them anything and everything is purchasable. To me this is corruption too, corruption of young minds, who will go on to become the movers and shakers in the country, who believe that money talks, money opens doors, money gets you to the top of a queue - how then do we expect that people will shun corruption and follow a laid down law? Is it not quixotic to think so?

I read somewhere that almost every single war waged through our history from Alexander onward to the East India Company to the Moghuls and the Marathas it was money that was taken by some commander of the vanquished side that turned the tide and allowed the victor to win! To me this smacks of a pathological lack of pride in one's own kind which allows these crass leaders to sell out for a fistful of cash. This lack of pride runs right through us as a people - there seems so little for the people of this country to be genuinely proud of, no leaders worth following, no real heroes to emulate and nobody who genuinely cares for the country and its people it would seem. Maybe, thats what makes the Anna Hazare brand - here is somebody who atleast appears to genuinely care for the country and its people, never mind if he has quixotic ideas about quelling corruption, atleast he is not looking to line his pockets or atleast it seems so!