The Bankruptcy of Character in India

In the span of the last five decades of India’s Independence, there has been La steady decline of character and eventually today we can feel ashamed to say that, as a nation, we have become totally bankrupt in character.

We have laid a lot of stress on industrialization, modernization, westernization, and somewhere on our way, we have caught up with criminalization. This is all because, in our zest for fast progress in the context of the world, we have all completely forgotten all about character. We have, it seems, never recognized the importance of character in the present so-called progressive scenario – so much so that today we find ourselves as total bankrupts in character. Our basic crisis today is the lack of this very basis of good quality living.

In the days passed by, we Indians were known for firmness in our characters but the impact of our struggle for progress has led us to absolute indifference towards the building or maintaining of character. The result is for all of us to see, understand and comprehend. We have become very selfish and it appears that now, our motto is ‘each one for himself. For our personal gain, we have sacrificed everything, including the treasure of character. It is high time we remember the saying that, if wealth is lost, nothing is lost, if health is lost something is lost and if the character is lost, everything is lost. Just see the irony of our fate – We are today laying stress only on wealth, it’s earning at any cost, keeping it at any cost, and increasing it at any cost.

Our lack of character is clearly visible even to the naked eye. There is absolutely no sphere of life where we are not corrupt, where we have not sacrificed our characters at the altar of wealth

What concerns us the most is that the holiest and honest professions of medicine and teaching, once known to be above board because they both dealt with human lives, have also become corrupt to the core. The next area of honesty and integrity i.e. justice has also been tainted with corrupt practices. Any judgment can be taken with money. We have made corruption our style of life and attribute all our well-being and progress to corruption and corrupt practices.

Is there any level from top to bottom where corruption is not prevalent? Is there any sphere of life where corruption is not visible in all activities? The answer to all this is NO. If this is the situation in India today, it is high time we should start working on foundation making i.e. character building. For, let it be known to all of us that a high-rise building no matter how modern cannot stand for long, without a solid foundation of concrete i.e. character. There can be no real progress of the nation when the character is lost.

The scenario that India presents today is one of utter disgust and shame. This is only because of our loss of credibility and honesty. We may have progressed a lot in Science and technology but where will this lead us to, when we find technical methods of swindling each other? All this can usher India into an era of real progress only if we could build up and maintain our original high standards of character and add on to it all, technical progress.

Measures taken against corruption are found to be very superficial because all in the hierarchy are involved. Unless we take to heart and head very conscientiously that we have to wipe off corruption, it will be of great surprise, if any improvement can take place in the scenario.

We must standardize like other things, our moral standards also. There should henceforth be no yielding to corrupt practices and hand in hand with this, we must start inculcating value education to our young. Then only we will be able to clean the present and build a clean future. Obviously, if corruption is checkmated at higher levels, it will automatically be washed away from the scene at the lower levels. Let us remember water flows downwards and similarly, corruption flows downwards. If the top strata are clean, the bottom will not dare to be dirty.

This degeneration through the media of corruption must stop forthwith or else the 21st century may see India and Indians getting annihilated as a national force.