The Neta and Babu culture

 

When we go to public places, be it a place of worship or govt offices or traffic signal, there will always be a bias behaviour towards any Babu, if present. Growing up in India, I have witnessed this a lot. Be it a traffic checkpoint, be it the RTO office or the Shirdi Temple, one powerful man always has a shorter and quicker way to go or get things done.

We live in a country where a very long distant relative of an MLA would not pay at a toll. Where the brother of a politician, who isn’t even a minister, would use a red beacon on his vehicles. Where the bureaucrats wouldn’t have to move a bit to get their official work done. Well at the end of the day there are Sarkari Babus and Netas.

Ironically, they draw their salary, allowances, and other benefits from public money. The very same public whom they trouble while taking their spot, and kind of being proud, or behaving as if they deserved it. This practice is somewhat influenced by the British India period. But today's people in power at government cannot digest that going away. They will create trouble for others for their comfort. And they somewhat believe that they deserve it and the rules are for the general public. I sometimes wonder, those who sit in this position because of the constitution, those who have power because of the constitution, do they even read it. Or maybe the right to equality exists, but they have divided the world into classes and equal within classes! Sad that I am using such terms, but seem true to me.

Over the years, we have heard multiple discussions and debates about this and about changing this, but once a person gets into the chair, he likes the feel of it. And this very culture he has been speaking against becomes his advantage. Well, the saying ‘Power Corrupts, Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely’ exists for a reason.