The Battle Against Corruption has to Start from Self

Meaningless shouting, sloganeering and protesting are futile efforts to express dissent. Today's youth is a beautiful concoction of good, creative minds with great insights. So why not choose creative means of expression as the key mantra?

While supporting Anna Hazare’s cause for a corruption-free India is getting most students fired up, what do they feel about honesty at their level? Says Aayush Kapoor, a third-year student of Ramjas College, “I am an avid supporter of the anti-corruption movement. But, at the student level, I am not sure how it will deter students from indulging in unfair practices like cheating.” Getting a false certificates made, he says, is not the same as corruption at the national level. 

Nikita Sinha, another third-year student says, “A student encounters corruption at various levels. ‘Proxy’, false certificates, college politics, bus tickets, library dues, there are many instances where you could be tempted to take the easy way out. However, instead of giving in you must understand that the battle against corruption has to start from you yourself. It is as basic as asking a friend to mark your attendance when you are absent. It is wrong. Before going out and shouting against the corrupt politicians, we must ensure that our character is clean.” Says Dr Aruna Broota, a clinical psychologist, “The youth is so hormonally charged, aggressive and violent that it is very easy to excite them for any cause.

Very often, the youth is misled and provided a wrong perspective. The confusion that leads them in a state of aggression must be addressed. Nobody is born corrupt; they learn it from their elders. Meaningless shouting, sloganeering and protesting is not the right way. The youth consists of good, creative people with marvellous brains, which is going to waste. The effort should be to provide them creative means of expression. Draw, paint, write or perform, but don’t get yourself entangled in sloganeering,” says Dr Aruna Broota.
 
So, while you would want to show your solidarity for the moment, don’t forget that change starts from within. 

As Sinha says, “I don’t indulge in corruption, and try to create awareness against it in my circle. This year as well, during the college elections, I’d like to inform freshers of the ill-effects of voting for candidates who promise free trips to adventure parks, distribute free movie tickets and give free (coffee shop) vouchers. At a certain level, all these activities also amount to corrupt practices and should be discouraged,” concludes Sinha.

·  Take an individual stand. 

·  Don’t indulge in mindless protests — there are better ways to voice your opinion. 

·  Instead of sloganeering, try avenues like drawing, painting, drama to give vent to your expression.

Don’t forget change starts with you, from within