A statement of independence

College life, after the strict environs of school, is every teenager8217;s dream. And I more than eagerly waited for July 16, when the gate...

College life, after the strict environs of school, is every teenager8217;s dream. And I more than eagerly waited for July 16, when the gates of one of our finest colleges were flung open to me. Like a bird out of the cage for the first time, I could taste the freedom of taking my own decisions, however small, without fearing constant supervision.

Making new friends and bunking classes apart, the very idea of deciding your own style of attire added to the proverbial 8216;8216;icing on the cake8217;8217;. The new lifestyle however also brought me face to face with the ways of the world and how corruption had spread its tentacles into every sphere of life.

Topping the charts are the private educational institutions where students are admitted after a shrewd survey of their parents8217; financial status. Merit is a secondary factor. Entrance papers are conveniently leaked for the so-called 8216;8216;deserving candidates8217;8217; and quacks are equipped with medical degrees. If you have deep pockets, you can decide the future of your ward.

Another department with a larger-than-life appetite for paper notes is the licence issuing authority. Shell out Rs 500 and you can acquire your driver8217;s licence. Don8217;t bother if you can8217;t differentiate between the gas pedal and the brakes. Brokers arm you with the licence to kill, literally.

Corruption and the Municipal Corporation are hand in glove. One quickly learns how roads that never existed take birth on municipal records and are duly paid for. Many of the non-existent tarmacs are even repaired at regular intervals. No eyebrows are raised for the booty is equally shared.

From food and medicines to stamp paper, everything is fake, in connivance with those who govern us and into whose hands we have so willingly surrendered the reins of our nation. We have more laws and administrators than we need yet we suffer from a lack of justice and administration.

In such a desperate scenario, is there any hope? Perhaps, we should take heart in the integrity and commitment of the president and prime minister. In A.P.J. Abdul Kalam and Manmohan Singh we have, possibly, the cleanest and most admirable leaders we can ever hope for. It speaks volumes for a person, if he 8212; despite being the president of India 8212; personally intervenes to get justice for a class 12 student who was unable to get his board papers re-evaluated. The prime minister inhales exudes modesty.

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These two men stand tall 8212; as pillars of faith, hope and strength for the youth of our country. There8217;s no point in constantly blaming the rotten system. As young people, we need to rise above the situation we find ourselves in. Hang on to our sense of ideals and work to make ourselves worthy of India; to make India worthy of us.