Hear no evil

The story of Suraj Bhan Singh, an employee of the Rajasthan State Bunkar Cooperative Society, illustrates a contemporary 8212; and familiar...

The story of Suraj Bhan Singh, an employee of the Rajasthan State Bunkar Cooperative Society, illustrates a contemporary 8212; and familiar 8212; truth. That corruption thrives, not because there are a lot of corrupt people out there looking for ways to thrive, but because the system finds ingenious ways to silence those who swim against the tide and punish those who choose to blow the whistle.

So convenient is the culture of acquiescence that most choose to abide by its norms and, indeed, Suraj Bhan Singh could well have had his job today if he had done so.

Instead he felt compelled by what he saw and heard around him to write a little historical fantasy depicting the ingenious ways in which the state exchequer is rifled. It was so close to actuality that he found himself clutching a suspension notice before long.

Of course, if the system had an element of self-correction built into it, Suraj Bhan Singh8217;s bosses would have ordered an inquiry into the working of their cooperative society, instead of seeking to sack him. But that, alas, is not usually what happens in a nation that is internationally indexed as one of the most corrupt in the world and where those who are meant to guard the gates use their power to profiteer from the system rather than to professionalise it.

So how will Suraj Bhan Singh8217;s story end? Will the lid be brought down with a clang over this episode once the media attention and public disquiet fades away, leaving the protagonist a bitter and broken man? Or will justice be done to him and the malfeasance, he so eloquently pointed to, addressed? This is a small story of small fish. When the nation is rocked by scandals of the proportions of Bofors, Fodder scam, Tehelka and the Petrol pump scandal, isn8217;t the misdoings in the Rajasthan State Bunkar Cooperative Society mere small change?

The answer is obvious. Nothing can get transformed if the honest do not speak, or are not allowed to speak. Men like Suraj Bhan Singh must not be made to feel isolated and vulnerable but must instead be given all the public support and encouragement they require in their lonely battle to be heard.