This conversation took place between me and my friend when we were on an overnight bus journey from Bangalore to Shimoga.
Friend: Hey, this bus conductor is my landlord.
Me: Excuse me??
Friend: The room that I have rented in Shimoga?
Me: What about it?
Me: What about it?
Friend: Well, this guy is the owner. In fact, he owns the entire building. He stays in the ground floor, and he has let out one other house and three other rooms on rent.
Me (impressed): Wow, he must be corrupt beyond my wildest imagination. How else can a bus conductor make so much money as to build so many houses!!
Friend: Hmm …. I wouldn't fault him though.
Me (sarcastically): You wouldn't. Could you be so kind as to explain?
Friend: He has four daughters. The eldest is married and two others are now of marriageable age. He belongs to a caste where the dowry demanded is in the region of five lakh rupees. How else could he afford to get his daughters married? He is even going to sell most of his property to raise the money required for his second daughter's marriage.
It took me some time to digest that. I fell silent for I did not know whether to ask a question or state my opinion on the matter.
The “fruits of corruption” in the upper strata go into posh bungalows, up-market cars, exotic vacations and the like. However, it looks like much of the “turnover” from corruption at the grass-roots level eventually finds itself in basic livelihood and dowry.
I wonder if the corruption canvas in our country would have had completely different hues had it not been for that element of dowry.
Very well said kiran, where is the root of the corruption. Yes exactly, that's where at some point of time in life, a person comes to the corruption.
But at the same time, it should be our responsiblity to awake the common people that you have to take the right step, go-cross the boundary, and try to come out of the old ancient practices.