The credo against corruption
December 2012
Be the Change – Fighting Corruption, Author: Kiran Bedi, Published By: Sterling Publications, Pages : 136 Pages, Paperback, Price : INR 195
A small pickpocket spends years in jail but a crorepati who swindles the country of crores walks free,” states an irate Kiran Bedi in her latest book. Bedi, as we all know, has been a significant and vocal part of the India Against Corruption movement. This is a timely compilation of the former police official’s speeches and writings on the subject.
She reminds people of all that they should be aware about, their rights and their duties as responsible citizens of India. She takes the reader through her experiences during her policing stint and strips bare the machinations of red-tape bureaucracy. From communicating with ‘aam aadmi’ to giving lectures to senior management in public sector, to recommending initiatives on an international platform to uproot corruption, Bedi addresses the problem at all levels of society.
Iterating some facts time and again in this compilation (the most prominent one being that 95 per cent of rural India give in to corrupt officials), she reinforces the importance of awareness and vigilance among ‘aam aadmi’ as the first step towards the resurrection of a strong civil society. The former IPS officer advocates every one’s obligation, be they a graduate student, a housewife, or a pensioner, to be consistently aware, and vigilant in order to avert the forces of corruption. She emphasises that it is the bureaucracy which needs to be kept in check if we want to rein in the prevalent corruption in our administration.
This compilation works because of the directness of tone and clarity of the message. Wish the writings/speeches were dated so as to help readers make much more connect to the content.
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