THE news of ‘auction’ of the position of Sarpanch in various villages in Gurdaspur, Sri Muktsar Sahib, and Bathinda districts in Punjab have triggered a row in the country about the legal and ethical outcomes of such a step taken by villagers there. But, there is more to the story. Legitimate and illegitimate ‘auctions’ are becoming a norm in the country, which has a rich tradition of democratic, social, and cultural values. One may ask if ‘auctions’ are really becoming a norm in India? Though the word ‘auction’ may not be used in every case, it is very much happening. For example, in legitimate terms, the players are being ‘auctioned’ in cricket, kabaddi, and other leagues.The monuments and items of heritage value are auctioned, instead of preserving those. There were reports that even the postings to certain police stations or cities/districts were put up for unofficial ‘auctions’, and the corrupt elements paid huge money to secure those.

 

Obviously, they extracted ‘returns’ higher than the ‘investment’. Now, the position of Sarpanch also have been ‘auctioned’. In all these ‘auctions’, the award goes to the highest bidder. But, then, there are other auctions too, which are not called so. Tenders are issued, bids are called, and the contract for works/services are awarded to the highest bidder in many cases, and to the lowest bidder in certain cases, depending upon the nature of work or services. In both the cases, there is no ethical or moral code that comes into operation if the said work is done badly or requires repairs within a short span of time since completion or escalation in cost due to delay. ‘Price’ gets precedence over ‘value’, if one tries to understand the subtle difference in the concepts represented by these two words. How has the society come to such a passe?

 

Over the years, the society has become more money-minded. There may be a lot of factors responsible. The biggest one is corruption -- of societal values. There was a time when the Prime Minister of that time had described corruption as a ‘global phenomenon’. Then, there was another Prime Minister who had famously said that the citizens got only ‘15 paise of 1 rupee sent by the Government’. Gradually, these statements were used to justify moral decline of the Indian society, to express helplessness in fight against corruption, and also to make it ‘legitimate’. For instance, not long ago, match-fixing was a vile concept in the arena of sports because it was linked to gambling and betting rings. Today, gambling and betting are still illegal. But, it is open secret that gambling and betting are operated under the garb of ‘online gaming’, which has assumed such proportions that companies in this ‘sector’ are sponsoring sports teams! And, the players are being ‘auctioned’ in a legal manner as if they are not human beings but commodities. For some, this may be too idealistic view-point. But, for an ordinary citizen who tries to practice morality in individual, familial, and social conduct, such ‘auction’ is nothing but a sugar-coated exercise in mass familiarisation to the concept of immorality.

 

The latest incidents of ‘auction’ of the position of Sarpanch in Punjab are expression of this familiarisation. Someone willing to pay an amount between Rs 30 lakh and Rs 2 crore for the position of a Sarpanch in a village in a State, will definitely try to recover that ‘cost’ in his/her term in that office. How? The search for answer to this question may bring more clarity in the thought process about ethical and moral dimensions of the evil familiarisation. And, as the wise men of yore said, an evil does not come alone; it brings with it a bouquet of other evils. The turpitude starting with ‘auction’ of a position or a player leads to larger evils that may make one sell one’s heart and soul in due course of time. Consequently, the younger generation watching this unfold treats corruption as a ‘given’, or, even as a ‘new standard’ of societal, democratic, cultural functioning. Where will that degeneration lead the nation to? Sadly, and unfortunately, only a handful few appear to be bothered about this discomforting question. Rather, the tendency to make profits without any ethical justification is on the rise. This is reflected in the concept of ‘surge pricing’ or ‘dynamic pricing’ of air tickets, railway tickets, bus tickets, and even cinema tickets. If most people at most places try to put price tags to everything, it is bound to spell a doom for the society as it increases only the want for money -- by hook or by crook. In the process, people put price tags on morality. Moreover, such auctions or sell-outs make a serious compromise with the sense of commitment to society, family, nation, humanity. For, personal gains are placed above collective welfare. This attitude poses a grave danger to the security of the nation.

 

The compromised individuals do not mind, then, in selling secrets to the enemy just for a few bucks. This also leads to creating hurdles in the way of realising even the noblest of visions for development. India, which is emerging as a global leader in various arenas, cannot afford to be led on to that path. Hence, in the long-term national and self interest, the element of uncouth (not morally correct and legitimate) profiteering needs to be fought by one and all. For that to happen, sense of duty should prevail over the sense of personal greed.