Mine Your Business

B S Yeddiyurappa finally resigned. Resigned to his fate? Resigned from fate? Resigned for fate? We will not know which one. The BJP – the party with a difference can heave a sigh of relief. Or can they? I think they will be heaving more than a sigh of relief. Their party sail boat desperately needs a ton of fixing at the helm and sail positions if their boat needs to transform from the tattered raft that it is now, to a sleek yacht. It has become a party in deference to Yeddy Bear – unfortunately a deference that does not comes not out of respect or esteem. That is because Justice Hegde has delivered a punch in the solar plexus that has blown the steam out of the esteem. And Justice Hegde has delivered this punch in total deference to his self-esteem, courage, conscience.

We have recently been subject to cacophonous debates on the TV and potentially other media forms too. The debates and discussions spun more around the whats, whens, hows, whys and ifs of the Yeddy Bear story. Can any of the points made in the debate – or shall we say counterproductive points – bear any result? Ideally a result that calls for probity, accountability and administrative optimization, in our public and not so public life. During the past 2 – 3 years while this epic was being generated, I wonder what we needed to do. Mind our own business or let them continue to the Mine their Business? During this time the Fresh Princes of Bellary have shown Mining their own business with impunity, has its equity. Have the princes lived up to what their names stand for? That of, one who protects and the one who shows mercy. Neither have! They have mercilessly carved out the guts of Mother Earth and have protected nothing but their own corrosive egos. In fact I can hear Mother Nature screaming her epiglottis out, for mercy!

Coming back to Yeddy Bear. How much of the cacophony in the electronic media help in creating a public wave of opinion and demand for greater accountability and cleanliness in public life? Your guess is as good as mine. But that will rest entirely on whether we mind our business or let the Reddy’s mine their business without any care in the world. They have even defied the Supreme Court ruling banning mining in the Bellary area. Have any of these debates even attempted to generate a conversation on the contents of Justice Hegde’s report? True, we don’t know the contents of the report. But I am sure it contains a sincere if not desperate, appeal to the good senses of the citizenry of our country. It is an appeal for us to wake up from the Rip Van Winkle-esque slumber and pay attention to Mother Natures’ call for Karuna. I am sure the report also has references to the money lost / made /stashed away by the ever-Reddy brothers and the other corporate and political cohorts. Does it matter to us? May be, maybe not. Because, we mind our business while they mine theirs! Looks like we have had a real long slumber – with our eyes open and for some, their mouths open. But then, what about our minds? Should they now be opened?

Of course, yes. Justice Hegde has given the reason. He has asked us to stop gawping as the plunder happens right under our nostrils. He has shown that one can mind one’s own business. After all he has! With integrity, fearlessness and by being true to his conscience. We the people –sorry Barkha Dutt for borrowing your tag line – need not just answers and the etceteras that go with it, but to stand up and be decisive and true to our conscience. In fact, the answers are within each one of us.

It is time for us to mine deep into our minds and conscience and come out with all the courage and fearlessness at out command to stand up to the Yeddy Circus and their ilk. We have to turn ourselves to the Janata Janardhans in the true sense and protect ourselves.

Let us mind our business - which is to stand up and be counted fearlessly, honestly and by being true to our conscience. If we want corruption to end we have to end corruption in our minds. Otherwise they will continue to MINE THEIR BUSINESS as they have shameless been doing all this while.