Corruption has become a part of everyday life.

FROM womb to tomb, corruption has become a part of everyday life.

It’s so widespread that only few – rich or poor, illiterate or highly-educated – have not experienced it first-hand.

All politicians promise to stem it but when in power; they invariably end up being stained by it.

An expectant mother has to grease the palm of officials in a government hospital for admission while it is routine for her to pay “speed money” to officials to secure a bed to give birth.

As for the tomb, well ... unless you bribe the guy in charge of the crematorium, you are not certain of getting dry wood or the right quantity that you have paid for to cremate the dead.

Between birth and death, at every stage of life, corruption stares you in the eye.

If you can afford expensive private hospitals, which have mushroomed in recent years, your child will get the best medical attention. (Even in these five-star hospitals, doctors will prescribe unnecessary tests and make you stay longer in expensive rooms because they get cuts on the side.)

But the majority of people go to government-run dispensaries where, unless you know someone influential, you have to pay small bribes to jump the long queue of patients to get proper treatment.

And when your child is old enough to be admitted to a kindergarten, either you have the right “connections” or you pay a hefty sum to have him admitted.

In fact, getting your child in the right school is an ordeal for parents who are expected to undergo a “personality test” of their own before their young one can be considered for admission.

As for college admission, unless your ward is brilliant, you ought to be prepared to pay a large sum in illegal “capitation fee”.

Finally, when your child is ready to join the workforce, either he competes in the public service examination, always tough to crack given the huge numbers seeking to fill very few openings, or he seeks employment in the private sector.

Relatively, both merit and “connections” work in the initial entry into private sector firms.

However, being self-employed is fraught with so many obstacles that to cross each one, you have to pay bribes.

To sell cooked food, you have to give a weekly bribe to the local council.
Shopkeepers have to keep various inspectors from the local and central authorities in good humour.

Those who ply taxis have to keep on the right side of the police and the transport department, lest they penalize them for violation of any of the numerous provisions under the motor vehicle act.

Try getting a driving licence or a passport without hiring a tout, you will be given such a “run around” till you regret for not having parted with a couple of fifties in the first place.

Is this the way to live?