World’s End
The world would really end not during a war. It would end when corruption spread to the common man.
Varadharajan had spent his entire adult life with the political party as a cadre. He did not have the position or power that he deserved but he was content. His party was now ruling his state and an important ally at the centre. He thought that he had been there and seen it all. All that would change today.
He still remembered when he offered people cash to vote for his party a few years ago. When his leader suggested it in their strategy meeting, it was unfathomable. He believed that the people would refuse the money. How naïve he had been! People received the money, made a promise on their family deity and delivered their vote. Their opposition initially resisted. Their leader even suggested that the people receive the money from Varadharajan’s party and vote for his party. It did not happen but it had been a scary proposition.
“Money makes many things,” he said to himself often. You need money even to do something for charity nowadays. They had to pay a bribe to install a water dispenser in his area once.
Over time, the opposition began to give cash for votes too.
It was a Thursday evening before the municipal elections. Varadharajan was distributing cash to a woman who wore a blue gown. “You are giving me two thousand rupees?” she asked hotly.
“Yes,” said Varadharajan calmly. “Remember to vote for our party”
“The other party gave me more,” said the woman holding her hand out. She looked expectantly at him.
“You got money from the other party?” asked Varadharajan, raising his eyebrows.
“Of course. Do you expect me to refuse money? If you give me more than them, I will vote for you,” said the woman confidently.
“You promised them that you would vote for them, didn’t you?” asked Varadharajan.
“Yes. I will make the same promise to you,” said the woman immediately.
Those words triggered something within Varadharajan. He felt betrayed. He wanted to slap the woman for her betrayal. She was getting money from two parties and betraying one of them. “Have you no integrity?” he asked her hotly. He felt like he was being watched and turned to see a group of people standing behind him. Most of them were familiar. They all had a look similar to the woman who demanded more cash. They were ready to sell their votes to the highest bidder.
“My God! What have we done?” thought Varadharajan. They had corrupted their voters to the last person. His father used to tell him that the world would end when common people lost ethics. He was given a harsh reminder of reality by the people around him.
This is the way the world ends. Not with a bang. Not even with a whimper. With greed trumping integrity!
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