Madhusudan Mishra reflects on how corruption weakens society and why moral vigilance, integrity, and ethics must guide India’s governance and daily life
Madhusudan Mishra
When corruption eats the root, the entire tree of society begins to decay. Just as a tree whose roots are gnawed by termites cannot stand for long, a nation whose moral foundations are eaten away by greed and dishonesty cannot remain strong.
Corruption begins silently, in small acts that seem harmless—a little favour, a false bill, a bribe to get work done faster—but these small wrongs accumulate until morality collapses. It is not merely an economic or administrative crisis; it is a moral and spiritual one that erodes trust, weakens institutions, and corrodes human relationships.
Vigilance Awareness Week is therefore not a ritual of slogans but a call for moral vigilance, reminding us that the best vigilance officer is one’s own conscience. Corruption, like disease, starts from within; when society begins to justify wrongdoing, it rots from the core. Its consequences are grave—destroying trust, merit, and justice.
In governance, it corrodes institutions; in education, it kills meritocracy; in healthcare, it costs lives. Yet, corruption is not confined to officials—it begins at home, in every false declaration or dishonest act.
India has advanced through digital governance and reforms like the RTI Act, JAM trinity, Mo Sarkar, and e-tendering, yet laws and machines alone cannot cure moral decay; only inner reform can. Integrity must become a way of life, not a slogan—honesty is contagious, and one act of integrity can inspire a thousand others.
Our society must nurture ethics in education, ensure swift justice, protect whistle-blowers, and celebrate honesty. Odisha’s heritage, from Emperor Kharavela’s justice to Bhima Bhoi’s compassion, teaches that integrity is our highest virtue. As we mark Vigilance Awareness Week, let us treat it as a festival of moral awakening. If corruption can eat from the root, integrity can heal from the root.
Let each of us pledge to neither commit nor tolerate corruption, for silence in the face of wrong is itself wrong. When every officer guards fairness, every citizen upholds honesty, and every institution becomes a temple of justice, no termite of corruption can ever eat our roots again.
The tree of India—nourished by righteousness and watered by truth—will remain forever green, strong, and shining, offering shade of hope and inspiration to generations yet to come.
(The author is a retired IAS officer. The views expressed are personal.)