Prohibitionism

In our parents' times, the schools were not very liberal. During my school days, the schools were Still not very liberal, the teachers were stricter than today, and so were the rules. The whole atmosphere was as a result, regulated and controlled. A large part of the discipline was a direct translation of the culture that we were brought up in, the respect towards teachers, and the school. The remaining discipline came from the teachers' words and actions. This is somewhat an ideal situation in a school, at any time, in my opinion.

One day, a boy in my class wore his father's wrist watch in school. Then there was an issue over this because the teachers thought that many other students who couldn't afford a watch would then want it and it might create a bigger problem and affect the feeling of equality in the school. So there was a new rule in the school that students are not allowed to wear wrist watches. Not that many were wearing it already, but the rule ensured that no one will.

This was an example of the school but this is happening today in India. The 5 text messages per day limit imposed on each mobile user as a remedy to stop bulk messaging. People paid for something and still they were not allowed to get the worth of it. To clear the black glasses of the cars of politicians, gangsters, and self-proclaimed VIPs, the government has put a ban on the use of sun-films altogether. There are many other examples.  There was also news about a proposed ban on playing music in the cars. I mean; one practically won’t be able to do anything his/her way, one day.

I had heard somewhere that they are going to put a restriction that no person can own more than 2 cars. Now that is highly expected, and very possible. They will do it. There can be many such rules, for example no person can consume grains worth more than 2500 rupees, no person can shop for more than 5000 rupees in a shop, or no person can have more than 2 credit cards, no person can have 2 televisions at home, no person can own land more than 2000 sq ft and whatever they may think of. But all of which will never apply to the makers and certain breakers.

This is worse than a school; and more like a prison. The tone of the law itself is not right. It is prohibitive. Majority of the laws and rules in India are prohibitive. The law here supports the inefficiency of the government instead of controlling the unlawful acts in the society. It does not keep a check on the crimes and offenses; it puts a full stop ahead of the whole topic. It is like cutting the hand to cure a bruise. The whole judiciary system here has got gangrene.

India got Independence in 1947. 65 years have passed since then and a lot of things have changed. Some changed for good, some for bad. Inflation was one of the many bad changes. Of course, it happened all across the world but that is different than the artificial inflation which the politicians and some corporate houses are consistently injecting in the country’s economy. This inflation makes it practically impossible for a class of society to think of certain things. For example, a middle class person cannot think of owning a house in the heart of Mumbai because the prices are sky high. A poor person cannot think of having the pleasure of owning a car. Though we have Nano, the fuel prices are going to make it a ‘NoNo’ soon. Gold is too shiny to even look at. The whole inflation thing together is the indirect prohibition that the people of the country are loaded with.

The lives of the people are getting more difficult. This leads to frustration; frauds and crimes and so on. I can only imagine how ridiculous things are going to be. But they are surely going to be Prohibitive all the way. Those who have talent will not be able to get money worth of that. Those who have their 'hard-earned' money will not be able to spend it the way they want. The politicians, the corrupts and the ultra-rich, will still be getting away with all this. Fact Remains; freedom was never there. Fact Remains; freedom still appears very blurred.