I was introduced to the act of bribery
before I could barely walk,talk and
react.
"DON'T CRY Baba- Be like a Good Boy"-
and this trivial act would get rewarded.
This marks the beginning of every
transactional relationship.
A chocolate for silence,
A toy for obedience,
Promises wrapped in glittering papers-
Nobody called it corruption then.
The subtle act of bribery hit under the
tenderness of my parents.
Years later,
The same lessons entered classrooms.
"Score good marks and we'll buy you
whatever you want".
Education slowly turned into auctions,
Where certain subjects like maths and
science stood with higher price tags.
As adults,
the rewards only became expensive-
the ranks were bought with heavy
money-
Now that even ambition amalgamated
with monetary benefits.
Aftermath, Money slid beneath desks,
Promotion hid inside envelopes.
And honesty, it only reflected a foolish
lunacy.
Then, society draped bribery in gold
and cash, named it marriage.
Dowry- calculated under a man's worth,
land, job, cars, social status.
Love- Even it had entered in the race of
negotiations.
And somewhere, between childhood and
adulthood, I finally realised-
Ghoos was never money alone.
I suspect it is my whole life that's
running through every possible act of
bribery.
And perhaps, we never hate corruption,
when we are indulged.
May 19
May 19, 2026 at 9:19 AM UTC
I was introduced to the act of bribery
before I could barely walk,talk and
react.
"DON'T CRY Baba- Be like a Good Boy"-
and this trivial act would get rewarded.
This marks the beginning of every
transactional relationship.
A chocolate for silence,
A toy for obedience,
Promises wrapped in glittering papers-
Nobody called it corruption then.
The subtle act of bribery hit under the
tenderness of my parents.
Years later,
The same lessons entered classrooms.
"Score good marks and we'll buy you
whatever you want".
Education slowly turned into auctions,
Where certain subjects like maths and
science stood with higher price tags.
As adults,
the rewards only became expensive-
the ranks were bought with heavy
money-
Now that even ambition amalgamated
with monetary benefits.
Aftermath, Money slid beneath desks,
Promotion hid inside envelopes.
And honesty, it only reflected a foolish
lunacy.
Then, society draped bribery in gold
and cash, named it marriage.
Dowry- calculated under a man's worth,
land, job, cars, social status.
Love- Even it had entered in the race of
negotiations.
And somewhere, between childhood and
adulthood, I finally realised-
Ghoos was never money alone.
I suspect it is my whole life that's
running through every possible act of
bribery.
And perhaps, we never hate corruption,
when we are indulged.