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<ul><li>In 1999, Siddharth Vasisht, also known as <keyword id="68726" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="manu-Sharma">Manu Sharma</keyword>, murdered Jessica Lal with a 0.22 calibre pistol at a restaurant in Mehrauli after she refused to serve alcohol past midnight. </li><li>Manu Sharma, son of former Union Minister Venod Sharma, was sentenced to life for killing Lal. </li><li>The trial court had acquitted him, but the Delji high court reversed the verdict on convicted him. </li></ul>Manu Sharma, the convict in 1999 <keyword id="1980657" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Jessica-Lal-murder">Jessica Lal murder</keyword> case, <a href="https://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-jessica-lal-murder-convict-manu-sharma-gets-early-release-after-lg-approves-sentence-review-board-recommendation-2826668">was released early</a> from Tihar Jail after 14 years on the grounds of “good behaviour.” In 1999, Siddharth Vasisht, also known as Manu Sharma, murdered Jessica Lal with a 0.22 calibre pistol at a private party in a restaurant in Mehrauli after she refused to serve him alcohol past midnight. Manu Sharma, son of former Union Minister Venod Sharma, was sentenced to life for killing Lal. The trial court had acquitted him, but the Delhi High court reversed the verdict on convicted him. In April 2010, the Supreme Court upheld the sentence of life imprisonment. However, today (May 22) Delhi’s Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal accepted the recommendation of premature release made by Delhi government’s sentence review board. His premature release has been discussed several times since 2017. Two years ago, Lal’s sister Sabrina Lal also said <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/india/dont-want-sword-of-manu-sharma-hanging-over-me-have-forgiven-him-jessica-lalls-sister-5148956/">she has no problem with Sharma's release.</a> However, SRB rejected all of them. Sharma was out on parole since the first week of April as part of measures to decongest jails and ensure social distancing. Even though Sharma was serving a life sentence, <a href="https://theprint.in/india/reasons-govt-panel-is-giving-for-early-release-of-jessica-lal-killer-manu-sharma/421844/">he had been on parole at least 10 times </a>in the last 16 years. He was also shifted to an open jail — which allows prisoners to walk out in the morning and come back in the evening — in 2017. Apart from Sharma, SRB has decided to grant premature release to 21 criminals. SEE ALSO:<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/interglobe-aviation-indigo-airline-profit-revenue-for-q4-march-2020-earnings-result-and-share-price-chart/articleshow/76154721.cms"> As expected, IndiGo reports a net loss of ₹1,750 crore after domestic air passenger dips and costs continue to pile up</a>

Manu Sharma, Jessica Lal's murder convict, walks out of jail after 14 years on the grounds of ‘good behaviour’

Reality is the most coveted theme in Bollywood right now. From churning out biopics to drawing inspiration from real-life incidents, movies are riding the ‘reality’ wave in a bid to rake in big moolah. Although it is not a box office hit, the recently released Gulaab Gang, starring Madhuri Dixit Nene and Juhi Chawla, is said to be inspired by Sampat Pal Devi and her Gulabi Gang, a group of Indian women vigilantes and activists. Another biopic based on Olympic medallist Mary Kom is coming up soon and promises to make waves. But before that, let us take a look at some of the most popular movies inspired by real life. 
 
1. Bhaag Milkha Bhaag One of the biggest hits of 2013 starring <keyword id="5015" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Farhan-Akhtar">Farhan Akhtar</keyword>, this is a biopic of Milkha Singh, the Flying Sikh of India. The flick goes beyond the obvious and highlights the lesser-known facts of the legendary athlete’s life, thus introducing the Indian sports hero to the Gen Y. Farhan is spectacular in his role while Milkha Singh has sold the rights of the movie for Re 1. However, a share of the profits goes to <keyword id="1937557" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="40" keywordseo="Milkha-Singh-Charitable-Trust">Milkha Singh Charitable Trust</keyword>. 
 
2. The Attacks of 26/11 
Directed by Ram Gopal Varma, this docudrama is based on the gory Mumbai attacks of 2008. The movie focuses on the series of events that took place on this fateful day. The movie revolves around the terrorist attacks and Ajmal Kasab, the prime radical, who was caught. RGV relies on police statements, eyewitnesses and the court evidence to bring in a pretty close presentation of reality. 
 
3. Once Upon a Time in Mumbai Dobaara 
A sequel to 2010’s Once Upon a Time in Mumbai, the movie is inspired by the animosity between gangsters Dawood Ibrahim and Chota Rajan. Despite a lot of hype, this gangster saga turned out to be a flop. Akshay Kumar, <keyword id="14676" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Imran-Khan">Imran Khan</keyword> and Sonakshi Sinha played lead roles in the film. 
 
4. The Dirty Picture 
Starring Vidya Balan, this one is a biopic of the southern sex siren, Silk Smitha, and offers a heavy dose of entertainment. Vidya has done an admirable job here and played a perfect seductress. She did her best to get into the skin of the character, which also required her to put on oodles of flab. 
 
5. Special 26 Starring Akshay Kumar and Anupam Kher, this film was inspired by a real life incident that took place in Mumbai’s Zaveri Bazaar in 1987. In the movie, a group on conmen posing as CBI officers executes a daylight income tax raid. The film also stars <keyword id="7637" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Manoj-Bajpayee">Manoj Bajpayee</keyword> and Jimmy Shergill, and has won plenty of critical acclaim. 
 
6. Paan Singh Tomar 
Another gem of a movie starring Irrfan Khan. This is a biopic of an athlete, Paan Singh Tomar, who was employed with the Indian Armed Forces. The film weaves the real life incidents that forced Paan Singh to quit the defence services and his dream of becoming an internationally acclaimed athlete, and take to guns instead. 
 
7. Satyagraha – Democracy Under Fire A political thriller starring Amitabh Bachchan, Ajay Devgn and Kareena Kapoor, this flick is loosely based on <keyword id="57766" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Anna-Hazare">Anna Hazare</keyword>’s fight against corruption. While Big B plays the role of Anna, Kareena’s character is inspired by the international journalist, Christian Amanpour. 
 
8. No One Killed Jessica This political crime thriller is a screen adaptation of the much publicised <keyword id="14009" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Jessica-Lal">Jessica Lal</keyword> murder case. While Vidya Balan plays Jessica’s elder sister, Rani Mukherjee is the spunky news reporter. The film has been widely appreciated for making the point quite poignantly and has bagged many prestigious awards. 
 
9. Not a Love Story 
This film starring Mahie Gill and Deepak Dobriyal is based on the ghastly murder of Neeraj Grover that led to the arrest of Maria Susairaj and M.L. Jerome. Director Ram Gopal Varma shot the movie in just 20 days at Dheeraj Solitaire building, which is the prime location of the incident. 
 
10. Guru 
It has not been stated officially but Guru, starring Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai, takes inspiration from the life and times of India’s celebrated business tycoon, <keyword id="6418409" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Dhirubhai-Ambani">Dhirubhai Ambani</keyword>. It portrays the journey of an ordinary man growing up to become one of the most powerful businessmen, with absolute faith in his dreams. 
 
Image: Indiatimes

10
Bollywood Movies Inspired By Real-life Stories

<keyword id="1972" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Rani-Mukherjee">Rani Mukherjee</keyword>’s latest release <keyword id="1633187" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="40" keywordseo="Mardaani">Mardaani</keyword> is getting rave reviews from critics and masses. The film might have some flaws but Rani’s performance is being hailed as flawless. So, as the actress basks in the glory of her recent success, let’s take a look at films that were a milestone in Rani’s career. 
 
Michelle in <keyword id="6368377" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="black">Black</keyword> 
 
Rani delivered a brilliant act in the role of a visually challenged and hearing impaired Michelle, the protagonist in Black. She gave life to the pathos suffered by a physically handicapped person and immortalized ‘Michelle’ forever in the minds of the audience. Michelle was the most challenging and rewarding role of Rani’s career for which she bagged the most number of awards. 
 
Meera Gaity in No One Killed Jessica 
 
In this film based on the true story of Jessica Lal murder, Rani played the role of a fierce journalist with the F-word on the tip of her tongue. Rani superbly enacted the role of a meticulous journalist, who dared to challenge limits to unearth the real story behind headlines. She won the Filmfare award for the Best Supporting Actress; it came just when the naysayers were contemplating the end of her career. 
 
Rhea in <keyword id="37937" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="20" keywordseo="Hum-Tum">Hum Tum</keyword> 
 
This was another sensitive and matured performance from Rani. As Rhea in Hum Tum, she displayed a wide range of emotions as her character matured, from being a bubbly girl to that of a woman, in a span of 9 years. Her restrained persona and natural acting brought the character to life. Another highlight of the movie was her on-screen chemistry with Saif Ali Khan, which set the silversrcreen ablaze. She bagged the Filmfare Award for Best Actress for the movie. 
 
Saamiya Siddiqui in <keyword id="495554" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Veer-Zaara">Veer Zaara</keyword> 
 
Despite playing the second lead, Rani Mukherjee left a lasting impression on audiences as Saamiya Siddiqui in Yash Chopra’s magnum opus Veer Zaara. She played an idealist Pakistani lawyer, who fights for an Indian soldier. Rani once again proved that she can bring out the best in any character. No wonder, she walked away with IIFA Award for the Best Supporting Actor – Female for Veer Zaara. 
 
Suhaani in <keyword id="37976" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="20" keywordseo="Saathiya">Saathiya</keyword> 
 
It was a girl-next-door character and Rani played it with élan. She was natural and spontaneous while playing a middle class Marathi girl caught in the cobwebs of love, marriage and the humdrum there after. What conflicts, ego hassles, and expectations could do to a marriage was beautifully depicted by Rani and Vivek in the movie. The movie was not only lapped up by the audiences but also won critical accailm. Rani won the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress for Saathiya.

5 Movies That Define Rani Mukherjee’s Career

For Indians, who are always hungry for some bloody drama, the high profile murders make for a delectable watch. Hence, it was little surprising when the recent <keyword id="3021112" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Sheena-Bora-murder-case">Sheena Bora murder case</keyword>, which is still developing, was called a ‘prime time murder’ for a reason. 
 
Crimes are what the audience trip on. We know that too well by now. It redeems the collective notion of Indians in karma theory they believe innately in. What goes around definitely comes around as well. And, when a rich man or woman commits a crime, they surreptitiously evoke the feelings of not-so-rich Indian middle class that watches the elite with a bit of suspicion and jealousy. 
 The case of Sheena Bora, the famed sister (allegedly daughter) of <keyword id="1210108" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Indrani-Mukerjea">Indrani Mukerjea</keyword>, who shot to fame years after her death, is a classic example of how India’s thirst is ravaging for sensational murders. 
 
After all, aren’t we the same country that fuels our imagination with prime time soap operas that are conniving, filled with crime, and also have a fair share of those who stand by and suffer silently till someone rescues them. Our concept of god, as the saviour is pretty much the same. 
 
Sheena’s story is still developing, in which a shocking dimension is getting added every day. The 24X7 coverage the news report is getting, doesn’t seem enough because the list of people involved is getting bigger by the day. The puzzle is so confusing that it is almost an unsolvable maze now. 
 
Some of the high profile cases that have shook India have had an interesting mix of elite and middle class with the latter feeling helpless. In case of Jessica Lal, the case was a clear one. 
 
<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=aarushi">Aarushi Talwar’s case</a> was also something that media rode on for a long time. There was sex, gore and double murders in the upscale house of affluent dentist couple. In the absence of everything else, the parents were finally declared the murderers and put behind bars. They continue to languish there, while trying to work up a weak battle once a while. But, the battle has now shifted from middle class to the system that implicates them. The system is so corroded that it has almost become unreachable and inaccessible for the end users. 
 
With Sheena, the case has gotten a lot murkier than all other. This is almost such a tragedy that even Greek tragedies that were written by greatest playwrights fall short of the dramatic equations this has created. 
 Never before did social media use a crime for comic relief. Today, when you open Facebook or Twitter, you only see the images of 24-year-old innocent Sheena, who was looking forward to a life with her technical stepbrother who was her lover, and a social climber in Indrani who seemed to have exploited her gender and looks to the last benefit, and a hapless <keyword id="6360333" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Peter-Mukerjea">Peter Mukerjea</keyword> who claimed he didn’t know Sheena was Indrani’s daughter. 
 
Wow! That was SOMETHING! Now, is this the same man who turned the fortune for Star Group in India? People, remember those days when Amitabh Bachchan resonated with his baritone voice on Kaun Banega Crorepati, a show that gave a fresh lease of life for both the actor and the channel! 
 
Star till then was pretty much a western channel that was yet to mature with Indian content. Peter changed the fortune with a bouquet of programmes. At a time when Star was at its best, it had top 44 shows on the list of a 100 most popular shows in India. This was the calibre of the man, who is now stuck in a marriage and a murder that does not seem to be easy to solve. 
 
Indrani is a challenge to India’s social conscience. A small town girl from Guwahati, who was called Pori in her childhood turned out to be the best social climber ever. There are hardly any journalists and media persons who have NOT tweeted or written about this crime after she was picked up by Mumbai police for interrogation two weeks ago. 
 
Since then, the crime has remained the same with dimensions getting wider and wider. Indrani not only managed to rope in her former husband from whom she had another daughter whom she publicly acknowledges, but mercilessly played a role in ending the life of her own daughter from an alleged live-in relationship that didn’t turn into a marriage. A son from the same relationship escaped the jaws of death because of his presence of mind. 
 
This is some crime that will rankle the ears of India for a long time to come. 
 
(Image: Indiatimes)

Sheena Bora murder case and other bloody trail of India’s high and mighty

He hit jackpot when his book 'Q&amp;A,' was made into the Oscar winning blockbuster '<keyword id="32892" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Slumdog-Millionaire">Slumdog Millionaire</keyword>.' An Oscar winning novel, and a few more books later, <keyword id="842" type="POSITION" weightage="80" keywordseo="author">author</keyword> Vikas Swarup — a 1986 batch <keyword id="128755" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="Indian-Foreign-Service">Indian Foreign Service</keyword> <keyword id="46129" type="POSITION" weightage="80" keywordseo="officer">officer</keyword> — will continue to remain in the limelight in a new role -- as the next <keyword id="929386" type="POSITION" weightage="80" keywordseo="Foreign-ministry-spokesperson">foreign ministry spokesperson</keyword>. 
 Starting mid-April, Swarup will succeed <keyword id="882197" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Syed-Akbaruddin">Syed Akbaruddin</keyword>, who will be the chief coordinator for the India-Africa Summit to be held here in October, which is expected to be attended by more than 40 heads of states or governments. After the summit, which was postponed in December following the Ebola outbreak, Akbaruddin will head for an ambassadorial posting. 
 
A ccording to the Economic Times, official sources have said that the file regarding Swarup's appointment was issued on Wednesday, ending speculation about who would succeed Akbaruddin. Swarup has maintained a low profile as <keyword id="196131" type="POSITION" weightage="80" keywordseo="joint-secretary">joint secretary</keyword> (United Nations-Political), handling India's role in the UN amid its ambitions to enter the <keyword id="159214" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="Security-Council">Security Council</keyword> as a permanent member, sources said. Swarup was involved in <keyword id="71" type="POSITION" weightage="80" keywordseo="Prime-Minister">Prime Minister</keyword> <keyword id="6354477" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Narendra-Modi">Narendra Modi</keyword>'s first outing at the <keyword id="107187" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="UN-General-Assembly">UN General Assembly</keyword> and Sushma Swaraj's maiden foray at the global body as <keyword id="46159" type="POSITION" weightage="80" keywordseo="Foreign-Minister">foreign minister</keyword> last year. 
 Swarup published his debut novel 'Q&amp;A' in 2005, which director <keyword id="233428" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Dan-Boyle">Dan Boyle</keyword> made into a movie three years later. The novel has been translated into 43 languages. 
 It was shortlisted for the Best First Book by the Commonwealth Writers and won <keyword id="6355117" type="COUNTRY" weightage="80" keywordseo="South-Africa">South Africa</keyword>'s Exclusive Books Boeke Prize 2006 as well as the Prix Grand Public at the 2007 Paris Book Fair. It was also voted winner of the Best Travel Read (Fiction) at the Heathrow Travel Product Award 2009. His second novel, 'Six Suspects,' was released in 2008, loosely based on the Jessica Lal murder case. In 2013, Swarup's third novel, 'The Accidental Apprentice,' was released. Swarup is also a short-story writer and has written for Time, <keyword id="37727" type="COMPANY" weightage="80" keywordseo="Newsweek">Newsweek</keyword>, Guardian and Daily Telegraph. 
 
Beginning his career with a posting in Turkey, Swarup has served in Indian diplomatic missions in Washington, Addis Ababa, London, Pretoria (as deputy high commissioner) and as Consul General in Osaka-Kobe in Japan, before returning to New Delhi in 2013. He also has experience of the neighbourhood as during 2003-06, Swarup dealt with Pakistan, Nepal and Bhutan, besides handling the office of the foreign minister. 
 Akbaruddin leaves behind big shoes to fill. As MEA <keyword id="6357308" type="POSITION" weightage="80" keywordseo="spokesperson">spokesperson</keyword>, he was the only one of his tribe who held weekly briefings, was available 24x7 and made optimum use of social media

Author of 'Slumdog Millionaire', now India's Foreign Office Spokesperson

Three months on the road, promoting my new book in America, Singapore and Europe have been an extraordinarily eye-opening experience. In this book, called “Conquering the Chaos; Win in India, Win Everywhere”, I look at why most <keyword id="6409042" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="MNCs">MNCs</keyword> have failed to make India an important market and what might be the consequences of this. Most MNCs in India are part of a “1 percent club” where India contributes an irrelevant 1% or less of their global profits. They tend to blame this on the challenges of doing business in India. A key point in the book is that chaotic India is in fact highly representative of most emerging markets. Corruption, bureaucracy, policy uncertainty and volatility, harassment by the taxman, inadequate protection for IP, poor infrastructure etc. are not unique to India alone; they are characteristics 
 
of all emerging markets and MNCs can’t escape this chaos in Brazil, Indonesia or Nigeria as well. Companies that have done spectacularly well in India such as Suzuki, Unilever, JCB, Cummins, Nokia, Standard Chartered, Hyundai or Schneider Electric have learned to thrive in the midst of chaos and having succeeded in India, they find that they have developed the capabilities, mindset, talent and innovative products and business models that help them succeed elsewhere. This is why the subtitle of the book is “Win in India, win everywhere”. These companies are not waiting for India to get better or look like a more developed market; they are instead adapting themselves and their business model to the realities of India and being richly rewarded for this. I contrast their approach with that of companies like Apple or Caterpillar who hesitate to commit to India until things get better allowing competitors like Samsung or JCB to eat their lunch. While India is a very challenging market, the bigger challenge for many MNCs is their own headquarters mindset. Such companies will find the going to be tough not just in India but all emerging markets. 
 
Since our economy is in such dire straits and our reputation as a rising nation so tarnished, I was fully prepared for a lot of pushback and criticism of my rather contrarian views. In fact, I was surprised by the fairly ready acceptance of my thesis. The only pushback I got was, “Are you letting the government of India off the hook too easily?” 
 
It is certainly true that India is one of the toughest places in the world for a business (ranked 132 out of 200 countries according to the World Bank). If the government wants to jump start the economy and attract FDI, it certainly needs to make India a less hostile place. But my point is that even in a 
 
tough market and a slowing economy, it is possible at the firm level to carve out a very successful business. And this is what companies like Samsung have shown. However I wasn’t prepared for one question which really flummoxed me; it came from a wise former US Ambassador to India. “So what you are saying in effect is that India will continue to be a lower middle income country, like much 
 
of Africa and South America instead of someday catching up with Europe or even China; isn’t that a rather tragic scenario for a country with such amazing potential?”, he asked. 
 
The question stopped me in my tracks and has rankled ever since. It’s fine to dish out advice to companies on how to prosper despite the chaos but what about India itself? As an Indian, I had sort 
 
of come to believe the rhetoric of Incredible India. I had come to believe that despite all our many challenges we would stumble our way forward-if not to great power status, at least to the status of a developed nation. Rather naively, I had thought this might happen even in my lifetime, but as I reflected on the question and on the events playing out in our country, it struck me that the good Ambassador had in fact asked the most relevant question. It’s not about our potential but rather how much of it we are likely to realize. 
 
As a CEO who has run large companies, I have learned that sustained performance has less to do with ambition, opportunities, or resources; long term performance is in fact the outcome of strategic choices, organizational capabilities, company culture, and above all, leadership. Over time, I have realized that this is true not just for a company, but for any organization and perhaps even for a country. And this framework highlights India’s problems. 
 
For a start, we cannot agree on ideas let alone strategies for anything. What should our policy be towards Pakistan? Towards China? Towards America? What is our strategy for economic development? How are we going to balance growth and the need for more equitable distribution? Is globalization positive for India or not? Are we going to welcome foreign companies and the investments, technology, and jobs that they bring or are we going to remain distrustful of them? Indeed are we going to be welcoming of businessmen and entrepreneurs or go back to Nehruvian distrust that crushed our economic potential? How are basic healthcare and education going to be delivered? How much should be left to the private sector? How are we going to improve our infrastructure? On any number of fundamental questions, there isn’t coherent thinking; we simply muddle along. 
 
The issue of institutional capabilities is even more troubling. We could have all the ambition and even strategic clarity but without strong institutional capabilities, nothing can happen. “It’s like trying to go to the moon on a bullock cart; no matter how much you flog the bulls, you won’t get there.” says spiritual leader Jaggi Vasudev. We have to upgrade our capability from bullock cart to spacecraft. Many of our institutions are still in the 19t century; perhaps some like the ICS were stronger then than today. Harvard economist Lant Pritchett points to rampant absenteeism, indifference, incompetence and corruption in many of our institutions and suggests India is a ‘flailing state”. How can we reasonably expect anything to be implemented when our implementation capabilities are so compromised? Historian Ram Guha points to the deliberate and systematic erosion of many of our critical institutions–law enforcement, judiciary–and posits that instability may be India’s destiny. 
 
How about culture? It is easy to blame the current situation on politicians and babus, but what about us? While there are indeed incredible aspects to our culture, there are some things that are truly shameful. Even Dr B.R. Ambedkar, the father of our Constitution, recognized that we are a fundamentally undemocratic and amoral culture. Take corruption. It’s very easy to blame the person asking for the bribe, but what about the person paying it? Why pay a fine for running a traffic light when you can get away by offering Rs 100? Why suffer a delay of some months getting a property transaction registered when you can pay a bribe and get it done today? Most of us have become so used to corruption that we fail to see much wrong with it. The whole pond has now got poisoned and it is hard to find a single sphere of activity that isn’t highly corrupt-business, civil society, education, even religion. No act is now so brazen as to be truly 
 
shocking. Lack of concern for the commons, evident from the condition of our public spaces, for instance, is another striking feature. I couldn’t help but notice that in New York City, every little public space has a small little garden or flower patch tended by volunteers. In India, every one of those would likely be a garbage dump. What about dodging taxes? In a country of nearly 100 official billionaires and zooming luxury car sales, is it not egregious that only 40,000 people, almost all of whom are professionals with tax deducted at source, have a declared income of over INR 1 crore? After visiting Europe many times, I cannot but be impressed by the extent to which European society focuses on the rights and needs of its weakest and most marginalized members of society. Yet we dismiss them as weak society in terminal decline even as we shrug indifferently at the death of children in Bihar who were fed a poisoned midday meal or at the countless daily acts of violence against women. Which is the better society? Where would you rather live? 
 
This brings me to the matter of leadership. Human nature is not fundamentally different around the world. If people in Singapore or Switzerland follow the rules diligently, pay taxes, and don’t litter, it isn’t because they are different or better. It’s because these countries have rules, regulations, and laws and swift and equal consequences for violating them. This happens because they have built strong institutions and a strong culture which in turn are a product of good governance and good leadership. The ultimate failure in our country is one of leadership and governance. It is impossible for India to make any progress on any front when self-interest trumps national interest every time. We have gradually allowed our country and our society to be hijacked by people who are criminals at worst and self-serving at best. For the most part, those at the helm of affairs today have little interest in India’s development. 30% of Lok Sabha members are criminals; 369 MPs and MLAs have been convicted of crimes against women. 100% of our parliamentarians under the age of 30 are children of politicians; so are 2/3rds of those under the age of 40. These aren’t the people focused on the country’s development. This extraordinary corruption and selfishness is true not just in politics and not just in the civil services or judiciary. It is equally true in business where much of the prosperity has been created more by crony capitalism than real entrepreneurship. And to an extent it applies to all of us, the urban middle class, who have chosen to stay disengaged and simply feather our own nests. 
 
I cannot claim to have a good solution but it does strike me that we have a few choices. Some of us can emigrate-as many did in the seventies and eighties. Others can erect stronger moats around our gated communities and try to keep the chaos 
 
at bay. We could turn to religion and pray for things to get better. We can pray for a savior like Mahatma Gandhi to arise and lead us to a better future. Or at least a benevolent strongman like Lee Kwan Yew though India seems much too complex to be led by a strongman. Or more of us could step up and demonstrate greater public spirit and leadership and try to reclaim India’s future. We could start by being good citizens-law abiding, paying taxes, voting in elections, refusing to pay bribes. We could join hands and protest strongly, publicly, peacefully against injustice-the suspension or transfer of an honest civil servant for instance. Activism matters more than we might think; Jessica Lal’s murderer would still be free if it weren’t for activism. India would not have an antirape Act if it weren’t for activism. We could donate generously and support the small number of individuals and non-profit organizations who are fighting courageously for better governance. And finally, handful of us could muster up the courage to jump into politics and tip the balance in favour of good. 
 
Progress has always hinged on the forces of good being stronger than the dark forces. Once we make a decision to be a force for good, we are limited only by our imagination. It is the educated middle class that ultimately determines the future of a society. It is time for us to step up. 
 
(Venkatesan is a Director on the Boards of Infosys and AB Volvo, and a Fellow of the Center for Higher Ambition Leadership, Boston. He is an advisor to several family businesses and entrepreneurial ventures. This article was contributed to Thinkers, a quarterly thought leadership magazine that features the brightest thinkers in the areas of economics and governance, philosophy and literature, science and technology, and management. To learn more about the magazine, please visit: <a href="http://www.thinkers.in/">www.thinkers.in</a> )

You Searched For "Jessica Lal murder" and got 6 results

Manu Sharma, Jessica Lal's murder convict, walks out of jail after 14 years on the grounds of ‘good behaviour’

BI India Bureau

10 Bollywood Movies Inspired By Real-life Stories

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5 Movies That Define Rani Mukherjee’s Career

Charu

Sheena Bora murder case and other bloody trail of India’s high and mighty

Preetam Kaushik

Author of 'Slumdog Millionaire', now India's Foreign Office Spokesperson

BI India Bureau

Thinkers/Thinkers 50: Former Microsoft India CEO says India has to work on its image to grow better

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