There is an old saying: when wealth is lost nothing is lost; when health is lost something is lost; when character is lost everything is lost. The saying needs some elaboration as the context has changed. It was coined when wealth was not the be all and end all of everything. But we are in the commerce age, where wealth is everything, gotten from whatever means. How to relate the relevance of the saying to the modern times is what would be baffling to many or may be most. But there is relevance, only one needs to probe a little deep. So, as the saying goes when wealth is lost nothing is lost because it can be regained by using health and character. But when health is lost something is lost because the weakening of the health will make things difficult for people to recover wealth. Yet, since character is there, sincere efforts can still help in getting back what is lost at least to some extent. But when character is lost, nothing will come back as it is the character that gives the drive. Let us look at the present political scenario. What is happening may leave even the most ardent of the optimists with serious doubts about the future of the country. Political scenario has left a lot to be desired. It is not just about the recent happenings in the elections to the few state assemblies that went to polls. We need not go back very far. Just remember what happened in Karnataka sometime back? You decide, but if one word that can aptly describe the entire story — it is character. It was conspicuously absent. More recently Maharashtra or even Haryana. And what is happening in Jharkhand. The incidents will put even the most shameless to shame. Shame, yes people in politics have thrown the very idea of shame to the winds. A politician in one party today does not find favour there, goes to another party, succeeds and may even change over to some other party to gain a position of power or may be for something in cash or kind. Where is the Indian politics heading for? Disaster? Chaos? Whatever, but portends are ominous. How to explain what is happening? Logic cannot explain. Reason has no answer with values and morality virtually becoming extinct in politics the scenario can only be described as a precursor to anarchy. There is a rather elaborate description of these times in the Uttar Ramayana section of Ram Charit Manas. All one needs is to read the dialogue between Kagabhushundi and Garuda on how things will be in Kalyug. It is so vividly described that futurologists like Alvin Toffler may appear naïve. The dialogue has also been very neatly summed up in a very popular song from a Bollywood hit of the early seventies starring the thespian Dilip Kumar in the lead role. Relevant portion of the song is being paraphrased here. The song says that an era called Kalyug will come in which all undesirable things will happen. There will be black money and blackhearts. Thieves and pickpockets will be rich and respected whereas the righteous will be miserable. Those who will be greedy and sinful will be called saintly. And the real clincher is that there will be proclamation of righteousness and religiosity everywhere but there will be no shame. How vivid and accurate. There cannot be a better description of these times.

Pathak is a professor of management, writer, and an acclaimed public speaker. He can be reached at ppathak.ism@gmail.com