Why there is corruption in India...

I think everyone acknowledges that there is widespread corruption in our system. Even before Anna Hazare became a household name, the talk is already there that we need to do something about corruption. It is just that Anna Hazare translated the talk into action. I very much endorse modifying or introducing new systems that will arrest corruption. Just that I am not happy with 'fast unto death' kind of approach. I believe some other different measures should be employed to put pressure on the government for setting up Lokpal.

Legal systems are not going to be sufficient for ethical uprightness of a nation. Strong legal systems may deter people from being corrupt. After all no one likes to go to jail. But we need more than legal systems to run the nation. We need moral uprightness too. And moral uprightness go beyond legal demands. And I believe that is why religion or moral philosophy is an essential element for a nation. For example, our legal system cannot deter people from committing adultery; it is only religious teaching that can exhort people to restrain from such act. Our legal system cannot deter people from "expecting" gifts for favour done. Our legal systems cannot deter people from "loving" one person more than the one who deserves it.

So how is our/your religion teaching us/you about moral uprightness? If a religion offers only moksha and not teach us how to walk uprightly on this earth, such a religion is lame. If a religion teaches us only about rituals, and not about how to conduct our life in relation with other human persons, such a religion too is lame. Most of time that is in our disposal we spend time with other human persons; and most difficult part of life is to get along with all other human persons in the righteous way. It is easy to get along with machines, difficult to get along with human persons. And this important aspect of human life, a religion that undermines is lame and therefore is not to be taken as a valid religion. 

I do not think that all religions give equal importance to moral teaching,  and teaches moral matters equally. If you are concerned for the moral condition of the nation, and wish that people conduct their affairs with moral uprightness, it is important which religion you follow. Do not think that the religion you are born into is the automatically the best for the nation. Human legal systems will have flaws; similarly human religious institutions too will have flaws. It is so because though the One communicated to human being rightly, we do not always rightly received the message since our heart and our mind are not always tuned to taking that which is pure and good.There is a bit in us that loves to go astray, even knowingly. Let us say Aristotle would call that as akrasia; and Augustine original sin.

To believe that human legal system alone is sufficient to out weed corruption is, I believe, to fail to understand human nature correctly.So coming back to why there is corruption, I would say the legal system is not adequate and even the moral injunction that religion is supposed to provide is not adequately provided.