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AntiCorruptionChennai.com |
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Highlights of the Inaugural Meeting
The inaugural function of The Academy of Honest Politics was held on
22nd Aug from 10.30 am to 1.00 pm at the Ethiraj College
Auditorium. The academy is aimed to function as a training institute
that would raise a new breed of honest politicians in an effort to put
India back on its path towards rapid progress and development without
the hindrance of corruption in every stratum of the socio-political
system.
The General Secretary of the Anti-corruption Movement, Mr. S.M.Arasu
formally invited the gathering and introduced the distinguished guests
who had graced the occasion with their presence. The President of the
organization explained the need for this institute in the current
political scenario and the important role it would play in weeding out
corruption from all rungs of the political ladder. He also expressed
the view that almost everyone today agreed that politicians were the
root cause for the corruption that is destroying this great nation from
within.
Er.C.S.Kuppu Raj. Octogenarian President of the Anti-Corruption
Movement in his greetings message, recalled that in the past, the
country had seen a number of honest political leaders like Lal Bahadur
Shastri, Kamaraj and Kakkan, who all had the welfare of the country in
mind and in their heart and never aspired for money or position. There
were honest officers and judges. He lamented that such people are a
rarity now and almost a lost breed. He hoped that an academy of this
kind will help to groom the youth into responsible leaders who would in
future serve the nation with honesty and patriotism.
Mrs.Bharathi
Bhaskar was one of the speakers and her turn was eagerly
awaited by everyone gathered in the premises. She received a rousing
welcome as she got ready to address the gathering.
She reasoned that
the power to either encourage or curb corruption is in the hands of
every Indian. Since we are the ones who give bribes whenever we need
things done for our own selfish needs, we are ultimately responsible
for the existence of corruption. She also narrated a poignant episode
from her childhood days which she said taught her the value of
integrity. She shared that when she was very young, her father served
as head of a certain educational institution. He had given school
admission on compassionate grounds to a particular student who had
joined almost one month late from the start of the academic year. The
following day, the parent of the student had brought several baskets of
fruits in appreciation of her father’s gesture. She said that
her
father refused to accept the gift and sent them away. She stated that
the incident forever etched in her mind at that impressionable age, the
true value of integrity and moral standards. Mrs. Bhaskar also
expressed her concern that while such impeccable leaders like Kamaraj
and several others served our land in the past, there are no such role
models for our youngsters to follow in the political leadership of
today.
Kalaimamani Dr.CHEYON, Asst. Station Director AIR Chennai, lucidly
expounded upon the wealth of moral instruction found in Tamil
literature. He also explained about many of the radio programs and the
books that he had written about the subject. He stated that while we
have a literary interest in many of these ancient writings, we have
totally failed to adopt them as moral standards to guide our lives.
Hon'ble Thiru. S. SAMBANDAM, Former Member, State Human Rights
Commission who spoke next, shared his traumatic experiences of dealing
with corrupt officials at all levels of bureaucracy during his years of
service.
Thiru. R. KUCHELAN, President, Working People Trade Union Council who
is a prominent trade union leader and has been instrumental in getting
innumerable organizations and individuals involved in building more
than 80 class rooms and donating them to various Institutions ,
expressed his opinion that raising funds to run the academy would never
be an issue. He expressed his faith in people’s willingness
to
financially support worthy projects based on his experience of
developing so many indigenous projects funded solely by public support.
The main inaugural address for the occasion was given by Thiru. N.
VITTAL, I.A.S., (Retd), Former Central Vigilance Commissioner and
Patron, Anticorruption Movement. He stressed on the importance of the
need for an academy of this nature that could train youngsters and
prospective leaders of the next generation in the path of honesty,
integrity and accountability. Mr. Vittal was also greatly praised by
Mr.Kuchelan for his role in developing an efficient system during his
tenure as Chairman, Telecom Commission and Secretary, Department of
Telecommunication which totally eliminated corruption from the sector
and has brought about a revolution in telecommunication.
The inaugural ceremony ended with a recorded rendition of the national
anthem. More than two hundred people representing a true cross-section
of society attended the meeting. A large number of Students of Ethiraj
College also attended the function.
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