I recently stumbled upon a podcast featuring Saloni Khanna, a UPSC interviewer, who made quite the statement: “Corruption is the grease of the economy, toh wo hoti rehni chahiye.” Now, I couldn’t help but chuckle. It’s one of those statements that makes you pause and think, “Wait, what?” The audacity of such a statement is enough to grab anyone’s attention. But if we unpack it, there’s a lot to explore.
The idea that corruption is the “grease” that keeps the wheels of our economy turning is not new. It’s been a common sentiment, almost as if it’s a universally accepted truth that corruption is a necessary evil. The concept is that without those little backdoor incentives, things would slow to a halt—permits wouldn’t get signed, services wouldn’t be delivered, and somehow, life as we know it would become much harder. It’s almost as if people have internalized this as a feature of the system rather than a bug.
But here’s the deal: when corruption helps you, it doesn’t bother you. When you slip a few bills under the table to expedite that process you’ve been struggling with, it might feel like a necessary shortcut. But when it doesn’t work in your favor—when you’re the one stuck behind endless bureaucracy because you refuse to play the game—suddenly, the system is your enemy. It’s funny how our perception of corruption is tied directly to whether or not it benefits us in the moment.
However, let’s be real for a moment. Do we really want to depend on “grease” to get things moving? Imagine trying to get a simple permit, and you’re stuck in an endless loop of chai-pani demands. Or trying to start a business and realizing you need to “oil some palms” just to open a bank account, obtain the necessary permits, or get your paperwork in order. Corruption doesn’t just add another layer of frustration; it creates an uneven playing field where people with fewer resources or unwillingness to engage in such practices are left behind.
It’s a mindset issue, really. We’ve been conditioned to accept corruption as an inevitable part of the system, almost like bad traffic on a Monday morning. We sigh, we complain, and we go about our day, accepting it as just another thing we can’t change. But that kind of thinking keeps us from pushing for meaningful improvements. Forget the “necessary evil” nonsense; corruption is more like sticky gum on your shoe—annoying, unnecessary, and ultimately, it slows you down. It’s something we should be scraping off, not something we should allow to gum up the gears of progress.
When corruption becomes normalized, it starts eating away at more than just our collective patience. It eats away at the moral fabric of our society. It perpetuates inequality, breeds inefficiency, and ensures that merit takes a back seat. Transparency, accountability, and equal opportunity become mere buzzwords that sound good on government posters but hold little weight in reality. The people who genuinely want to contribute to the system, to innovate, and to grow, are either disillusioned or forced to play a game they never signed up for.
Imagine for a second what it would look like if we didn’t need corruption to progress. Imagine an India where the permit office processes applications efficiently, where starting a business isn’t an exercise in which you navigate who needs to be bribed, and where the public services we depend on are delivered without the expectation of a little something extra. It might sound utopian, but it’s not impossible. There are countries that have managed to drastically reduce corruption by emphasizing transparency and accountability, by holding their officials to higher standards, and by refusing to tolerate this outdated notion that a little grease is what’s needed to keep things running.
We need to change the lubricant of our system—from corruption to efficiency, from bribes to merit. The slick oil that keeps the economic engines purring should be fairness, transparency, and accountability. There’s something fundamentally freeing about a system where you know that what you bring to the table—your skills, your work, your ideas—will be valued without needing to engage in shady backroom deals. It encourages genuine competition, innovation, and growth, things that are vital for a thriving economy.
And let’s not forget the cost of corruption. It’s not just about a few notes changing hands; it’s about lost opportunities. Corruption stifles investment. Who wants to put their money into a system where half of what you spend is going towards greasing wheels instead of actual development? It makes governance less effective, resulting in poor infrastructure, inadequate public services, and ultimately, a lower quality of life for everyone involved.
Of course, this isn’t to say that fighting corruption is easy. It’s deeply embedded in our institutions, and rooting it out requires sustained effort, systemic changes, and most importantly, a shift in mindset. We need technology that tracks accountability, processes that are less cumbersome, and a culture that rewards honesty. We need to stop glorifying the jugaad that sometimes gets things done and start valuing the systems that make things work smoothly for everyone, equally.
We need a societal movement where we collectively agree that corruption is not an acceptable part of our lives. It needs to be seen as what it truly is—an obstacle to growth. The solution doesn’t just lie in stricter laws, though they are important. The real shift comes when we, as individuals, decide not to be part of the problem. When we refuse to offer bribes, when we refuse to look for shortcuts, and when we demand better from those who serve us. Real change often starts with small, everyday actions.
Saloni Khanna’s statement might have been intended to provoke thought or maybe just reflect a reality she has seen firsthand. But I, for one, don’t want to settle for an economy that needs dirty grease to keep moving. I’d rather we aim for a system that’s well-oiled with transparency, efficiency, and merit. Because ultimately, that’s the kind of society where everyone, not just the few with access to power, can thrive.
So, what do you think—is it time to toss the grease and demand a better system? Or are we still comfortable with the old ways of doing things, even as we complain about them? The choice, as always, is ours.