Have religions cared about the roots of corruption? 

One often wonders whether religions, philosophers, sociologists, personality developers, or psychologists have seriously dealt with the roots of corruption. People talk endlessly about others but rarely stand before a mirror to examine their own corruption. It is astonishing how writers, artists, and those in positions of power silently accept corruption as if it were normal. Even more surprisingly, they innocently ask, “How is this corruption, exploitation, or oppression?” They do not understand it easily.

Is giving remuneration enough?

If one says... To the Collector, the caste supremacists, the landlords, the industrialists, the ministers—we’ll pay you the same wages we get. Will you wash our clothes? Will you sweep our houses? Will you cook for us? Will you clean our bathrooms and fix our drains?

You say you’re paying wages, giving rewards, loving us immensely, and respecting us. You think that by doing these things, you’re treating us as equals. Then only you’re giving us equal rewards, and SOCIAL EQUALITY.

They will refuse. Yet they think they are loving and respecting others equally merely by offering remuneration. That is not true equality or genuine respect.

Is self-serving love true love?

Is love that arises from self-interest genuine love? Humans claim to “love” animals—cows, goats, chickens, pigs, horses, elephants, and dogs—but that love exists only to serve human needs. They love goats and chickens so they can slaughter and eat them. Farmers love their lands and crops because they wish to reap and consume them. Some say they love nature—but it is mostly for the pleasure nature gives them. Such love is self-centered; it exists for one’s own pleasure and benefit. True love lies in selfless service and altruism. Yet, many seek power and authority even through acts of service. Such self-interest disguised as service or devotion is not true love or real altruism.

Is man inherently selfish?

Is man born selfish? From birth, a person is bound within numerous ties—mother tongue, parental community, family and relatives, neighborhood, and society. Human life is community-based and rule-bound—nothing comes naturally. We learn everything through observation, imitation, and instruction: language, manners, customs, caste identity, religion, and social norms. Educational institutions and cultural expressions like arts and literature reinforce these patterns. Thus, human personality takes shape through learned conditioning—a process of cultural and psychological training that defines one’s worldview and habits.

Roots of corruption in India

Some observers say corruption runs deep across all sectors in India. Tug at one thread, and the entire coil trembles. One study suggests that the habit of bribing gods with offerings in exchange for favors is itself symbolic of corruption. People worship, donate, and perform rituals expecting boons; if denied, they question the worth of gods themselves. Such transactional devotion—“Here is a coconut for you, give me what I ask”—is a bargain with divinity. This moral negotiation, this trade of desires, is where corruption begins—in religion and craving itself. But abandoning desires and renouncing such religious practices is not easy.

Culture, civilization, and moral reform

Therefore, cultural reform must be the beginning of change. To reduce corruption in India, we must confront the corruption that begins at home—within families. Many fail to recognize this. For those who accept corruption as a way of life, it appears normal. For instance, the belief that women must cook while men only eat is where household-level corruption begins. If equality is to stand—whether in fields, industries, offices, or construction sites—then men too should share household duties equally: cooking, cleaning, washing clothes, and caring for children. When men change their mentality and take responsibility for domestic work, corruption will decline, and the family system will be strengthened.

Is the kitchen the root of the family system?

Some studies from America, Europe, and Australia claim that if home cooking disappears, the family system collapses. Therefore, if restaurants were closed, families would return to stability! Hence, dear men—step into your kitchens. Cook, care for your children, and free women from the kitchen. Only then will the family system truly thrive. Whether it survives or dies lies in the hands of men.

Bahujans and cultural advancement

Bahujans (marginalized communities) often criticize religion, but religion survives through culture, mentality, and character. Therefore, transformation must begin by changing culture and mindset. One must shed the patriarchal and Brahminical attitudes embedded in tradition. True cultural progress lies in eliminating these inherited attitudes. Trying to change others without changing oneself is itself a dishonest, corrupt act. So long as patriarchal work divisions are accepted and practiced, religions and social systems will continue to suppress half the population—women and children. Hence, women must be liberated from kitchen work, childcare burdens, and household servitude.

Are those who cannot cook equal to animals?

Animals cannot cook. Likewise, those who cannot or do not cook live like animals. They remain at a primitive stage of civilization—like pets dependent on others for food. Those who avoid cleaning, washing, or nurturing children also live at an uncivilized level of existence. Consequently, traits like cruelty, domination, and exploitation persist in them. Historically, even saints, kings, or ascetics who never cooked were prone to such animal instincts—cursing, punishing, and oppressing others. On the other hand, those who cook daily understand compassion, culture, and civility. Those who merely sit and eat when food arrives are morally corrupt. When these habits change, culture transforms, attitudes evolve, and human personality advances toward a civilized society.
Thus, corruption begins right at the kitchen—at the patriarchal division of labor. Those who eat what others cook without contributing are essentially parasites, the root of corruption, and no better than beasts in civility.