We are like that only!

Is it possible for even the greatest of Indians to discard the bonds of caste, class, clan or straightforward profit in favour of austere principles?

When the news exploded that four Supreme Court judges had held an unprecedented press conference, my immediate thought was that yet another ninepin had fallen. The last bastion of the impersonal governance of British times — the judiciary — had followed politicians, the bureaucracy, the media and the defence forces to elevate personal or group interests above the nation’s. Then I remembered Jawaharlal Nehru’s ambivalence over Sardar Partap Singh Kairon and wondered whether it’s possible for even the greatest of Indians to discard the bonds of caste, class, clan, affection, admiration or straightforward profit in favour of austere principle.

Paradoxically,