Why do people want to cheat? No...this is not one of those Jiddu Krishnamurthy type sessions. Wanted this to be a rant but I will not get into that mode as well.

Last week, I was filling up a full tank of diesel for the Scorp at the petrol bunk in Adyar. Full tank is not cheap by any standards. The folks that were operating the pump were super friendly. They were smiling and being extremely helpful. There were 3 people buzzing around the car. It was really nice, and the idiot in me was thanking all these good people. Mera Bhahat was looking mahan. As we were filling up, suddenly the pump stopped. The guy filling in was apologetic and said "Saaar power cut"...and he yelled at a colleague to turn the power back on. He reset the pump and filled it up again. Then as one would expect he gave me a bill of what he filled after the power cut added to what he filled in before the power cut. That is where the trouble began. He told me that he had filled in a full tank of 45 liters. And he assured me that my Scorp can hold 60 liters. The only catch, I have never filled 45 liters....ever! The tank can hold a max of 45 and I had about 10 liters still left!! There were sheepish grins and apologies for a clerical mistake and good high quality acting when I said I would lodge a complaint. Money was given back to me! There was absolutely no reason to cheat except greed! I was giving them good business (>Rs 1300) when others around me were filling up for 500 bucks max. But they got caught because of their over confidence and greed. But Why??

Then there is this whole cartel of people in the Indian Academics who buy and sell degrees. I am observing at close quarters a scam where degrees are being sold, theses being bought like brinjal in the Mallewaram Market. I am wondering why? Why should one want a degree when one does not really want it? Why should the guardians of ethics, the professors and the deans, cheat and give away degrees. All this for what? Imagine the next doctor you go to in an emergency has no clue what she is doing...she had bought her degree. Or the engineer who built the bridge on which you are walking to see the huge flood go below....will the bridge hold on bought degrees or on true knowledge!

Why is there this need to cheat? Why? No answers but bewilderment :-(