<p>Veteran freedom fighter Pandit Sudhakar Chaturvedi lamented that corruption had been infused into every walk of life and wondered whether their fight for freedom had been valued at all. <br />“I sometimes wonder if this is why we fought for independence and freedom,” Chaturvedi said.<br /><br />Chaturvedi, who celebrated his 113th birthday on Monday, strongly felt that greed and selfishness need to be overcome to root out corruption from the society. <br /><br />‘Eradicate corruption’<br /><br />He urged the Lokayukta and similar agencies across the country to work more rigorously to eradicate corruption. He said: “Although we have attained swarajya, surajya (good governance) is still a distant dream... We still need to learn how to act and where to act.” However, this can only be achieved if self-aggrandisement gave way to self-satisfaction and spirit of sacrifice. <br /><br />“...Only then can a corruption-free society be established,” Chaturvedi said.<br />An associate of Mahatma Gandhi, Chaturvedi, who participated in Jallianwala Bagh protests and was jailed several times during the freedom struggle, said: “Simple, truthful life is the secret of longevity.”<br /><br />Chaturvedi was gifted a special wheel chair by Lokayukta Santosh Hegde on behalf of IDL Foundation, an NGO working for visually challenged and senior citizens.</p>
<p>Veteran freedom fighter Pandit Sudhakar Chaturvedi lamented that corruption had been infused into every walk of life and wondered whether their fight for freedom had been valued at all. <br />“I sometimes wonder if this is why we fought for independence and freedom,” Chaturvedi said.<br /><br />Chaturvedi, who celebrated his 113th birthday on Monday, strongly felt that greed and selfishness need to be overcome to root out corruption from the society. <br /><br />‘Eradicate corruption’<br /><br />He urged the Lokayukta and similar agencies across the country to work more rigorously to eradicate corruption. He said: “Although we have attained swarajya, surajya (good governance) is still a distant dream... We still need to learn how to act and where to act.” However, this can only be achieved if self-aggrandisement gave way to self-satisfaction and spirit of sacrifice. <br /><br />“...Only then can a corruption-free society be established,” Chaturvedi said.<br />An associate of Mahatma Gandhi, Chaturvedi, who participated in Jallianwala Bagh protests and was jailed several times during the freedom struggle, said: “Simple, truthful life is the secret of longevity.”<br /><br />Chaturvedi was gifted a special wheel chair by Lokayukta Santosh Hegde on behalf of IDL Foundation, an NGO working for visually challenged and senior citizens.</p>
