US-educated Ramesh Ramanathan admits he flies business class while working on issues concerning the urban-poor, and lets the water run while he shaves. But that doesn’t stop him from writing in Mint:

“Hypocrisy is a big issue in most societies, but it’s a particularly problematic one in India.

“We believe that “mamatha”—a mother’s affection—is a sacred emotion, and yet unflinchingly inflict horrors upon our women. We take bribes, and then hope to wash away our sins by thrusting thousands down the slit-eyed hundis of our temples.

“We speak of compassion, but show little for the household help who toil away in our homes. We study “moral science” in our schools (whoever coined that phrase?) and are tested to see if we got the spelling right when we have the essence wrong.

“We learn about civics and citizenship, and yet are often asked—and ask ourselves—why we have such a strong sense of family, but such a poor sense of a larger community: How can our homes be so clean, and our streets so littered with garbage?”

Read the full column: A nation of hypocrites