Cast away!

We, the batch of ’88 avidly look ahead to tread the first step towards the change, to cast the first vote towards the change! Excitement, vigour, determination and a sense of pride flushes through, as we sight this as accomplishing our most fundamental right - responsibility - duty. Alas! I feel resentment. And many would share my plight of not being able to exercise the right, the first step into adulthood. As they chant and we realize, elections form the soul of the democracy, conferring on us the right to exist, sustain and live the ‘our-way’ of it and voting is how we exercise this!

Unfortunately, the Republic of India falls short at providing this to its citizens. A 3^rd year engineering student racking my head in the final exams that I take now, I miss the two IPLs. Yes the Indian Political League forms the second. And many would be stuck up with their jobs at places where they don’t exist in accord to the Democracy’s lists, the voters’ list. The media and rigorous campaigning has stirred up young India dramatically. So much so that it has prodded the often politically aloof youngsters around me to start talking on the issues and hauling them to the ballot. But ballot they don’t reach! My name proudly stands in the lists for the constituency of Agra, and I humbly sit in an examination hall in Nagpur. But there are my many friends to console me as they drudgingly sail in the same waters, sailing far away from the elections at their shores.

62 years on and the country hasn’t reached its citizens the basic right, and they keep talking of bijli and paani (sadly, that too futile). 62 years on and we still exhaust ourselves in the simplest of all castings. 62 years on and we pass miserably at this eligibility test as a democracy. Booming India, and in booming percentages has the youth wandered far from their towns and cities, to study, work and boom India. Swelling number of people has cast away its right to cast.

We deem to be a pillar in the international political and economic axes, a pillar to be reckoned by all, but can’t redeem and revise our system? Pace for progress should be this slow? Its time the Commission pace up its plans and execute them. Modify and progress with the times and needs. I see a solution to my resentment and others’ right to their right-duty. Revising completely the roll list of voters and its formation procedures, making it thorough would be one. Next would be to get the whole system online. It could be formed on the basis of railway ticketing and booking. Each voter could be given its unique ID number that could exercise and have access only once with validity lasting the voting hours for the particular constituency it’s meant to be, from anywhere and any online polling booth across the country. The secret ballot and the indelible ink remain crucial, playing their part. Once the vote is cast, the name and ID number would be ticked and counted in the electoral list generated in the main database. The ID would then be invalid for use everywhere. Of course we need to keep a vigil on its vulnerability. The US follows some online system, as so do many developed nations.

This new system I assume wouldn’t be that tough for the commission to follow provided its ready to dedicate itself to its work, working meticulously and thoroughly. Oh! No. I don’t blame its credibility. Having wrong and erroneous voter ID cards with switched over sexes, ludicrously wrong birth years, even distributing ones with birth years as ’94 (my friend’s elder brother!), is a small bearable fault. Leave alone the failure in delivery of the cards to many.

Providing its citizens with a right to avail all rights would be the basic essence of any democracy. Boasting of the largest democracy, we need to be quick in mastering this feat, for this would be the first stone for proper governance, better policies and the Janta’s choice and adept representation that would work in accordance to the will of the citizens of India.

The Big Hindustani Tamasha!

 

The world’s largest democracy witnesses its testimony of being, evidence of very existence, as we move ahead zealously towards the secret ballot. After all sailing through a sea of instability all around isn’t an easy task. Hats off to the Indian Democracy!

 

Truly democratic, of, for and by the people, the country has many a varied names to flaunt of. It exhibits a panorama of Gandhi topis and white dhotis, a complete kaleidoscope of the policies, politics and politicians. And there democratically, have sprung up numerous parties. Branched out and evolved countless off springs adding spice to the pot. India now showcases an array of ideologies, policies and thereby thy politicians to choose from. The aam aadmi has a tailor made party to vote for, in accord to his line of thought. And that goes to the overflowing strength of the nation.

           

But as we sail into this, it dawns upon me our piteous state. The very meaning of the word democracy appears false. These months, the run up to the elections bear our warts and all. Democratically raised, the countless parties stirring up their regional tamashas, and a few messing up with the religion-al bakhedaas, have lost in their frenzy the connotation of the word issue. Though their issues now turn their guns against their procreators. But this remains ephemeral. As time ripens for a change, amnesia takes on the better of them. Bhai there are no foes or friends in this business. “Aapsi sahyog se hi to desh chalega!” and how well are twisted and turned the denotation of words like sahyog, to suit their needs.

 

Such is our belief in the system, in us that we prepare campaign and read out manifestos not for the elections but for the coalition post elections. That’s smart work. That’s the only ‘big thing’ for the government. The loss is no more a letdown anymore (I doubt if it has ever been). They are confident on their incapability’s; they have trust in their loosing ideologies, believe that their work and policies are inadequate and acknowledge that the janta disapproves of them. And so does it reflect our, the common man’s fading believes and missing in the woods, our thinking routes. Our basic essence now is bedlam that governs our walk ahead; our approach towards everything causes this coalition as an output.  And we call us a developing nation, with such a mess to get ourselves governed?

 

So there we go with all the mudslinging and draping democracy dirty. UPA, NDA and the precarious Third Front, all catapults such a puppetry and manifest the big fat Indian Politics, a complete entertainment package? So much is the coalition in the mainstream, so much does it form the axis that everything else forms a backdrop to this picturesque drama. So much is this into everyone, so much does it form the core of the netas that one can’t think beyond the mili-juli sarkar. And there creeps in the vices of democracy. The gatbandhan! They are in power, but with sahyog and they persistently smile to their sahyogis. Just to remain in power, just to be the policymaker, they appease their supporters in the House, forgetting the very policies. The tenure passes by just in an attempt to remain in for the whole tenure. National issues take a backseat and stability of the chair takes the top priority. Backing off the support and the fall of the coalition is of prime concern. Forget all the five year plans, the bills that pile up through the years, the laws that still remain from being implemented. Just for instance, the nuclear empowerment took off during the BJP regime, and was opposed by them when was being taken ahead by the UPA. The government faced the no confidence motion and there was yet another instance of corruption coming to light, scandals like the vote for cash scam. Just to please all the tiny supporting parties, the national interests keep on lingering. As aptly carped by adept/inept Sushmaji, (option open for consideration to the janta), “the United Progressive Alliance has been reduced to an Unlimited Prime-Ministers Alliance”. Revolving around it, is NDA far away from Negotiating Democracy Always? And at this terror struck slowdown, our thousand proficient leaders scuttle their way to the premier chair; nothing but coalition a step ahead.   

 

Had there been a single party government, things would have smoothened dramatically, thereby the government, legislation, judiciary, citizens and the country doing what has to be done, democratically still. They take the chair to rule us, rather than assuming office to serve us. And we need to get them to serve us now. We need to make them realize that the sahyogis are meant to actually sahyog the sarkar. Rather than supporting their selfish beings. The change takes in me. The change radiates from me and the change changes the air around me. My sincere vote would be the change!

 

Change in the politics of the country.

Change in the policies of this democracy.

Change in the way they work.

Change in the way we get them to work.

Change in India.

Change in Me.

Change is my wise vote!