Enough said of the legacies India has given to the world hundreds of years back. After 64 years of being an independent country what have we achieved independently to brag about? Every year when January or August appears, we start chewing the same old corn of what religious leaders have done for the country, how independence was achieved and how finally India emerged as a democratic country.
Why have we never given a little introspection on our country nor have we ever tried to change us or our surroundings a little bit? Let me walk you through a few social and political threats India has been facing from Independence to this date.
India - a country devoid of caste, creed, ethnicity and geographical distinctions?
India widely boasts itself of being a secular country which treats every citizen equally irrespective of caste, creed and sex. How far is this valid? We can’t find a single institution, both Government and Private, which doesn’t have a column of community, caste and language in it. I was under the impression that it is only the Government and politicians who create this divide for their own monetary and vote gains which proved to be wrong a few days back.
A simple difference of opinion on fixing exam dates in my post graduate class resulted in complete pandemonium. Being a class where people from all over the country come together, it is a mixed population where we can find people from Tamilnadu to Kashmir, Rajasthan to West Bengal and from the metropolitan city of Delhi to tiny town of Tenali. Once a quarrel between two parties started, people started taking sides. Ultimately it became South Indians versus North Indians. The ‘Northies’ accused some of their friends for not participating in the bicker as they were south Indians. The same happened in the other group finally creating a split between the class. I have been wondering since then that from where North and South India came in fixing exam dates. When this is the case in a highly reputed Government Institute where every single person is highly intellectual, how can we expect the illiterate and the commoner to have the feeling of national integrity and unity?
The possible solution is to remove columns of caste, creed and community from all applications which I hope would result in removal of the same from the hearts of many Indians in a few years.
The Voter and the Voted:
When India is referred as a democracy, it does naturally imply that people are the supreme authority for who the Government provides service, by who the Government is being formed and from who Government is created. If so, why did we the citizens of India uproot all the social obstacles that India has faced so far? The mistake must lie either in the hands of the voter or the voted. Unfortunately, both the voter and the voted stand guilty.
When the constitution of India was being framed there were hordes of men who were illiterate but still held high moral values (Kamaraj, AnnaDurai etc.). The constitution could not deny such esteemed leaders their right of participating in elections and neither can they deny their right of vote. Thus came the right of Universal Adult Franchise and right to contest in elections by every single citizen of India. But at the present age when even many of the ‘educated’ have loose morals and where corruption is the law of the land, the illiterate become easier targets of vote bank politics and money for vote. Politics has become a money minting occupation that requires neither qualification nor a basic skill. It has even degraded to an extent where local gangsters have and are still successful and respectable politicians.
As for the voters, the illiterate become victims of ‘money for vote’ politics or they are brainwashed by parties which tempt them by feeding freebies. The literate who have the ability to bring a change shun their voting rights and stay at home.
The possible solution can be to bring about a change in the two rights stated above. The voter must definitely have an idea of the happenings around the nation and a minimum qualification must be affixed to excise the right to vote. Also the right to vote must be made compulsory and failing to do so should be made a punishable offense.
The voted must definitely satisfy all the above said criteria and also must show a definitive thirst for social causes by actively participating in social activities for a minimum of two years. Such credible certificates by organizations must be exhibited and verified by the election commission immediately after the candidate files his nomination papers before the election dates.
Though these ideas seem to be far from being realistic, I am sure such drastic changes are required at dark times to prevent India from falling into wrong hands that are capable of selling the our country for a few pennies.
