In the last couple of days, I am
swamped with patriotic messages. On fb &
twitter & whatsapp & ordinary smses; emotional, colourful, sometimes
funny, witty but all congratulating all of us on the occasion of ‘Republic Day’.
It has
made me ask, what are we celebrating? The word ‘Republic’ is defined in the
dictionary as “a country without a king or queen, usually
governed by elected representatives of the people and a president”. The meaning
is more effectively conveyed by the Indian words used, “Praja-Sattak” or “Gana-Tantra”
Divas.
Do
we really have that in this country?
On
this, our 64th Republic Day, do we honestly believe that we are
ruled by the common citizens (Praja)
of this country? Do we, the ordinary citizens (Gana), have any say in the way this country is governed?
The
answer is an emphatic NO!
The
reasons for this can be debated endlessly; and in fact majority of us do just that! Debate
these and similar issues endlessly in the comfort of our drawing rooms. And, depressingly, the
conclusions are usually the same....
“Politicians
have ruined this country”
“Politics
has become a business of rogues & crooks”
“Politics
is not a field for gentlemen like us, anymore”
“What
can I do, alone?”
“After
all, I have my career, family, life to consider”
& the unkindest
cut of them all, “This country has no future, Iss desh ka kuchh nahi ho sakta”
Today
let us pause to consider why have things come to this sorry state!
The
answer, to my mind, is that we, the ordinary, decent, honest folk have decided in
our collective wisdom that ‘let somebody else do it!’
We
have utterly & completely stopped participating in the democratic process.
And as a result, if crooks & rogues have taken over by default, who is to
be blamed?
The
system put in place by our forefathers is excellent; the only ingredient missing
is our active participation! Democracy is not a utility or a machine that once
installed should be giving faultless service endlessly. We think the occasional
servicing in the form of our infrequent visits to the polling booth should be
enough!
No,
it doesn’t work that way! A vibrant democracy is a dynamic process that needs
aware, alert citizens, who speak out when necessary, for it to be successful!
I
am not canvassing for any one political party here; today let us canvass for the
nation.
Whatever
party, ideology or leader you believe in, for that party (& also inside that
party!), participate!
At
the level of your building, mohalla, ward, constituency, district, state, or nation; as
per your capacity & inclination, PARTICIPATE! Be alert & vigilant about what is
going on, speak out when necessary, but let those in power know that you are
watching, and then see the difference!
Today,
let us ask ourselves, if these seasonal “26th Jan/ 15th Aug bouts”
of patriotism are enough to fulfill our duties as citizens? Does that entitle us
to bad-mouth the political class, snigger at the politicians and write off this
entire great nation as hopeless?
If
you start participating, however modestly, next year, I will be proud to
exchange these greetings with you...
“HAPPY REPUBLIC DAY”!
