Dance of Democracy

On Monday, Election Commission set the ball rolling for election to the 15th Lok Sabha. This election will be the biggest in terms of no. of voters participating. It is also expected to be the most expensive ever. But most important, this will be (or at least should be) a big test of Indian youth's faith in democracy.

At present, we are facing a long range of problems. Terrorism, Global recession, Unrest in neighbouring countries, Mistrust among various groups on basis of religion, region, language, etc. , Global Warming and Pollution, and many more. In these times, we (the common people) have the important task of choosing the persons who we think are capable of leading us. We have to make the elections a success, if we want to see India as a success story.

Firstly, we have to understand that voting is not a right but a duty. Unless and untill, we participate in this process, we can't expect that the leaders will change themselves. We have to be the change we want to see. In the past 1 year, i have come across three movies telling us the same thing, Mumbai Meri Jaan, A Wednesday, Delhi 6. Naseerudin Shah in A Wednesday rightly said that it is our house and we have to clean it. The question is how to do it??? One of the easiest way is use your power to vote. Mumbai Meri Jaan showed us the spirit which we need to maintain in these times. And when we think of all the shortcomings that India is having, we need to first look into ourselves to get rid of our own kaala bandar before pointing fingers at others.

It is true that we can't change the situation in one elections but we need to make a start. The cynics always say all are bad, there is no use using article 49-O, because those votes don't count for anything. But we need to see the broader picture. If in a constituency, the number of votes in Form 17-A is significant, then won't the parties try to capture those votes??? The parties will listen to only those who can vote for them. If u want to be listened then do the needful.

Also, we need to make sure that we don't vote on the basis of caste, creed, region, religion, etc. If you believe in a party's idealogy, vote for it. If you think a particular person is best suited to lead us, then vote accordingly. But make sure, you factor in everything while doing so. It should not be that in wanting a good person as PM (or CM, Mayor), you are choosing a bad person as your MP, MLA or corporator. The first priority shall be to get rid of all these criminals in the politics.

The other big set of lousy politicians are the celebrities. Govinda, Dharmendra, etc.have been doing nothing during their tenures and we still keep on electing them again because we like them. There is nothing wrong in filmstars joining politics. But the problem lies when they just become MPs but don't even attend Parliament (which as such has so less meetings). We have examples of Sunil Dutt, Jayalalitha, N T Rama Rao, etc. who have converted completely from being cinestars to politicians. Being an MP should not be seen as a part time job of filmstars and businessman.

Lastly, let all of us join hands to make India a superpower. Lets be the light of hope for democracy in our volatile neighbourhood. Let us make sure that we all vote and vote against all that is wrong. Lets swear to stand up for a better India. Swear to weed out corruption, religion, criminals, and good for nothing celebrities from politics.

JAI HIND!!!

I SWEAR...

I Swear that this time I will stand up.
Not for what i believe in, but for what i don't.
This time I will vote. Not for, but against.
Against my own helplessness.
Against my own laziness.
Against two words called chalta hai.
Against short cuts in queues.
Against cheating in exams.
Against Kharcha Paani in offices.
Against powerless inquiry commissions.
Against powerful vote banks.
Against religion in politics.
And politics in religion.
Against illegal constructions.
And legal loopholes.
Against every cynic. Every non-believer.
Against the belief that nothing will change.
Against the feeling that my
vote cannot make a difference.
Against every excuse for not voting.
And I will do this without fear or shame.
Because only by voting against all that
is destroying our today, will I give my
children to vote for something tomorrow.

JAI HIND!!!