Anarchy in the garb of Democracy - or vice versa?

Democracy is a little more that “A government of the people for the people by the people” – it’s a way of life. A way of life, that allows for the masses to live life on their own terms by their own choices; as long as it does not adversely affect a fellow human being. In religious terms an apt synonym for democracy could be secularism where everyone is allowed to practice his / her religion without causing harm to others, whereas, to a common lay person, democracy would simply mean tolerance –the freedom to live life as one desires, but rooted in a tolerance towards the existence and choices of fellow human beings.

The foundation of democratic tolerance in India can be traced to the Satyagraha – generally defined and propagated as an honest fight for justice; but more so a means of voicing ones’ opinion without hurting a fellow beings’ sentiments. The Satyagraha gave every Indian the right to question the British Rule in India without diminishing respect for humanity.

Why am I discussing democracy today? India is the world’s largest democracy by population and has been so for over 60 years post independence.

The following sequence of events has set me thinking:
26th June, 2010 – Fuel price hike implemented.
2nd July, 2010 – RBI raises the the repo and reverse repo rates in an attempt to keep inflation, which could be triggered on account of the fuel price hike, under check.
5th July, 2010 – Opposition ENFORCES a nation wide bandh against fuel price hike.

At the outset, I would like to clarify to the readers that neither is this article a comment on the existing political scenario nor do I claim to be an expert on politics. The question is also not whether the government is right in hiking fuel prices or the RBI is right in raising key rates in an attempt to check inflation – which is but a facet of normal debates that would and should arise in a nation finding more acceptance as a potential economic and political super power in the world order.

I am a common man – an “aam aadmi” – who uses public transport services in the city of Mumbai to earn his daily bread, one who is so engrossed in making ends meet and catering to his personal or familial commitments that he may have a view but more often than not never a commitment towards a cause which is unrelated to his immediate existence. In most cases, but not always, he makes an attempt to elect those who he thinks would be the best candidate to run his constituency, state and country; and then gets re – entangled in his fight for a respectable existence.

My view on democracy today emerges from the enforcement of a nation wide bandh today by the opposition parties.

The question today, unfortunately, doesn’t seem to be political; it seems to be more a show of strength. Do we, as the educated common masses of India, commend the central governments’ stubborn stand on issues like inflation and the knee jerk fuel price rise in the recent past or do we criticize the opposition for enforcing undemocratic means of voicing their opinion without understanding the central governments’ points of view? Should not the government and the opposition parties fight their battles within the closed walls of the parliament rather than disrupting the “aam aadmi’s” life – even if it is for a day – rather than spending the tax – payers’ hard – earned monies’ on hooliganism?

As a responsible citizen of India I question the opposition parties’ mode of voicing their opinions. Stone – throwing, destruction of public property and disruption of normal life are events well avoided in the worlds’ largest democracy!

The questions raised by todays’ events are multi – fold and at various levels:
1. Is a show of strength either by the central government or by the opposition parties a reflection of what India voted for in the previous election?
2. Is the education system in India so weak that every such act of political / religious / social unrest have uneducated masses who are swayed by the leaders in any direction they want?
3. Is unemployment such a major concern that thousands, probably lakhs, of youth across the country have nothing constructive to do rather than be part of such a nation – wide strife?
4. Do we just have good orators in the government (read: in power as well as in opposition) who have the skills to inspire India’s citizens by the millions or do we have good DOERs as well?
5. Is it that there are so few educated employed thinking citizens running the country?
6. Or, does it simply boil down to me and all the readers of this or many significantly more intellectual articles, not taking ownership to run the country we all live in? What has our contribution to the nation we call our home been?

Debates, arguments and constructive criticism, usually followed by a show of majority define the essence of democracy (or secularism or tolerance). Does mindless enforcement find a place in a democracy?

A lot of questions and few answers’, in fact none. I end my thoughts with another question: Can we together arrive at the answers? I am sure we can, question is, how many of us think so, and, more importantly, how many of us are willing to take the extra step, walk the extra mile, to contribute to the growth of this wonderful nation we call our home – India.

Afterthought: A walk around the streets of South Mumbai, the financial hub of the city and the country, gave the impression that the bandh was successful. Either the many offices, buildings, malls, coffee shops or innumerable eating joints were closed out of support to the bandh, or were forced to remain shut. If the latter is true, I am afraid we do not live in a democracy - since the common man is not given the credit of even being able to decide whether or not to support a nation - wide event. He is forced to bow to the whims and fancies of those in power. And it is food for thought to all those amongst us who chose to remain at home rather than at work today. We may have intentionally supported the bandh - which is ok - because a democracy is where each and every one has a right to protest. However, if we have decided to stay home because of the possible anarchy that we presumed would be unleashed on the country, each one of us has played a small part in making forced anarchy a part of our democracy - we have no one else but ourselves to blame.