Democracy: A Myth?

At the stroke of midnight on 15th August, 1947; mankind was witnessing an event unparelleled in the history of the entire human race. The largest, the most diverse, the most tolerant democracy to have ever existed was born. Critics (Churchill being the biggest among them) raged that the nation of "half naked fakirs" would be "ripped apart" due to its mutli-ethnic, multi-cultural,multi-lingual and multi-religious diaspora. That the nation would celebrate its 60th birthday in the next millenium was something no one sought to foresee, least of all those "Intellectual Westerners"! Today we are the very same nation which was founded in 1947; still intact, albeit with a few hiccups over the last 6 decades. USA is largely still the same free nation as was founded in the late 18th century. True, democracies all over the world are hounded by problems and always will be. But did we not manage to hold on? Do we have the instinct and the insight to survive as one till the coming century? Do we as democratic Indians really mean to be the "economic and military powerhouse" as is discussed all over today by 2050? Maybe....maybe not. For that matter, would democracy itself survive as an ideology in the time to come,not only in India, but world over?

The word "democracy" has been derived from the Greek terms "demos" meaning the mob and "kratos" meaning rule. In all "demokratia" meant the rule of the people. The Greeks conceptualized it, the Romans institutionalised and today,well over half the nations in the world follow it. I have been involved in numerous debates with a number of people about the efficacy of democratic institutions; some supporting it, some condemning it but largely in its favour compared to other forms of governance. So what's great about democracy in the nations where it is followed? Why are other forms of governance not as convincing?

Political systems and upheavals of nations all over the world are a stark reminder of the futility of repression of democratic rights and institutions. The massive protests by millions of protesters in Pakistan after the curbs on media and judiciary, after the imposition of martial law and most recently, after the assassination of Bhutto are an indication of the majority of the populace in Pakistan that the "whiskey guzzling" general can no longer hold the spirit of democracy at the barrel of his stengun. Ditto in Burma after the protests by the monks; and Thailand after the outcome of the recent elections; and Fiji after the failed coup.....The list goes on. True, democracy has its ills, especially a multi-party system like India. We have millions of our people hungry and half naked, waiting for an eternity now to partake their share of our collective progress. But that is not a result of democracy, rather it is the lack of proper implementation which produces this backlash.

A communist aide of the Soviet leader Nikita Krushchev is said to have quoted thus,:"Democracy is hypocrisy, monarchy is anarchy". He was absolutely right, only that he failed to comment upon the future of his own communist regime which was broken into 16 pieces within a span of an year in 1991-92. To all such anti-democratic chauvinists, I have this to ask: Which truly democratic nation has ever heard of its citizens being sent to labour camps by the millions, subjected to forced labour as was prevalent in Stalin's USSR? Which truly democratic nation has ever trampled upon its own protesting citizens under army tanks by the thousands as did happen in Mao's China? Which truly democratic nation has broken up into a number of constituent ethnic nations, as was witnessed after the 1st world war in the Austria-Hungary of the mighty Hapsburg's? The answer is ... None.

Imagine living in the Yugoslavia of the early 1990's, or in the Congo of the 1970's, or in Pakistan or Burma today; and we would instantly feel grateful to the almighty to have bestowed us the good fortune of living in a relatively stable and vibrant democracy. A true democracy; even with its social ills; is one where the armed forces don't subvert the judiciary's rule of law even during the worst crisis. Take the case of the "Hell Hole of the world"; the now defunct Yugoslavia. It has been the graveyard of anyone and everyone who has tried interfering with this complex ethnic cauldron. The Hapsburg's of Austria tried and were toppled themselves. Soviet Union tried and failed miserably. Marshal Tito led the country out of destruction after the 2nd world war and tried holding it as a communist nation. On his death, all hell broke loose. It was as if the different ethnic Slav groups were waiting for a spark to settle their differences. The Serbs under Milosevic tried to subdue the rest triggering what has easily been the most complicated dispute of the world. It was an open for all fight which pitted the Serbs vs Croats vs Muslims vs Bosnians vs Montenegrans vs Slovenians vs Serbs; all fighting each other in and around the hills surrounding Sarajevo. Compare that to India and extrapolate the situation to our nation, and you have a prospect shocking beyond imagination. We do have our ethnic differences, but no Bihari or Keralite would ever say "Jai Bihar" or "Jai Kerala" before "Jai Hind". Though a Tamilian dalit from Tiruneveli would never have seen a Punjabi Sardar in his life, he would never want to expel Punjabis from our nation. A Tamil news reporter on a visit to Kashmir was supposedly once asked by a Gujjar porter about the well being of Rajnikant! Such is the strength of a strong democracy which has the gumption to survive its own ills. Better still take the case of the USA. It emerged out of a devastating war of secession from Britain, expanding its territories by purchasing provinces from colonial powers. It faced the biggest test of time in the form of a crippling civil war. It faced the worst economic crisis ever, in the form of the great recession of the 1930's. Yet despite it being a melting pot of cultures, of nationalities, despite it being branded as a bully; I seek to salute this great democracy from which the world has a lot of good to learn.

It is time we took stock of the effects of democracy (and the ill effects as well) in the rapidly changing times we live in. It is time we resolve to uphold its true spirit through strife, through suffering and through terror in order to build a world as envisaged by the earliest proponents of democracy; "OF THE PEOPLE, BY THE PEOPLE,FOR THE PEOPLE" . Amen

Ekta Kapoor Zindabad!!!

A prosperous uptown joint family bound by quintessentially Indian values and ethos; palatial mansions which would put the Buckingham Palace to shame; filial bonds of trust, the sceptre of lust and the sense of togetherness; bahus in silk saris; sons in embroidered suits, impish grandchildren and bawling great grand children; complete with a screen vamp wearing negligees (Imagine converting a saree into one), a family priest and a 200 year old or so grand old lady of the brood......All this and more comprises the great Ekta Kapoor formula of saas-bahu soap operas. Circa 2000 AD; the eldest of "Jumping Jack" Jitendra's progeny decided to make the cut as a director of soap operas. By the end of the first year of the new millennium, her saas-bahu hocus pocus were a rage among the 300 million (and rising) strong Indian middle class. TRP ratings rocketed to dizzying heights and heralded the meteoric rise of the "K Force". So much so that students in primary school were taught thus: A for "Action" B for "Ba" C for "Chachu" D for "Diane" E for "Ekta" and so on and so forth......

Around the same time when the King of Bhutan finally ended his kingdom's isolation by introducing TV in order to improve the Gross Happiness Index of his people, the Net Happiness Index of over harassed hubbies in India exceeded the frenetic pace of its booming economy, thanks to Ekta for ensuring that their wives were plugged to the idiot box till eleven in the night. Time management gurus had their share of learning from the prime time allocation of Star Plus as well. Advertisements - 16 minutes, Socially Consciousness Messages- 2 minutes and the actual soap constituting whatever was left of the 30 minutes. It was a combination no one could beat. The plots are elaborate, supernatural and democratically inspired as well. The dead husband of the "choti ba" (read Tulsi) rises from his grave at the behest of rioting viewers. The lady from the second generation is swayed by the vamp in her impression of her saas ( first generation) and bahu (third generation) and we see the transformation of an ideal "saas-bahu" into a potential "ass-bahu"......

There is more to it than the eye sees it though. Even with all the jibes and taunts of her critics and detractors about her plots, Ekta Kapoor has managed to get the goose lay golden eggs (must be a result of her family's intense devotion to Lord Balaji of Tirumala-Tirupati). She has laughed her way to the bank while her critics ranted and raved. Her plots have made a mark beyond our shores as well; courtesy the Indian Expat community. It comes as a pleasant surprise that Kabul in godforsaken Afghanistan comes to a standstill six times everyday. Five times for the traditional "Namaz" and once when Ekta Kapoor's soaps are aired on Afghan Tolo TV in Pashtu. What is more, she has (unintentionally) managed to remind us Indians of our glaring shortcomings as well. Soap operas inspired by her plots have been made in almost all the regional languages, reminding us that irrespective of caste, religion and language; we are a nation of dissatisfied and disgruntled masses ruled by a corrupt polity and governed by an ineffective bureaucracy. We are a nation of strong values governed by filial and social norms; some of them antediluvian in today's world; nevertheless holding together the fabric of our society. Ekta Kapoor (through her elaborate plots) has reminded us that we are still a society ripped apart by feelings of caste, creed and sex; that the present generation is a confused lot; trying to confirm to yesterday's norms yet trying to innovate for a better tomorrow and that we still have a long way to go before we start having any starry airs about our "resurgent" national prestige.

Its time all of us commended Ekta for her good...nay, her great work. May god bless her tribe, and uh-well save us from an encore of her directorial talents and her miserably untalented younger sibling as well. May we all learn from her soap operas and strive to be better people.

********AU REVOIR*********