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
3 comments:
wooh man! is this yet another outlet for the historian in you??
nice stuff. very different. may be you should work on the readability and presentability a little more.
your topics look like they are straight out of the acumen debate! is harsha bhogle a reader of your blog?? ;)
that was quite a good blog on democracy but is it really true... the rosy pic that u showed about INDIA is it really true.....no one would say "jai punjab" or "jai kerala" before jai hind but would have protests to throw out biharis from maharastra, etc....
i agree that today our country is the most safest place to live in considering the other events but how can we forget the Godra act and the babri masjid act and also the mandal commission. they take religion as an weapon and kill innocent people to get into power. we talk about democracy where our villagers are not aware of who the leaders are and still think congress party means Idira Gandhi or Rajiv Gandhi...
were votes can be purchased with Rs 1000 and a bottle of alcohol... why because a villager is very poor ..... well Indias Democracy has survived because of few very honest people and some miracle....
politicians are only concerned about their power and position .. not concerned how they get it by hook or by crook...
yes my friend "Democracy Is A Myth"
it made a very interesting read.positive outlook.
and as a true politician i would say india maybe the safst democracy.but the existentialism of democracy in its true worth is lost; maybe the no. of discreet bank accounts could shed light on the "whys"
maybe you could think ur next article on the lines of democracy v/s equality.
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