Let’s celebrate the world’s largest festival of democracy!
India is a country where we are used to seeing thousands of kilograms of flowers being used to worship the proud leaders of the nation. The 2019 Lok Sabha election is an example of what not to become and what not to be. This election reminds us why as kids, politics was never a career choice. The election this year has shown us where all our hard earned money has gone and how it is being distributed in exchange for votes. I think they have set a benchmark so low, that it would not be crossed any time in the near future (or so one can hope!).
At the beginning, I was looking forward to all the drama that would inevitably unfold as the leaders and candidates spoke about their work and contributions to the nation’s development. As days passed, I realised that what was really unfolding was a disturbing saga of each political party dragging the other one into the mud, passing the blame for not working towards the welfare of this country, for instance, reducing poverty. This has always been there in our country. The Buddha, Mahavira and other greats had also wanted to eradicate poverty but even they were unsuccessful, and years later we still follow their ideology. Buddha himself did not believe in the existence of God and today we actually worship him as God. I wonder who will become God for our generation…
History has always been a dry subject for me. But this election made me question history itself.
What did we learn from this? Never do anything wrong in the present, otherwise your present will become your past very soon and it will come to bite your ass in future, even after you’re dead. Easiest target? Dead people. They will never let your secret out!
Are the so called leaders of our country even listening to themselves? Do they know that the whole world is watching India? They’re finding new ways to embarrass themselves and kill each other. Calling each other names, circulating memes, accusing each other of being communal, spreading nothing but hatred and negativity. I really don’t know how much more the country is capable of tolerating.
The people of the country see what the media shows and they believe it to be true. It is as if we’re blindfolded most of the time. We only believe what we think is true when a famous personality is accused. We are made to believe the lies in such a way that we no longer question anything. The media should raise debates about real issues and raise their level of journalism. Yet, all we see is a bunch of people who shout at each other, not having the faintest idea about what others have to say, with a senior journalist shouting them down all the while.
There is something else I have learned in the past one month—that actors, sportsmen, artists, people accused of serious criminal charges, anti-nationals, or those whose families are into politics—really, anyone can be a politician! It doesn’t require any special skills to run a country. That is the beauty of democracy, isn’t it?
I have always believed in India and the oneness it evokes. I always feel extremely proud to say that I’m an Indian. It is a feeling which cannot be expressed in words. How are we Indians so tolerant and yet so intolerant at the same time? We should know what is good and bad for our country’s development, who is fit to govern our country and whose ideology is creating a better present and future for us. I, as a citizen of a democratic nation, given a choice between bad and worse leaders, would rather not choose either of them or their ideology. We need leaders with vision and not dictators. We deserve better. Jai Hind.