Dilemma in Democracy

So, since the heat of the Lok Sabha elections has gone down a notch, I think I should share my thoughts with you all. As an eligible voter and a responsible citizen of India, it is not just my right but my duty to cast a vote and I did that, rather reluctantly this time, but to what avail? India is the largest democracy on the planet and yet we are lucky if we get a turnout of more than 70% from any given constituency in any elections. Sad, isn't it?

Whenever we have elections in the country, be it for the Parliament or the State Assemblies, there is always less talk about what a political party or a candidate is willing to do and more on what the others have failed to do. Politicians are more interested in digging the graves and bad-mouthing ministers who died more than 30 years ago and far less enthused in accepting their own misgivings. There is more emphasis on trolling a person and calling him an idiot and less or even zero attention is paid to the violent acts of hate-crimes based on religion and venom-spilling extremists. Don't get me wrong, I'm not loyal to any party or anyone, I'm just a citizen who's appalled by the condition of the system.

India is a Secular country, so to speak, but it doesn't feel like that anymore. People are being killed in the name of religion and food preferences. There're regular reports of something nasty being said about one faith or another by people in power. Citizens of the majority religion are being encouraged give birth to more children because being  70% of the total population is just too threatening? For God's Sake! No wonder we are ready to take over China as the most populous country of the world!

And don't even get me started on the Media. Freedom of Press has become nothing but a sham. News channels are filled with programs and pseudo-debates which to the average person, appear to be based on facts and stats but which in reality, are nothing but assumptions and conjectures, being used by political parties to mislead the nation. People are being manipulated in such a way that they are absolutely unwilling to even listen to another person's point of view.  And, as unfortunate as it is, these are all the signs that the world has seen before.

What I wish to emphasise here is that today, the nation is at a place where we need a change and we need it now. The Youth NEED to take charge and use their common sense to make out what's right and what's wrong. We have to move on from what happened in the past towards what we wish to see and achieve in the future. Let bygones be bygones. And if someone can't do that, then we must understand that that person is just not good enough to be in a position of faith. No human being of religion has any superiority over another apart from that of skill and intellect.

Hai desh tera, ghayal pada
Fariyadi ban ke, waqt khada
Hai faisla tere haath mein kis mod mudega raasta
O bharat bhagya vidhata, Uth!
Mat moond re apni aankhein, Uth!
Zameen-o-aasman ki kasam tujhe thaam vatan ka haath, Uth!