The state and the fate of the Nation

The country faces its toughest times in recent years with large scale corruption, increasing crimes against women and the rising threat of intolerance, regionalism and communalism.

To quote my favourite author and columnist, M J Akbar- “India is more than just a nation. It is an idea, a brave and modern idea”, wherein such a large number of intensely varying and diverse people can not only co-exist but co-operate whole-heartedly in building a strong entity. That is what our freedom movement aimed at. This is what our freedom fighters dreamed of. Fast forward to today, we are in a mess! The country is pulling apart, many a times, people do not feel empowered but actually bound by the constitutional democratic system that has historically been India’s best selling point. But now, when the citizens witness the slow and painful death of every institution that seeks to uphold this democracy, their faith is visibly shaken in this very system they have been proud of for years. It is not uncommon to overhear in the dense streets of Indian towns, the growing support for an authoritarian, China-like government. This tilt of the general populace towards a more stern government rather than a soft and accommodating one is slightly uncomfortable in a pluralistic society like that of India.

 Pick up any day's newspaper in recent times and you will almost certainly feel a sense of deja vu. Another scam, another violent protest, another rape, another communal strain. It runs like a repetitive script but this script is too dangerous to be only scoffed or reviled at. There is a common thread that runs in each of these stories and that is of a society on edge. This continuous chain of depressing and disgusting news stories have proved to be debilitating for the common man. Whether the common man is a small-business owner or a service class person, whether he is a Hindu or a Muslim, whether he belongs to north or south, today, he is a weak man. He has been weakened by this irresistible flow of a developing tragedy. While the multi-crore scams have eroded his belief in integrity, crimes against women have hurt his morality and the continuous price rise has hurt his stomach. Every common man in India is seething with anger. From the pan-wallahs to the office clerks to the rising young urban educated class, everyone has the choices of abuses against the powers-that-be.

The 2G scam, the coal mining scam, the forest land scam, the coal-block allocation scam, the list is long and expanding and would be a subject of many a joke if it was not so sickening. Public money has been played with. That the corporates and the government have colluded to make a mockery of the ordinary man, is now beyond debate. The Telangana agitation, the Assam riots and the Muzzaffarnagar flare-up has left a sour taste and has exposed dangerous fault lines within our national boundaries. It is now apparent that the political class is all too keen to promote differences among people for the sake of garnering votes. With regional and communal forces, gaining momentum, any fillip to the extreme right wing may fracture the already strained tender fabric of indian society.  The repeated incursions and border violations by our neighbours have put a sense of insecurity in the hearts and the minds of the people. Lack of a resoundingly clear reassurance regarding controversial border issues has given rise to the worst fears of war and instability.

The biggest predicament that the common man faces today is the lack of any viable and clean political alternative. He is caught between the devil and the deep sea. This political vacuum is the biggest threat to the Indian democratic system. It is in these times that people find it futile to exercise their basic democratic right, which is to vote!

But, all is not lost. The people are itching for a change and this time they are no longer passive and docile. The rising young India is daring and intrepid as could clearly be seen in anti-corruption protests which rocked and rattled the political circles. With huge, nation-wide anti-rape protests, this belief in an awakened and active young India was firmly reinstated. The people are no longer dependent on the available alternatives for government formations. Well-educated and inspired people are coming together to make new political parties representing modern and progressive agendas. These events give us hope and remind us that it is dawn which comes after the darkest hour!