16 May 2014

Between The Devil & The Deep Sea?

As the country is being swept by the NaMo wave, I read up on pogroms and on ethnic and religious targeting, wondering if the 563 million+ Indians who voted have done the right thing - will they get to see the strength of a superb business model without compromising on social liberalism? Right now, my dear motherland suffers from all the sickness that capitalism brings with it and her strong jog towards development, which was set in motion by freedom fighters who understood the true meaning of what it was to finally be a democracy, has slowed down to a painful limp. We still have third world problems like bad sanitation and lack of food, despite supposedly having left that stage decades ago. 

My friend convinces me with case in point, the development Gujarat has seen, and I wonder if I can dream of such development across states to help realize the dreams of harnessing all the potential the great nation has. But Pankaj Mishra spouts out the NaMo history and the negative obsession towards ‘minorities’ -  I start doubting the wisdom of putting a fanatic at the helm, one who is a lifelong member of a group which stands for everything that broad-minded, educated Indians are against. I strongly believe that the single, most powerful thing that can cause the country to burn is communalism arising from religious differences. And for someone like me who believes that faith is something that is extremely personal and nobody else's business, this is one of the worst tendencies to have as a leader of my country.

But what about the dynasts who we had shown faith in, the liberalists who allowed all the social freedom in the world? They failed us on such a grand scale that the world laughs and calls us a failure of the democratic mechanism which has been replaced with capitalist oligarchy.

Whatever it is, only time will tell whether the skeptics will have the satisfaction or the faith the country has show will be rewarded – in another five years we shall know where we stand. Neither is anything in my hands nor is it my cup of tea after having been apolitical all this while, but all I can hope is I will not have to give up and replace my Indian passport because I don’t feel safe bringing up my little sister and my baby girl here, in the country I love, in the biggest democracy of world.  

 

14 comments:

  1. All we can now do is wait and watch.

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    1. Yeah and its going to be a long wait.

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  2. i guess the wait is over we know who has won.. but as you say now the test begins to see if we the people have really voted the right person ..

    Bikram

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    1. True... And hopefully he will prove the cynics wrong.

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  3. Apprehensions will always be there. A bit of fear engulfs me too.
    Time will tell.

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  4. I had an idea about something going in India related to elections. I read the news that Modi won. I was hopinng for Priyanka Gandhi to win. I don't know why. Maybe because its good to see a female in power and having some authority about how things should work in a country. But anyway I hope that India goes through some good changes over the next five years. We can just wait and watch.

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  5. My FB is flooded from hate posts by Minorities - particularly Muslims. They are feeling scared and insecure because of Modi's past. I feel that he will not let anything happen to them. He does not want to be our PM for one tenure, he wants to keep his chair for the rest of his life. That seems to be his only aim. And he knows that the youth of this country, because of whom he is in power, will not let anyone with anti-secular sentiments reign our country. And so, all will be well. I am sure :)

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    1. Yeah, I'm hoping those very things will keep him in check...

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  6. I had the same thought like Red. Time will tell!

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  7. I hope NaMo walks the talk.

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    1. Maybe he will. Or are we being stupidly optimistic.

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Go on, you can say it.