Super Sunday today, and what a remarkable feat
for our nation's democracy...
Governance and public policy have been topics
close to my heart ever since I was a kid. My favourite reads are 'First among
the Equals' & 'Yes Minister!' and I love watching 'The West Wing' as much
as I love watching 'Friends'...
Having grown up in a family full of academicians
with strong political leanings, I have listened to the stories of history
making decisions, the other side of the emergency, the intricacies of the Indo
China war, the rhetoric for poverty elimination and what not!
But the most amazing thing was that though our
family had borne the brunt of the Partition pretty close, I never heard my Dad
(who lost his own during the '47 riots) or my uncles (who were one of the few
left alive in that infamous train full of bodies), talk anything about the
polity decision of bifurcating the nation. All I learnt from them was that 'We
should build our own destiny', and oh did they not do the same... in an
amazingly spectacular way too.
Were they heroes or mere escapists, I never
contemplated... in retrospect however, I do think that the first generation of
us 'Refugees' had so much to build in their own personal lives that building
the nation had to take a backseat for them. And honestly, there weren't any
options!!
My elder brother must have felt the same, so in
that age gloriously known as the 'troubled teens', when we were living a merely
200 odd miles from a falling down contentious building, while the other 12-13
year olds chose to enjoy the month long forced 'pseudo' winter vacation, my
brother chose the option. And from that day onwards, our family became a truly
democratic one with at least 2 different approaches being discussed on the dinner
table. My brother, he is a real hero 'cos he made a choice.
I still won't. And from just being a sissy
escapist in my pre-teens to a cynic now in my mid-thirties, I have never truly
broken out from the inherent servitude of an enslaved mind. I used to and still
believe that business and by extension of its definition politics has always
been a family thing. And every passing year with the introduction of one scion
of a family after another (and this is across party lines), my belief got
affirmed.
And by the way, the return of the so called
'Mentor' of my previous organization back into executive decision making, with
'sonnyboy' in tow, has proven me so right when it comes to business. But about
that, some other time.
So, today when it was the day of election
results, I did what most of us choose to do. Grab a Pizza and popcorn, sit in
front of the television and feel 'involved' in the process. And when there was
some sort of a history being made in our nation's capital today, I was
discussing with my friends about what is going to happen next... you know, in
my circles I am some sort of a political strategy guru!
But is this actually an involvement?
I mean, I won't change my leanings, to be very
honest, but was it right on my part to be 'involved' in the way I did today.
You would find so many people of our generation,
the original Gen X - the 90s Teens, talking about the young ones now and
criticizing their lack of interest in national issues. Blaming them to be so self
occupied, unlike people from our times... but is it not their actual
involvement in the process that has brought about a significant change in the
way the nation will be seeing governance now? And what have we done apart from
having popcorn and analyzing the results?
Honestly, I felt like a fool today. Rather like
those crazy cricket fans who would cry if Kambli cries and die if Sachin gets
out on 99. It was a rollercoaster result session no doubt and wonderful
entertainment for the day.
But is that what democracy, the teachings of my elders, the belief of my
parents and the courage to make a choice of my brother, has been reduced to for
me... entertainment... I ask myself today!!
