In a democracy like India which is as diverse as it could be elections every five years ring in much like a bugle call that signifies the start of a critical long drawn battle. A handful wakes up on time eager to take opponents head-on. The majority dilly dally and take much time to come out of their foggy senses as such is the human nature. The interesting part, however, tunes in the last leg of the fight.
Indians love elections because of its startling and striking nature. The lure of the chaos on the ground, showcase of public obscenity, the laxity from the everyday mundane affair which is an inherent trait in the work ethos of an Indian are too much at stake to be ignored. The social media sycophant and the so-called popular panel discussions on TV are no less imminent.
In relation to my age, maturity and interest I have not observed any election, be that national or state, as electrifying as the 2014 national election in India. It is certainly rip-roaring to the core.
The frontrunners in the 2014 election episode are Narendra Modi of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Rahul Gandhi of the Indian National Congress (INC) followed by oddballs like Arvind Kejriwal, Jayalalithaa Jayaram, Mamata Banerjee, Mulayam Singh Yadav, Mayawati, Nitish Kumar, Uddhav Thackeray, Prakash Karat and so on. In a nutshell a bunch of buffoons promote themselves to the 'idea of India' whatever that maybe on the democratic palate. Indian soil has produced many a statesman, scholars, philosophers and social reformers and impoverished political leadership never cropped up on an average Indian's mind but for the last decade.
A lot of writing has been on the wall since long. Demurral in decision making process and absence of stalwarts at the helm of democratic institutions led to acute indiscipline, nepotism, corruption, mistrust, lassitude and anarchy through and through. One can well imagine the wear and tear of the socio-economic fabric of a complex and myriad country, the panorama of caste, creed, religion, language, food, lifestyle and social parameters changing with every turn of the alley. As in flowering plants rupture of pollen tube makes way for fertilisation so has 2014 punctured the blight of the post independent Indian diaspora to unravel India's élan vital.
Going by the journalistic essays and research and relying on the prudence of my good sense I take it that Narendra Modi, as it stands today, is the clear frontrunner. His staid attitude towards governance as he has been instrumental in running the state of Gujarat in western India over 10 years although discoloured by the 2002 riot can of worms is the talking turkey political investment his camp is serving the Indian electorate. News of vote bank politics, secularism, polarisation of votes, riots pennon the media, panel discussions and political rallies yet to an aspirational young Indian such contents lack fuselage in the 21st century.
As a young Indian I never find the think tank, be it on primetime TV or elsewhere, discussing much on how do we find India's chassis 10 years from now on environment and climate change issues, wildlife poaching, traffic and transportation planning (lived in India's three major cosmopolitan cities - Calcutta, Delhi and Bangalore; this comes naturally to my mind), building world class Indian universities and museums, theatres, libraries, preserving our heritage and architecture and imaging an Indian port of safety, security and freedom from religious and gender bigotry.
I feel ashamed that a chunk of our populace yet does not have basic access to water and sanitation, education and health care even after 67 years of Independence. However owing to a good education and intraurban backdrop I have transported my desires of an India to a greater next level and never did tomfoolery ideas of caste, region or religion venture in my 'idea of India'. I can strongly advocate my fellow Indians, young and productive, will think in the lines I outlined and postulate ideas and beliefs befitting to the organic and spiritual growth of India.
Having said that the 2014 elections in India is a harbinger of 'nest egg' for many unknown Indian faces. If you closely look at a rally rather than listen to the contender's speech you realise a lot of apt groundwork has gone into making a rally fructify. Road-side food makeshift vans, valet, stage fabricators, security personnel, young party workers, flag bearers, florists, electrical vendors, printers, drivers, reporters and cameramen, techies and a huge number of productive hands outsourced that goes without saying making brisk business courtesy this festive season of elections. Not to lose out on the election tourism - so many NRIs have flocked to India to exercise their franchise or the international media making a beeline to all the locations where the contestants are heading to.
I feel this is good for them as the busy period in India is helping them to upgrade their marketing skills and be productive. It also helps with a clear stream of income for the ordinary hardworking people as they have to sell their labour in order to break bread, send children to schools, install an electric line in their houses and a little extra income will help them increase their purchasing power. They can recoat the paint that have peeled off the walls of their house before the onset of monsoons, buy a bicycle or a two wheeler or open some savings accounts with banks or postal office. No one reports such stories in media which can be an interesting read - 'the election by-product'.
Most of the rhapsody centres around who is wearing a special cap, poverty porn fuelled by politicians and media editors (who claim in galore on camera that they are experiencing election heat outside the air-conditioned studios!), the TV interrogations in thy name of interviews, who is meeting whom, why are spaces in the electoral form left blank, why is a manifesto so late, is there a wave of an individual, or is a recent book by an ex-media advisor to PMO a tool for the opposition rather than shying away from the truth of confirming to the family run business of the 'idea of India', hate speeches flying in full colours from all corners but the essence of the discussion is 'who spread the animosity first', who's sharing the dais with whom and who's absent, how much flower petals had been arranged for on the day of a roadshow, who's trending more on the social media, what is the conspiracy behind a contestant being slapped and the Gandhian way of reaching out to the culprit with a flower, politicians crying on cameras, the brouhaha of Indian media of what media in the West and self-proclaimed intellectuals are saying about our candidates, and the list is endless.
The burlesque is still not over and will continue till the morning of May 16. However there are some good journalism, analysis and comments coming out of the election heat too. Funny but intelligent adverts and punch lines, making women and young voters aware of the need for voting are not lost in the din.
India is a colourful country and the elections are psychedelic. Child-like sparrings thrown at each other 'We need a leader not a reader' vis-a-vis 'We do not need a bleeder and pleader', enthusiasts getting their body and faces painted with voting symbols, selfies with inked fingers displayed with media harping 'Did you vote? Get yourself a chance to win...by showing a selfie of your inked finger', nonagenarians being carried on backs to the polling booths, music blaring at rallies idolising slapstick contestants like 'Hamare desh ki aankhon ki taara hai Mulayam Singh' are quite a jesting. The musical chair competition is in full swing 'Kaun banega Pradhan Mantri?' but the grim news is there's no prize for guessing that!
India's biggest gag show is on and the political parties' bazaar is proud to float the sale of 'democracy' discounted up to May 16 morning! Desfrutar shopping!
A lot of writing has been on the wall since long. Demurral in decision making process and absence of stalwarts at the helm of democratic institutions led to acute indiscipline, nepotism, corruption, mistrust, lassitude and anarchy through and through. One can well imagine the wear and tear of the socio-economic fabric of a complex and myriad country, the panorama of caste, creed, religion, language, food, lifestyle and social parameters changing with every turn of the alley. As in flowering plants rupture of pollen tube makes way for fertilisation so has 2014 punctured the blight of the post independent Indian diaspora to unravel India's élan vital.
Going by the journalistic essays and research and relying on the prudence of my good sense I take it that Narendra Modi, as it stands today, is the clear frontrunner. His staid attitude towards governance as he has been instrumental in running the state of Gujarat in western India over 10 years although discoloured by the 2002 riot can of worms is the talking turkey political investment his camp is serving the Indian electorate. News of vote bank politics, secularism, polarisation of votes, riots pennon the media, panel discussions and political rallies yet to an aspirational young Indian such contents lack fuselage in the 21st century.
As a young Indian I never find the think tank, be it on primetime TV or elsewhere, discussing much on how do we find India's chassis 10 years from now on environment and climate change issues, wildlife poaching, traffic and transportation planning (lived in India's three major cosmopolitan cities - Calcutta, Delhi and Bangalore; this comes naturally to my mind), building world class Indian universities and museums, theatres, libraries, preserving our heritage and architecture and imaging an Indian port of safety, security and freedom from religious and gender bigotry.
I feel ashamed that a chunk of our populace yet does not have basic access to water and sanitation, education and health care even after 67 years of Independence. However owing to a good education and intraurban backdrop I have transported my desires of an India to a greater next level and never did tomfoolery ideas of caste, region or religion venture in my 'idea of India'. I can strongly advocate my fellow Indians, young and productive, will think in the lines I outlined and postulate ideas and beliefs befitting to the organic and spiritual growth of India.
Having said that the 2014 elections in India is a harbinger of 'nest egg' for many unknown Indian faces. If you closely look at a rally rather than listen to the contender's speech you realise a lot of apt groundwork has gone into making a rally fructify. Road-side food makeshift vans, valet, stage fabricators, security personnel, young party workers, flag bearers, florists, electrical vendors, printers, drivers, reporters and cameramen, techies and a huge number of productive hands outsourced that goes without saying making brisk business courtesy this festive season of elections. Not to lose out on the election tourism - so many NRIs have flocked to India to exercise their franchise or the international media making a beeline to all the locations where the contestants are heading to.
I feel this is good for them as the busy period in India is helping them to upgrade their marketing skills and be productive. It also helps with a clear stream of income for the ordinary hardworking people as they have to sell their labour in order to break bread, send children to schools, install an electric line in their houses and a little extra income will help them increase their purchasing power. They can recoat the paint that have peeled off the walls of their house before the onset of monsoons, buy a bicycle or a two wheeler or open some savings accounts with banks or postal office. No one reports such stories in media which can be an interesting read - 'the election by-product'.
Most of the rhapsody centres around who is wearing a special cap, poverty porn fuelled by politicians and media editors (who claim in galore on camera that they are experiencing election heat outside the air-conditioned studios!), the TV interrogations in thy name of interviews, who is meeting whom, why are spaces in the electoral form left blank, why is a manifesto so late, is there a wave of an individual, or is a recent book by an ex-media advisor to PMO a tool for the opposition rather than shying away from the truth of confirming to the family run business of the 'idea of India', hate speeches flying in full colours from all corners but the essence of the discussion is 'who spread the animosity first', who's sharing the dais with whom and who's absent, how much flower petals had been arranged for on the day of a roadshow, who's trending more on the social media, what is the conspiracy behind a contestant being slapped and the Gandhian way of reaching out to the culprit with a flower, politicians crying on cameras, the brouhaha of Indian media of what media in the West and self-proclaimed intellectuals are saying about our candidates, and the list is endless.
The burlesque is still not over and will continue till the morning of May 16. However there are some good journalism, analysis and comments coming out of the election heat too. Funny but intelligent adverts and punch lines, making women and young voters aware of the need for voting are not lost in the din.
India is a colourful country and the elections are psychedelic. Child-like sparrings thrown at each other 'We need a leader not a reader' vis-a-vis 'We do not need a bleeder and pleader', enthusiasts getting their body and faces painted with voting symbols, selfies with inked fingers displayed with media harping 'Did you vote? Get yourself a chance to win...by showing a selfie of your inked finger', nonagenarians being carried on backs to the polling booths, music blaring at rallies idolising slapstick contestants like 'Hamare desh ki aankhon ki taara hai Mulayam Singh' are quite a jesting. The musical chair competition is in full swing 'Kaun banega Pradhan Mantri?' but the grim news is there's no prize for guessing that!
India's biggest gag show is on and the political parties' bazaar is proud to float the sale of 'democracy' discounted up to May 16 morning! Desfrutar shopping!
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