Will The Real Anna Hazares Please Stand Up?

India, today, is faced with one of history’s most baffling paradoxes. All the right people, at this point, are proposing all the wrong answers; and all the wrong ones, the right! I simply must explain further, because India’s identity as a real democracy might hinge on the actions we initiate as a nation today.

India, the largest democracy of the world, has today, woken up to the more than unfortunate truth, that most components of its democratic apparatus are, alas, corrupt! And those that are straight, are mere pawns of the corrupt! This puppet democracy, led by the feeble, fumbling though honest Dr. Manmohan Singh, is floundering in pain, and the balm is nowhere to be found.

Enter Anna Hazare, Arvind Kejriwal and their crusader kin, or the group I like to call ‘The Means Justify The End’ club. Let me explain – this is a group that represents a section of the Indian Public, and at the risk of sounding bigoted, I say the ‘sensible’ section. It is effectively in the process of using blackmail as a means of pushing through authored legislation on behalf of what it claims is the public at large – and unfortunately, I believe the government to be right in refuting these claims.

A wise soul once said – A democracy is governed by the government it deserves. Translated, this would read – If people have the cheek to elect the uneducated, irrational and corrupt to power, or people with such orientation, they deserve to live as per the legislations of exactly such a government! Which is exactly what has happened at this point: today, India is governed by a Congress-led coalition, probably the most embarrassing the nation has seen in a while. What is more, a ‘large’ section of India’s population has now even realised this for a fact. Astounding is merely the fact, that in spite of this realization, the country cannot muster a set of politicians who can overthrow these corrupt ruling forces, notwithstanding the massive anti-incumbency and hence, the ‘citizen groups’ of this country are forced to revolt thus.

It was a proud day when India’s constitution was written, and it is an equally disgraceful time today, when India’s educated class, the very citizenry that is expected to understand and respect the ideals of this document, is forced to go against the very same ideals in order to reinforce the very government the constitution gave birth to.

It remains a fact that Team Anna represents but a positive, forward thinking segment of India, which probably holds the key to the creation of some quick, successful and stellar legislation which could potentially impact this nation for decades to come – but then, on the other hand, this country does not really deserve legislation developed by these great minds, until the point where they can be elected to office and constitute the Parliament – the true ‘representative section’ of the Indian Public, as deemed by the Constitution that we hold holy.

This can only put one question before all of us – Will the real Anna Hazares please stand up?

Against the Tide of a Billion Souls

Its been a while now. These questions have been plaguing me for quite some time, but I sense no answers at the horizon. I mean, are we that deluded as a people?

Such simpletons, that our governments have just had to pull rabbits like religion, corruption, petty politics, Pakistan and 'India Shining' campaigns out of their hats to ensure that we never got to see the real issues? Such ill-informed ignoramuses, that we haven't been able to identify a single powerful path-breaking leader since the days of Gandhi? Such religious chauvinists, that Ayodhya clouded our thinking about our next-door neighbors for two decades on end? Such attention-seeking clods, that we preach Hindutva one day, Secularism the next? Such unfeeling bastards, because of whom the people of Kashmir have taken blow after blow and withered away for decades? Such gutless chin-wags, that its the Kalmadis and Modis that capture our national interest and rake in the moolah for the tabloids and 'news'papers, rather than Education, Healthcare, Poverty, Crime, Technology - the Real Issues.

A 15 year old would tell you that India's need of the hour is change - strong-willed, motivated change propagated by the youth. And while I'm glad that we've had the good sense to blab on and on about this at conference after conference, it saddens me to see that we still haven't had success in the real political arena. Its still only a handful of the youth that make it to the Lok Sabha; only a handful that make it through Civil Services; only those many effective law enforcers. India's youth, for all its wagging tongues, is still one massive dormant force.

Believe me, my dream is to see a group of like-minded people, with the right blend of youth and wily old-timers, orators and enforcers, visionaries and volunteers, optimists and pragmatists, Khans and Iyers give the sham that is the BJP and the Congress - our 'Nationalist' parties, a much needed sprint for their money. Let this country be run as it ought to - of, for and by the people - for once. Let it be seen that putting the country before self isn't all that today's politicos make it out to be. Let the power of Two Billion Hands shake the globe. Let the Americas stand up, take notice, and show some respect.

Let us inspire change. To that stage, let us pledge to take Mother India. And let this start with you - now, today. Let it not take an Indian Kennedy to tell you 'Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.'