In 2009, during our engineering days, one of my hostel mates came to me and asked if I was interested in joining a party. I was pretty sure that it wasn’t any weekend party. When he explained, it turned out to be a political party, an even more odd thought for our graduation time.
The idea was to build a new India through a new political party. A monthly magazine was also brought out. It was an interesting initiative that included sessions where the team would sit and discuss the current national issues.
But shortly, I lost interest in it as there was an announcement in one such sessions about who the party office-bearers were. The office-bearers might have thought that since it was they who founded it, it was their prerogative to hold the party positions. But it was disappointing to me since the democratic ethos was absent just in the initial days itself! If the party could not represent the voices of even 10-odd people, how it would go on to thrive and represent hundreds or thousands in future. So that was the end of my too short political journey and in no much time, the party too ended for various reasons!
Later, when we finished our graduation and started earning, a small group joined together and formed an NGO which would help students from government-run schools to perform better and help them financially when in need. So, when it came to the question of deciding on the office-bearers, we opted for the democratic way of doing it. We kept the field open for any members to contest without much formalities, and we all voted in our social media group and elected the office-bearers. Though the process did not seem an ideal one, it was kind of satisfying to have given everyone equal opportunities.
Under similar circumstances, when staying in a residential layout, I came across a situation wherein the people who initially had built houses there had by themselves occupied prime positions to handle the affairs of the layout. It included collecting monthly contribution towards layout development and taking care of basic needs. After a few years, a new group rose up to manage the layout, disgruntled at the way the first group had handled the issues. The tussle and mud-slinging went on for a long time. Unable to see this drama on a daily basis, we rallied with the much-promising new group and went from house to house to bring awareness of the conditions of the layout and how the need has arisen for a change of guard.
When the residents were all apprised, I suggested the new group to call for an election and get a democratically elected association which would give them an ethical and unquestionable right to handle the financial and civic affairs of the layout. The group was not inclined at all posing reasons such as, “Why an election for such a small layout!” I tried to reason out to them in vain, on how likewise a new group should not come up again creating chaos in the overall affairs. When it fell on deaf ears, I distanced myself from the whole process. The layout still continued to be messed up with least participation from its residents.
In a nutshell, from such experiences, I always felt that when we speak about democracy, when we want our own voices to be heard at different levels in society, that democracy should begin at our own doorsteps. It could be in our homes, wherein the voices and aspirations of our companions, our children are heard and our own thoughts are not imposed on them just because we hold the high ground.
Also, the legitimacy to rule or manage will always pass the tests when all the voices are represented, in a democratic way.
ashokbbalakrishna@gmail.com
