OBAMA : THE LESSON INDIA CAN LEARN FROM THE 'YES, WE CAN' MAN

Three cheers for Barak Obama.

Oh! America, sing hosannas in praise of rediscovering and rewriting the American dream.

When symptoms of instituional failures - more apparent and conspicuous in political, social and capitalistic structures of America - started shaking public faith, whose vibrations could be sensed world over, success at individual level like that of Obama could herald a new message that world has not really come to an end and that leadership will always emerge for carving and re-writing order in the political, social and economic spheres.

This article primarily is not meant only for showering petals of praise on Obama. When we are struting up and down that we are the salt of this earth and that India is the largest democratic country and that its democratic institutions are pillars of peoples' ruling, have we ever given thought about the quality of our democracy ? Please do not come to the judgment that such discourses are self-inflicting wounds, exposing the vagaries and short-fall of our style of running the governance of the nation. While it would be imprudent and an exercise in futility to draw a parallel between the democratic practices followed in America with that of India, we are conveniently forgetting that the reasons that we are attributing against drawing of such comparison, do not stand the scrutiny of rational tests.

As nation states, every country in the world has its own unique cultural, ethnic and linguistic landscapes and democratic and political institutions are always striving to mould themselves to suit a particular situation and grow. It is true that the legacies of democratic institutions left over by the imperialistic British empire at the advent of India's independence were to be moulded and to be involved in total metamorphosis to suit the post-independence conditons and that it requires further more time to expect a refined democracy. This argument is a convenient execuse and a labored exercise to dupe ourselves.

Have we ever cared to take time off to think for a moment why so may political parties are mushrooming day in and day out in India. Our Scientists are doing wonders in their own spehres of work and research; our entrepreneurs are conquering hitherto untreaded boundaries and businesses. Our chidren are increasingly becoming more informed and technology savvy. Then why alone political sphere is getting rotten and dumped with stinking garbage of unfaithful and culpable criminals, devoid even an iota of patriotism to the country. In the name of absolute freedom, any quack in India can grab a fabulous living level if he/she chooses the place of last refuge of scoundrels - politics.

Now draw a parallel to the Amereican democracy. Both the Democratic party and theRepublican party announce their respective nominees as candidates for the presidentail election. Even before contesting the election, these nominees first take the acceptance of the people of America. Thus, the gruelling two-years period prior to ther Nov.4, 2008 election, put the two nominees in the melting pot of assessment by the American people to know whether they can emerge succesful in the tests. The candidates are stripped to their nerves and bones to weigh their leadership qualities, personal character, moral issues and everything under the sky. Across- the- table debates, on allied issues touching upon national governance, are hall marks of the American democracy. Now focus on India. Can any one have the courage to ask political parties to take the acceptance of the people before a political nominee is given ticket to contest election. Will any political party come forward to involve its nominees in public debates as is done in America. Such a desire of the vox populi will be viewed with contempt. Candidates of all political parties in India are forced upon its electorate without any say on their part. Any one with the highest criminal record can occupy the highest offices in India. Yesterday's convicted criminals can become today's minsiters in India. And the unfortunate Indian psyche would be taught and tuned to join the herd mentality of accepting such criminals without any whimper.

Another facet of the Indian polity stands in stark contrast with that prevailing in America. Political fights in America end with the conclusion of elections. When once an election is over, all the differences and disputes prevailed prior to the election are treated only as voices of difference and not products of national discord premeating right through to develop animosity and venom among the contestents and political parties. They agree to disagree on many issues. But all these disagreements will come to an end when the elections are over. At this juncture, we would have missed an imporant point, if we forget those graceful words of John McCain, the Republican candidate after conceding defeat. What a towering personality and a great patriot !

Now, focus your beam on India. Yesterday's political foe, by the sheer chance of his contesting the election for one party, would be doomed to be stamped as a sworn and permanent enemy. No other country in the world had seen so many murders of political vendatta than that those occured in India in the last half a century. Certain political parties in India are not seeing eye to eye in the last many decades. They treat each other as rank enemy. And we call ourselves as the largest democracy.

It is not the political and constitutional institutions of governance that are weak in India. It is the corrupt and unpatriotic persons of politics who occupy the corridors of power and who vigorously strive to weaken these institutions of parlimentory democracy, do everything to weaken the Indian democracy.

Despite states in America are being federal entities with independent legal existence, each state is working hard to make America a well-knit United States and sustain that status. Take the case of India.. After sixty years of independence, the country is caught in pulls and pressures of seccessionist and fissiparous groups and parochialists. States are in arms with each other in the sharing of river waters. Walls are built on linguistic lines to pour hate. Terrorism has taken its pound of flesh. But those in the corridors of power are either trying to be soft on terrorism or they do not know how to root out secessionist and parochial tendencies against national interests. And we call our selves a large democracy.

Aside, over private conversations, this blogger is always advised by friends eloquently that exposing the vagaries of the Indian polity, borders on being unpatriotic. But with due respects to their conservative views, this blogger continues to expose such vagaries as he thinks that doing so will be a national duty and patriotic act.

Like American dream, India needs an 'Indian dream'. Former President of India, Dr.Abdul Kalam while in office and after demitting office, has been inspiring the children of India to dream for a better India and for their own better future lives. He knew well that the quagmire that the Indian polity had gone into, can not be cleaned over ninght with the same people in today's politics. He, perhaps, believes that such a course could be possible with the future generaion and therefore he struck the right chord in the children's minds. An Indian dream is in the making. Is it not time for all those with patriotic fervor to make such a dream come true ?

"I stand here knowing that my story is part of the larger
American story.....and that, in no other country on earth,
is my story even possible."
- Key note speech of Barak Obama
during the seeking of his first term
for the Senate at the 2004 Democratic
convention

This blogger desires that an Indian child to repeat similar voice in the Indian context in the years to come. Jai Hind..
It's now bye from Chandru until next blogging.