SOCRATES AND DEMOCRACY

What we have gotten to believe most religiously, are the ideological realities that we tend to live in and not being able to identify what went wrong when we unanimously decided to limit our thoughts to a particular spectrum and never once look beyond that spectrum for solutions. It’s common sense that it’s not always proper to choose something that everyone supports but it is common belief that it should happen. Is it just to avoid commotion? What is to be noted, Is that it is just because we all assume that every chooser has given the problem a thorough thought and since a majority of them arrived at that conclusion, it’s supposed to be the right one indeed. 

But that’s not the case. Socrates gave an excellent analogy for this. Let’s suppose a hundred people are on a ship and they need to choose a captain. Is it that the people who have never before been out in the sea get the same say in the matter as the sailors amongst them? It is not. Just because the consequences of a decision affect them, it does not make them eligible to have a say in the matter. It’s not a case of opinion deprivation but just mere sensibility.

Same goes for an electoral process in a democracy. The very essence of democracy is choosing. But choosing from what and by who? From everybody and by everybody and for everybody? It’s just a case where the ship is much bigger. This is the reason for everything that is supposed to be right in a theoretical democracy but is not right in an actual democracy. Where electoral rights are supreme but the electoral duties and responsibilities of the masses find no mention of. 

WHAT DID THE 17th GENERAL ELECTION BRING?

The narendra modi government is all set to take charge of the country once again after the people showered the bharatiya janata party with an even greater majority than it got in 2014. The congress yet again had to face defeat and could not even bag 54 seats so as to loosing claim to be the leader of opposition. With this vast mandate, the bharatiya janata party believes it to be an affectionate nudge for them to carry on owing to their developmental schemes and reforms in the past five years. 

Congress president Rahul Gandhi offered to quit as the party president but that was unanimously declined by the congress workers committee. Owing to the bharatiya janata party’s impressive performance in West Bengal, chief minister mamata banerjee also offered to quit as the chief minister but her party refused. 

All seven seats in Delhi were painted saffron with the aam admi party’s candidates coming a distant third in about three seats. Delhi chief minister Arvind kejriwal has gone silent and has not yet addressed the media though he congratulated narendra modi and the aam admi party’s sole lok sabha member Bhagwant Mann and that too from Punjab. 

In uttarpradesh,  the alliance between the samajwadi party and the bahujan samaj party bagged a total of 15 seats with mayawati taking 10 of her candidates to parliament. Akhilesh yadav grabbed the attention by summoning all party spokesmen to Lucknow and having no interaction with the media whatsoever. 

The congress party in karnataka and madhyapradesh are believed to be vulnerable with the congress winning a single seat each out of the 53 lok sabha seats. The state of Karnataka also witnessed prominent congressmen speaking out against the leadership and this further complicates matters for the congress party. 

Odisha drew peculiar colours on its map as it was quite a contest for the biju janata dal in the parliamentary election but it sailed through the assembly election with a jubilant majority all set to see a 5th term for the chief minister Naveen pattnaik. Kerala and Punjab were the only states where congress bagged double digits as opposed to a number of states where it couldn’t even open it’s count. 

With a number of state elections lined up starting from the next year, it’s a challenge for all regional and the congress party to put up a fight. With amit shah winning his first lok sabha seat it will be an exciting anticipation to who will be the party president to bear the lotus standard in all these coming elections.

THE GREAT INDIAN ELECTION.

As much as being in love with Indian politics, there are always a few complaints. With outspoken people taking over the broadcasts and making it a point to win elections even without contesting (or so it seems), it's always a sore sight looking at what the elections have achieved and what is left to achieve.

That's what happened in the US presidential elections. People on television claiming to have a right to speak for all people and dignifying themselves with a sense of public representation at the end, making a fool of themselves. With the average American clear in his head of what he believes would be best for him, we can't help but wonder how would have India fared under those circumstances?

India being a country of enthusiastic and views entitled youth, which makes just a small part of the voting population has still a lot to get right. The middle class gets close to no response in campaigns and even after more than 72 years of Independence and all being democratic governments, the people have no shame witnessing election campaigns all shouting ‘poor’! Because this ‘poor’ is of a big chunk of votes and is maybe the most gullible of all. Social security, way of life, foreign policies, educational reforms being a million years ahead in the future, India gears up for the 2019 general elections.

The world has come a long way from being a blank blackboard with chalks lying at it's bottom for someone to pick up a few and start claiming their views to be facts which are accepted because there are no other blackboards in sight (Not a great analogy?). Presently, people have started making their own opinions and with adequate amount of sense to be open to views too. They have access to information and entitled to hold their views to themselves and not caring about the trend however, within a boundary of logic and sense. While there's literally no compulsion in choosing a particular set of wants, the Indian voter has got his expectations lower than ever. With people not caring about who forms the government to making a mockery of all politicians alike are some of the most witnessed sights in the country. There's a contrast to be drawn. While politics in India has always maintained a grace, presenting the country with some of the most excellent statesmen from time to time, it's the voter who has always been quite fickle with his mind. Giving in to sensationalism and intimidation, it's the average voter that takes himself for granted more than anyone else.

                            

                       

Though India has been taking baby steps towards breaking this particular tradition, there's​ still a lot that can be achieved. It's high time we show progress in campaigns and question about policies that affect all groups of people in the country. That will bring a true sense of entitlement and a cause to celebrate elections. When the largest democracy will beam with opportunities and satisfaction, will then the world see what an independent India has actually become.

WHY DO WE NEED STUDENTS TO CHANGE INDIA FOR US?

“Those who are crazy enough to think they can change the world usually do”            

• Steve Jobs

Where else could we see people coming together embracing each other's culture (enjoying all the while), getting criticized for their regional issues and passing their own light judgements on those matters (disguised as comments of course), proud of the fact that their thoughts matter as they have grown to be adults, breaking social stigmas, talking about solutions to issues, trying to be of use and more strictly, at a certain point dreaming of the world to be the same? This is how the student crowd is changing the country.

What education imparts to an individual goes much beyond the realm of academics and discipline. It ignites the mind to wonder, compare, process and in cases, revolt! Yes the country talks about being better. To change within, to make amends to the wrongs, to be more compassionate, to be more open but what it actually does is to carry on the same routine with just a thought of change. That's all. Maybe the society is still immature to change or is incapable of it because it's the generation that's not ready to move on. With stagnant issues, it becomes difficult. So as to what changes have they to make if at all their life would ever be the same. But that's something the Young generation doesn't need to worry about.

They know what's wrong with the society and what's the solution because we talk about it. And they are willing to make changes because they don't have an experience of adjusting to the circumstances (as opposed to the older generation who pretty much seem to be too attached to the issues to set them right). They need fast changes and changes that will make the field (society) better and for them to start life.

Fascinated by politics, laughing at discrimination, brimming with business ideas, holding patriotism dear and disgusted with people making decisions for them is how they make themselves aware about their rights and duties. For example if not for those pathetic 'voters’ who sell votes, politics would have been set right in this country long ago by these individuals. Same goes for the communal hatred brewing in parts of the country, corruption, and even to an extent, civility.

What is to be celebrated is that this is something that comes out of a necessity to revolt, to change and more importantly, to prosper!

IS FAKE NEWS FREEDOM OF SPEECH? Media scared to be accountable?

Don't we all need a responsible and answerable media if we are considering it to be a pillar more stronger than the government in the structure of democracy? Of course we do! And if anything else this is required even more now since media is influencing pretty much every aspect of the life starting with electoral politics to building perception about every other minute feature of the outer world.

Media in our country has visibly stooped down in it's standards.(why?) Well maybe for starters, it's politics centric, TRP hungry and overconfident. Some of the media around the world who are still considered to be the best in the field and act as a reference for all the others have some straight reason for them to be the best. They take authenticity of the subject seriously, criticize for well enough reasons and be well within the boundaries of performing a fair ritual of Justice for the debate and not passing judgements well before courts.

Recently Malaysian lawmakers decided upon making fake news a punishable offence. This step indeed has been criticized by human rights activists as it can be used as a tool by the government to have complete control over the media. But is it so? Is ‘fake news’ synonymous with 'freedom of expression’? No! If anything it spoils lives, influences gullible minds and last of all makes the media somewhat irrelevant.

Media accusing politicians of corruption openly, making fun of the lawmakers, abusing able businessmen, not really caring about the poor but deciding what's good and what's wrong for them, considering videos trending to be the gospel truth and passing on judgements on sub judice matters (which is an punishable offence but I don't know why no one has been ever punished). The only media controlling body is the press club but it's kind of seen to controlled by the rich channels. Thus all accountability of the media goes right out of the window.

I guess that such steps have been from a time, due in India. Where debates are pretty much jamming sessions and ‘selling news’ is provident. And if the argument of the government controlling media by deciding which is right and which is wrong, I think there are ways other than scraping of the thought of the media being accountable.

WHAT HARM DID KEJRIWAL DO TO POLITICS?

The man who grew to be a strong political figure, told to be a crusader, fighting to be the common man and calling shots at the sheltered 'big figures' was something we needed or were made believe to do so!

WHAT was meant to be a cleaning campaign, has turned into a group of hotheads out yo litter some more and making politics even a dirtier pond to ward of any thoughts on the true common man's mind to enter it to clean up.

What we felt was a wave up change, a belief, a dream for the common man. The common man making rules for the common man, the common man answering the common man and the common man delivering to the common man.

But now?

The common man is in a commotion! The common man is disheartened AND THIS IS WHAT IS A THREAT!

The people trusted an individual to be the change. WHO promised to stay an epitome of honesty, a Savior of the common man who is remembered and appeased just in elections BUT has his ambitions taken control of him.
What will make the public believe in some one once again and who is really hoti doing so after such a deception?

KEJRIWAL HAS KILLED THE TRUST OF THE COMMON MAN. Will the people ever lookup to change the same way like they did in 2015?

The youth is disheartened. He fears we will turn into this if he gets into the mess of politics AND THIS IS WHOSE LOSS?

HERE'S THE ANSWER!

It's the loss of the people. It's the loss of the common man. AND most importantly, it is the loss of the true values of politics that are synonymous with democracy itself.

Feminism or......?

 WHAT HAS FEMINISM TURNED  INTO?

I am sure you must have heard of that particular term. Either in a conversation or in a meme. So why does this matter so much? Or more importantly, for whome does it matter so much?

Ofcourse INDIA as well as the rest of the world has had a dark history of gender discrimination. May it be in various activities or taking birth. 

So why did suddenly it turned the other way?

We always knew it was going to initiate something like this. But we hadn't expected something this big. But is it what was due? 

Let us decode it further. 

Women want to be self-empowered right? Then why do they need reservations? They want to compete with men shoulder to shoulder right? Then why not do that on the basis of merits? 

Just blaming a male for every deed and time that went wrong is the new meaning of FEMINISM. 

We already have reserved seats in public transport but we will still frown upon some man sitting on some other seat just because he got there first! Uff. 

We get that. We want you to live on par with men but we would really appreciate if you make it elegant and inspiring. Not by screaming your way out. So let there be true FEMINISM. Let there be a true essence of women empowerment in women themselves. 

All the pseudo-feminists out there. Hear this loud and clear.

True feminism is probably about the equality of sexes. Most propaganda and hype is done by people who have little to no idea of what feminism 

actually means.