Beyond the politics of banality

Despite being one of the largest democracies in the world, aberrations in the political system of India have been put to question time and again. What we need today are changes in the political domain to make democracy thriving

Social activist Anna Hazare took on the government over corruption. Baba Ramdev followed. But ask the intellectual Indians and they have more to add beyond just corruption and black money that are taking a toll on democracy. No wonder, there is growing demand for making political representation more accurate, driving out the ‘politics of banality’, setting standards for party disciplines and more.    

For a nation like India, with a sixth of humanity living within its borders, one factor that binds all Indians to a single commitment is democracy. But, there are aberrations also. The present political system let people’s representatives get elected for five years, but with no workable mechanism to ensure or assess their accountability to their respective constituencies.

The existing electoral structure also follows a ‘first pass the post’ system. It allows contenders in an election winning the maximum number of votes, even by a small margin against their opponents, win majority seats in a House for a political party. This, apparently, leads to an inaccurate political representation.   

When I spoke to Prof Pradip Kumar Datta of Political Science Department, University of Delhi sometime back, he hinted at the need for closer correspondence between the number of seats and percentage of votes that goes into the making of a government. Parliamentary system of democracy is based on representation. And representation, in order to be effective, needs to be more accurate of people’s choices.

Political analysts also stress on getting rid of, what many say, the ‘politics of banality’. This has manifestations like de-institutionalisation through ‘pure politics’ (politics with an exclusive win-lose orientation), state terror, the composite process of communalisation, criminalisation, etc. The root cause of all these abnormalities is that India’s democratic politics is allegedly overrun with people who do not ‘live for’ politics, but ‘live off’ it.

Suggesting possible solutions, Prof Amartya Mukhopadhyay from department of Political Science, University of Calcutta, stresses on compelling political parties to be more broad-based in their recruitment of leaders. His suggestion: People who have decided to ‘live for’ politics must be given a chance, to help the transition from ‘formal’ democracy to ‘substantive’ democracy.

It’s also time for political parties to set standards of internal party discipline. While ruling parties tend to be unrestrained on different issues, oppositions try to lead a movement which ethically they are ineligible. Thus, to encounter and humiliate each other, political bigwigs from both sides are loosing sight of the real issue which is to work together and set the ship on sail for all-round prosperity. 

It is time political fraternity of the country listen to the voice of young India – inculcate a new type of ‘civil loyalty’ beyond divided interests, rejuvenate the pre-colonial Indian dream, and allow all communities in India – creedal and cultural – to feel ‘at home’.   

Welcome to the ad-mad world!

In a social market place, if we can’t remain immune to the instigation of advertisements any more, all we need is individual analysis

It is no more an exaggeration that we live in a world driven by media and advertisements. From the moment we wake up in morning, till we get back to sleep again — our lives are wrapped by mass media. No matter if we are scanning the morning newspaper with a cup of coffee, listening to the radio on the way back from office, or enjoying our favourite serial on TV — we just can’t cut off from it. Worst, even if we attempt to relieve our eyes looking at the horizon, it is sure to get obstructed by some gigantic billboard!      

Welcome to 21^st century Delhi, where human lives and decisions are governed by product, commodities and services — 24X7! In fact, advertisements and advertisers rule the roost today as they are sponsors of every big and small events/ activities across the country. Be it through radio, Internet, mobile phones or some public affairs — they know how to reach you and ignite your interest in their respective product and services. And why not, when every single move in the marketing world is carefully crafted aimed at making the maximum impact towards profit maximisation.  

No wonder, advertisements today are wittier than ever before, each one of them are different and appeal to all our emotions. How can one keep his face away from the ‘Jaago Re’ advertisements which urge all citizens to wake up and fight against corruption? It also inspires people ‘to be the change you seek’. If ZooZoos are a hit during the last two IPL seasons, ‘Hari Sadu’ line of TV commercials by an online job portal had became talk of the town sometime back.

No different are a leading newspaper’s ‘Lead India’ and ‘Teach India’ campaigns that had a country-wide appeal — giving out a call to be the change that we expect in Indian society, an opportunity for citizens to shrug off their indifference and put a shoulder to the wheel. Also, every brand is incomplete today without a catch line, which makes an impression in the back of our mind. Remember a popular bike model coming with the base line ‘feel like god’ or detergent powder saying ‘daag achcha hai’? To me, all of these aim only at adding visibility to a brand personality.

And there are advertisements that go to the extent of fleecing people/ customers as well! I chanced upon a print advertisement sometime back wherein a pen company claimed to offer ‘world’s longest writing pen’. But I was not surprised considering the increasing competition in corporate world and noisy brand-wars. There are advertisements also with lofty promises which instigate people to spend on product and services that are often unnecessary. As far as children are concerned, they have a tendency of grabbing the dialogues, actions etc, aired or published through the media. In situations as such, if we can’t really stay away from the ad-mad world, we need to analyze advertisements critically before being swayed by them.

Itch of the age

Amid competition and soaring expectations, are men game for anything to earn a competitive edge – even conceal their age?

Guys, thanks for wishing me belated 'happy birthday' and I am actually enjoying my 30^th summer. Thanks again for your cheers, but hey! Why are those eyebrows up learning my age? May be I look younger than my age, or somewhat older. But does it really matters?

“Yes, it matters,” said my best friend taking me aside. In no time, I am enlightened that the inclination of hiding one’s age is also making its way into the minds of menfolk. It started centuries back with women’s obsession to appear young – mentally and physically, and continued to be an enigma among the men. But gone are the days when men are considered embodiments of power and pride. Competitions are at all levels, and somewhere, the feeling of insecurity is creeping. Whatever it takes to stand out of the crowd, men are all for it.

Whatever it takes – fairness, fashion, discourse and body language, men needs everything to earn that competitive edge. And concealing age is getting just a part of the process. I remember, I have closely seen one of my cousine's concern for his greying hairs when he was a government servant. I never dared to question him, but today I understand that to keep pace with time one have be as he is expected, even at the cost of putting on a permanent mask. Think of the private sector where colour and glamour is often indispensable!

Beyond the competitive arena, comes expectation of spouses and peer groups. If wives who are Shahrukh/ John Abraham fans and expect husbands to flaunt six pack abs, poor husbands have little options to defend themselves. Infact, men and women are extremely self conscious now for which they can go to any length. Time waits for none, but we can’t afford to lose the prime of our youth, if not really, why not show off that time is counting back with us?

And it has to do with our inclinations and fascinations as well. In a world that’s ruled by the media we find solace in pretending to be young and energetic trying to resemble the celebrities we adore. We don’t mind to go against the nature and hide our age because we are scared of people’s losing interest in us with rising age – a creeping social stigma.  And so, from my 30^th summer onwards, I vow to keep my age a secret. Like several men around me, who had started following the women’s obsession, I will now be one of them.  

I am watching

Newspapers call it ‘historic’. I wonder. After all, change is the only constant. And today, I can spell-out my doubts on the foresightedness of the so-called ‘intellectual Bengali’ that choose to support a political party for 34 years when West Bengal slipped from one of the happening part of the country to be a virtually no-business destination.

The state today stands nowhere in comparison to states like Maharashtra, Karnataka, Haryana, Gujarat etc., in regards to business, commerce and overall development. It seems, finally, the people here realised the need for change. Today, as we see a green surge in West Bengal, it’s not time to celebrate but to accept the challenge — to bring in development in West Bengal — bring it at par with other states, and turn the home of ‘intellectual Bengalies’ into a world stage.

As Bengal changes its colour today, I wish good sense prevail over autocracies, development prevails over personal interests. I am not going to exult with the green brigade this evening, but from afar I look at the state I belong from in anticipation of growth and prosperity in governance, trade, commerce, education, lifestyle, and environment. I wish the green brigade bring with it an air of commitment that percolates among the masses as a sense of security, maturity and understanding.

On this day of transition, I am not expecting any magic from the new cabinet that will take control of the state. My expectations are very simple. Is it too much to expect that every citizen in this part of the country will have access to potable water, clean air to inhale, quality healthcare services and a sense of security? Pardon me if it is too much.

Take my tips, if you consider it worth. No need to brainstorm over creation of jobs and industries. Create industry-oriented academic structures and industry-friendly policies. Jobs will be created automatically and brain drain can be checked. Another important thing is infrastructure. The next time the new cabinet sits down to draft a development road map, ensure a realistic deadline for a project. If a government agency fails to deliver in time, have a protocol in place to penalise it, make it compensate the people. If a government contractor fails to deliver in time or compromise in quality, blacklist it. It is not too much to expect.

Evils like corruption and bribery will most likely come on the way. Enforce strong regulations against such evils. We have provisions in the existing system for these — all we need is good intent. Focus on decentralisation, it might help. And please, don’t politicise development issues anymore. Don’t put the state and its future at stake for any political mileage. The common man is conscious and watching. I am watching.