If those who believe that democracy is a simple and perfect choice of governance think again. We are issuing our own quote today that must be remembered by one and all who profess with democratic norms. And our Quote is , ” Democracy is not for the faint hearted. It requires men of steel and grit”. Let us deliberate on it.
When Indira Gandhi imposed Emergency we were in schools and could not understand much the seriousness of it. Today looking back we shiver at the thought of it. A complete lockdown on opposition, media and any one who dared to confront the government. The idea was to kill the spirit of democracy and people who stand by it. Freedom of expression and independent existence of human was throttled and under severe risk.
A glimpse of this was seen again when the Maharashtra government and police went after Arnab Goswami editor of Republic TV and put him in Jail on some old suicide case that was dead. To be honest we were anguished beyond words and have to even criticise the BJP and her leadership for being unable to bail out the fearless journalist. Today when the apex court has released Arnab from the clutches of a rogue state we are relieved but also anxious. For democracy will keep testing us , our willpower and weaknesses, it will try to provoke us, it will try to wake us through jerks and shocks whenever we become complacent and take things granted. Democracy has never been for the faint hearted. It is for the warrior like Arnab who has shown us the path to fight for democracy and our rights. Make no mistake one has to be prepared to go to jail and tolerate abuses and boots of police. One has to risk life and family. In other words to save democracy one has to be prepared for leaving everything only then it can and will be saved.
To be sure, there will be always that Villain, wretched, arrogant individual and his dishonest team who will try to usurp power at the cost of freedom and for vested interests. For the weak always clings to the dishonest and succumbs to lure of power and money. We have to take lessons from all this else we will not be able to save democracy.
The country is undergoing tremendous changes. The traffic was one way for past 6 decades after congress came to rule the country with a very weak and one sided agenda. It played the communal card so subtly that the common men and women were unable to decipher and understand it. And they took it for Secularism which was just the opposite the party was doing.
Besides we allowed it to happen as many of us lived comfortably in our houses busy with family and career. A few organisations esp like Sangh and her Pracharaks who were aware and awake stood up to these challenge and gave up the luxury to save democracy and strengthen the nation. Besides some political leaders fought it tooth and nail. Jaiprakash Narayan showed us how it can be won through his student movement. But by and large the nation slept and therefore today we see there are not one but multiple challenges and issues to handle.
End of Part 1.
Tomorrow we will write part 2 of this article which will look further into the malice and will try to awake the citizens from slumber.
Dr Asheesh Shah
Samanvaya
Http://www.samanvaya.org.in
