Election - 2014 exercise for 810 million Indian voters that is currently underway is not only noteworthy but also demands a big applause from the civilized world. This civil operation comprises of 240,000 election officers supported by 200,000 central security personnel (plus hundreds of thousands of provincial police force) who manage 930,000 voting centers (provided with 1.4 million electronic voting machines). The two months long process which will culminate into the election results on 16th May takes an enormous dimension because of the magnitude and diversity of the electorate. The 5 billion dollars cost tag to decide the fate of the aspirants of the 543 seats in the Indian parliament; is not only justified by the enormity of the task but also by the enthusiasm buildup of the electorate who can be seen improving upon the democratic process with every election. The very fact that India is forging ahead as one functioning democratic country with all its multi cultural, multi lingual and multi religious bearings has proven wrong the pessimistic prophesies of even people like Winston Churchill.
In fact the basic ethos of a democracy, that is the tolerance towards others was well entrenched in ancient Indian nation. The democratic institutions were federalized and power to deal with routine matters vest with the village level local government - Punchayat. The focus was on betterment of the society. Advancement of medical science - ayurveda, mind body coordination - yoga, astrological science, mathematics and even the practice of vegetarianism was emphasized to benefit life on planet earth. But India paid heavy price for being civilized well ahead of the times when most of the rest of the world was still on horse backs - armed to use brute force to overpower others. With the arrival of barbaric tribes from central Asia in 16th century followed by the total exploitation by European imperialists, India got pushed back into the dark ages. But the virtue of tolerance stayed deep rooted.
Even the Indian religious practice was evolutionary in composition to allow the change human development was encompassing. The belief comprising of many gods and goddesses and series of lords 'Avatars' highlighted the realignments required in view of the human evolution. It is only after the arrival of foreign religions like Christianity and Islam that Hinduism got challenged and the very concept of religious practice in India changed its paradigm. But again the foundation of the relevant belief stayed intact.
The pluralism that is being practiced in India today and the election process that is the hallmark of modern India is basically nothing but the foundations of the above mentioned rich heritage being revisited after nation took back the reins in 1947. It is these foundations of incredible India that has nurtured democracy when other countries with similar geopolitical and socioeconomic situations have miserably failed. Three Muslim presidents since independence; current Sikh prime minister and Italian born Christian head of the ruling party in a country of 85% Hindu population provide ample proof of that intermittent communal skirmishes are work of only few sick and does not represent the national ethos. This inherent nature of Indian population is also reflected in the settlement of Indian Diasporas. Unlike many other nations they never engaged in overpowering the natives and worked to develop institutions for coexistence. Unfortunately many a times this has resulted in disadvantages like displacements of Indian people from countries like Uganda and Fiji.
It is very sad though that civil society has not given the due credit to Indian nation for practicing democracy against all odds. Instead of hailing the process some cunningly look only for gaps to show down the great effort. Corruption and Bureaucracy in Indian government does not dilute the effort of the people’s firm belief in democracy. Democracy in countries that have partnered in crime against humanity during the era of colonization is simply dwarfed by the purity of action when we talk about Indian situation. Indians accept and identify the social evils that are still rampant in the country and there is no doubt that the same need to be weeded out without subverting the democratic pathways. The process may be frustratingly slow but the targets are clear and honorable as compared with practices where differentiation amongst people is encouraged by having kings, queens and princes. It is also surprising to see the world being commandeered by so called champions of democracy who go all out to overthrow a dictator and yet accept another one where dirty oil money is more valued than people’s freedom. Even the institution of United Nations without the permanent seat for India has failed to give credit where it belongs - Inclusion of India would only have brought real relevance!
It is the Indian people that world needs to salute for practicing all-encompassing democracy. This appreciation does not absolve the past governments for corrupt practices and the future governments; from the tasks of removing social inequalities and taking all required action to bring India to the modern day habitable levels.