India is a constitutionally
proclaimed Republic where the basic unit of everything that goes into the
concept of a democratic nation is the ‘common man’.
But, over the years, passing
through the ages, the public of this Republic, looking for known or familiar
addresses, was pushed, comfortably and consciously, to a fallacious state of
mind of ‘being supreme to the cause of an India ruled by its political elite’.
The symbolism of a ‘high and
mighty’ Republic of compromised public began right in 1947 with Jawaharlal
Nehru’s epoch-defining midnight ‘Tryst with Destiny’ speech.
We were born a troubled nation.
And though we had great many
luminaries when we began, we faltered. In spite of their profound wisdom and
good intent, some of the soldiers of the Indian Freedom Movement caused acidic
damage to the concept of a true Republic, affecting the chances of ensuring a
healthy democratic atmosphere for its public. And we continued to falter.
Until now!
It seems good days are coming.
The ‘Aam Aadmi’, the ubiquitous,
quintessential, conspicuously insignificant common man was never so ‘uncommon’
for Indian politicians.
Until now, corruption, the
arterial malaise of the Indian social weaving, had failed to become the central
poll plank of any of the General Elections (Lok Sabha polls) of India barring
few occasions when sentiments ran high like the Bofors Scam case and its impact
on the electoral outcomes.
And corruption has become so
‘common manly’ in India that it has effectively pushed to the margins any
remote chance of the common man being the central poll plank of elections beyond
the centrality of the symbolism of a Republic of the common men (subservient to
the democratic interests of the political elite).
But as an apolitically political
party (the Aam Aadmi Party) has made a stunningly successful political
electoral debut in Indian politics riding high on the poll planks of common man
and corruption, and is threatening the other masters of the game in spite of
its languishing political show on performing on governance in Delhi, the common
man is getting all the attention that he has been missing for so many years,
from the master, and from their entourage.
But, let’s don’t get high to let
the symbolism befool us again. Let’s keep questioning.
So is it the time to say ‘until
now’?
Is it the ‘high time’ or is it
going to be just yet another daydream, a failed experiment, a futile
What are the developments that
help us daydream it or push us hoping so?
Watch out..