<\/span><\/p>\n Even my father used to wax nostalgic about the emergency and say that trains used to run on time and that everything went like clockwork. So it seems that this criticism isn\u2019t new and the evidence is clear. There are lots of people in this country who wish it to be a dictatorship \u2013 or at least they wish it was an authoritarian regime. Most of the time these people look and compare India with China and proclaim that they\u2019re pulling ahead of us in the \u201crace\u2019<\/p>\n I find this line of thought disturbing. There are many reasons why I feel that we have the best setup possible and to wish it to be any other way is foolishness.<\/p>\n Even though it\u2019s not relevant to my case, I can\u2019t help but start off with recognizing what we have done till now. There are people who feel that India is an utter failure. That we haven\u2019t achieved anything in 60 years. They feel that India consists of self serving people who don\u2019t care about society as a whole and that it\u2019s each man for himself. Doubtless they feel this way due to their own experience with what they have seen or heard, or been told. And while I\u2019m not here to discount their experiences, I would like to draw their attention to another side of India. And there is indeed another side. A very large and powerful side.<\/p>\n When I look at India, I see a nation that has survived against all odds. I see a country where there is so much bewildering variety that it boggles the mind. There have been other countries that have been compared to India in terms of variety. America being one of them. I\u2019ve lived in America for about a year, and I can tell you, there is absolutely no comparison<\/em>. In India, we have different native<\/em> languages for just about every state. Each region has it\u2019s own cuisine. Each area has it\u2019s own sense of dressing.<\/p>\n People in India, look<\/em> different when you travel from place to place. We have a Sikh Prime Minister, almost had a foreign born<\/em> Prime Minister who couldn\u2019t speak Hindi, and a Muslim president. Is it possible to name even one<\/em> other country that would allow a foreign born woman to be it\u2019s leader? Even the US hasn\u2019t had a female president till date.<\/p>\n With such variety, everyone expected India to fail as a democracy. Till that time, democracy was tried out only in countries that had a homogeneous environment. It was a huge social experiment, and we have survived where no one expected us to survive. We have had election after election (with a 2 year hiccup in the middle) and now our way of life is firmly established. Political parties humbly accept<\/em> the verdict of the people even when it means that entrenched powers must be displaced. The BJP moved over without a squeal in 2004 after losing despite being a \u201chardline\u201d party. Something that by no means happens around the world. Look at Zimbabwe last year.<\/p>\n Also, it is a widely held belief that democracy is best sustained when the surrounding regions are democratic as well. In this aspect too, India has been an enigma. Surrounded by neighbors whose governments are either powerfully compromised, or not democracies at all, India is a glimmering example of holding onto ideals. A diamond in the rocks.<\/p>\n \n Democracy at work in India<\/p>\n<\/div>\n As Obama proclaimed a few days ago, \u201cIndia is a shining example to us all.\u201d<\/p>\n Most people when condemning India\u2019s democracy point to China. The general drift of their logic goes something like this: \u201cChina is not a democracy. Look at them. Look at their growth. They have vision. They have long term policies. They are a growing power. The world is afraid of them etc etc.\u201d<\/p>\n My only answer is: \u201cSo bloody what?\u201d<\/p>\n Correlation does not<\/em> equal causation. There are plenty of countries that are not democracies who are not doing well. Why don\u2019t we look to our western neighbor Pakistan and praise their military for having taken over the country innumerable number of times? No. That<\/em> we will not do. But we look at China and want to be like them. Also, we must realize once and for all, that the purpose of the government is for the people.<\/em> The people cannot be used to serve the goals of the government or country. So if the country as a whole is successful and the people within it are not happy and don\u2019t have the right to speak freely, then such a state is a failure, not a success.<\/p>\n Each country is different. China as a country is much<\/em> more homogeneous than India. They have a shared common history, a largely common language and similar ethnic origins. Nowhere close<\/em> to the diversity of India.<\/p>\n Moreover, history shows that far from being an open and close case, China is extremely complex. There is evidence that as people in China get more prosperous, they will be less likely to want to submit to authority. Heed my words. In the next few decades, there will be an upheaval in China as more and more people start wishing for democracy. And it won\u2019t be a peaceful transition. No one likes to give up power. There will be chaos as the country\u2019s entrenched institutions try and hold onto power.<\/p>\n If what I say doesn\u2019t happen, then well and good. No one wants misery and suffering. But the chances are that sooner or later, China will become like India, and not the other way around.<\/p>\n Another frequent argument that I hear all the time is that there are more pressing issues in India than freedom of speech and civil liberties. Proponents claim that the Indian government has better and more important things to do than to ensure that women can party at night, or to debate the legality of homosexuality. There are two major<\/em> flaws in this logic. The first is that of the false dichotomy, and the second is to assume that without civil liberties, things like infrastructure matter a great deal.<\/p>\n It\u2019s foolish to say \u201cConcentrate on clean water, not on free speech.\u201d Does the government have only one hand? Is it composed of only one person who can only do one thing at a time? Is it possibly conceivable that when the ministry for infrastructure is trying to get clean water to villages, the home ministry has to stop functioning? Beware of the false dichotomy.<\/p>\n My feeling is that when people say stupid things like this, they mean something else. These people I suspect have a sense of guilt that they\u2019re living comfortable lives when others are not and in order to try and cope with this, they want everyone else to suffer as well. Be that as it may, that is their problem and not relevant to this discussion.<\/p>\n Those who claim that they would prefer India to be a dictatorship or an authoritarian state if trains ran on time and the roads were clean, either need a history lesson, or they\u2019re in the wrong place.<\/p>\n Such individuals should have lived in Nazi Germany. Clean roads, potable water, economic security, nice cars, food for everyone \u2013 what more do you want right? Why not get a taste of Stasi\u2019s East Berlin then? Sure, you never know if the man next to you is a government agent who can put you behind bars forever if you so much as utter word against the government. Or I suppose it\u2019s completely irrelevant that you\u2019re not supposed to hold any political views other than what the government wants you to have. Oh and did I mention that the news you read is \u201capproved\u201d by the state before it comes to you? And books? You can only read those sanctioned by the government \u2013 of course.<\/p>\n Oh and remember the free and fair Internet? \u2013 it\u2019s a myth. There\u2019s no such thing.<\/p>\n But hey \u2013 there were clean roads! And clean water!<\/p>\n Ok, enough of the heavy sarcasm. The bottom line is that people need to read up a bit of history. They need to know and imagine what it\u2019s like to live under a state that has no freedoms. They need to get a taste of the feeling that you just want to scream<\/em> out something abusive against the government \u2013 just for the sake of being able to do so.<\/p>\n There are people who have given up their very lives<\/em> for freedom. Our Indian Freedom struggle is the best example. Who the hell cares if the Britishers were fantastic administrators? Did we sacrifice our lives and drive them out only so that we could have our very own home brewed dictators? Are we saying that only Indians have the right to be dictators over Indians?<\/p>\n It\u2019s an insult to the memories of the freedom fighters when people say they would rather have a dictatorial government. Let them go to some other place where they can have their clean roads and towering skyscrapers \u2013 Democracy in India was bought with the blood of tens of thousands of people. It\u2019s a national treasure, and one that every Indian must at least acknowledge if not respect.<\/p>\n For those still not satisfied with India\u2019s remarkable achievement, here are some facts that should make you feel proud:<\/p>\n If people were so thrilled during the emergency with an orderly government and trains running on time, why did they boot the Congress government out immediately after? This shows that people love their freedoms and that the fabric of democracy runs deep.<\/p>\n Atrocities happen in every country \u2013 in India, America, as well as China. What matters is how they are handled afterwards?<\/p>\n\n
The Miracle of India Democracy<\/h2>\n
![\"Democracy](\"http:\/\/www.bhagwad.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/05\/democracy-at-work-in-india.jpg\" "\\"democracy-at-work-in-india\\"")
<\/p>\nComparisons with China<\/h2>\n
China\u2019s state and future<\/h3>\n
False choice between Freedom and Development<\/h2>\n
The false dichotomy<\/h3>\n
Which matters more?<\/h3>\n
Shining examples of India\u2019s Democracy<\/h2>\n
Congress got voted out after the Emergency<\/h3>\n
Inquiries after atrocities<\/h3>\n
![\"Tiananmen](\"http:\/\/www.bhagwad.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/05\/tiananmen-squaure-massacre.jpg\" "\\"tiananmen-squaure-massacre\\"")
<\/p>\n