Being positive

Earlier my company considered me just a potential thief. Now it also considers me a potential terrorist. I will call it a promotion

The problem of democracy

I have not commented on the recent election, because to be frank, I did not observe any significant political trend or a departure. However, I have been meaning to comment on this post by DataNazi  (because it connects with my previous posts on democracy) essentially ruing over the fact that Delhi voters have (or seemed to have) rejected terrorism as a poll issue.

Now in this particular case, the results can be explained by the fact that BJP suffers from chronic credibility crisis (how it came to be is a matter of different post). However a larger question that this result does raise, do we correctly understand the dynamics of public sentiment or will of the masses? Prevalent opinion (of opinion makers) tells us that formation and public sentiment is a direct, and almost spontaneous, result of government policies alone, existing independent of media, which in turn is just a reflection of public opinion. Reality couldn't be any further from this. In truth public sentiment is a result of not just government policies but also media, for democracy can function only when there exist a) The information, and more importantly b) The framework to decide the relevance of information. These two combined decide the the topology of political culture, which essentially decides the particular direction of public choice.

If we take the above definition as true. Then there are three interesting observation that we can make.

1. One of the reasons that BJP appears, to put it mildly, a headless chicken, is its failure to counter the media onslaught launched by secular liberal establishment. Its folly goes beyond that. Even after a decade of ongoing media war, BJP fails to realize that it is in war zone, or the nature of enemy it faces.

2. The nature of political discourse in India is, for most part, hopelessly moronic, and reduced to absurd sloganeering ("garibi hatao", "roti, kapda, aur makan")

3. Considering the function of media in deciding the public choice, also explains its inclinations.But that is for different post

A New Security Paradigm.

Give war a chance. Let MADness ensue.

Aphorism: Irrationality

Life. Without rational will be inconvenient, without irrational, inconceivable.

This season, democracy is the new black.

Coming to the second reason mentioned in the previous post. I find the advertisment campaign for bringing out the vote infuriating, to put it mildly. Now I have nothing against encouraging voter turn out, but to believe that voter turn out is all that is wrong with our democratic system is a serious error.

Unfortunately for us, this error is a rule and not exception as far as educated Indians are concerned with the smirking idiot in the advertisement perfectly embodying the middle class. Ignorant, superficial, narcissistic and self righteous.

We have failed, or to be more precise, never even bothered, to understand what are the necessary condition which must be fulfilled before democracy can survive and deliver. In absence of any comprehension, and their hubris aggravated by rhetoric essentially similar to "We are the ones we have been waiting for ", the middle class have turned democracy from one of the systems of governance to a secular cult. This cult, like all the regular cults has, its  paraphernalia, most significantly a priest class in media, and a five yearly ritual of voting.

The belief that somehow higher percent of voting is the rambaan for all the problems that India faces is akin to belief that altar worship will result in favourable weather.

"But it is a start", you protest. Well, I wish it was, but I am afraid it is not. These campaigns are a regular occurrence meant mostly for corporate publicity and are forgotten with the news cycle.

"Well, do you have any solution, smart ass".You retort. Unfortunately no, so far I have been unable to reach to a definite conclusion. However what needs to be understood is for democracy to work, every constituent institution/ sub-system should be designed considering the underlying social environment. Further the proper function of institutions depend upon engagement of citizens with the institutions. With this is mind, here is my partial answer.

1. Engagement with the political process (beyond voting), this entails becoming  part of the political set up, organizing and informing as much as, and as many as, possible.

2. Evolution of political structures necessary for democracy to work, whether political funding, or grass root organization, or intellectual institutions.

In absence of this, democracy can not achieve much beyond an expression of activism chic.

Republic Of Oompa Loompa

This post by one with the blue throat disturbed my peace and tranquility of mind for mainly two reasons. First one being that unlike people at INI Neel has never displayed tendency of democracy worship. Second reason, well second reason will be disclosed at the end of post. "Hold on", You say, "Why so much disdain for democracy, Gaurav? Is it because no one loved you when you were a omega boy". The answer to this is that my disdain is directed not at democracy as a system of governance but at people who believe democracy is some wonder drug for all our social ills.Let me explain this with following story.

Consider a tribe located in deepest part of hard to reach tropical jungle. The tribe lives, as is usual in such situation, in perfect harmony except for a malaria, dengue, pythons, snake and in general a totally miserable life. Now one of the tribal finds a mysterious object in a tree. He brings it to the tribe. It is a novelty to the tribe, and they can't make head or tail of it. While they are discussing about what needs to be done next, someone presses the object by mistake, and lo and behold! Music starts to issue from the object. At first this is terrifying to the tribe. They scamper to security as soon as the music starts. However, as the time passes, the curiosity overcomes the fear once again, and they become used to music, even starting to enjoy it as the time passes.
Then one day, all of a sudden, the music stops. The tribe is surprised, and attempts to restart the music in the only way it has any understanding of the object, pressing, first cautiously and then vigorously.

This is more or less story of democracy in India.

This phenomenon is more popularly known as cargo cult democracy . However as Atanu holds copyright on the term, hence the alternative title.

And the second reason. That is for later.

Take the war to the enemy

This guy must be Hindutva fascist or something

By the way, the premise of the article is more or less same as what I have said earlier.

1. Pakistan must be disbanded.
2. Enough with Bhai-Bhai stuff. It's time for Pax Indica .