Democracy?

A few months back, the world looked on amazed as the power of a people's movement brought down the powerful Mubarak regime. Just a few days later, Libya erupted against Gadhaffi, and it seemed the rebels would overthrow the dictator in a matter of days, even as Nato brought in its jets to shoulder whatever hardware the regime could use against the civilians. Iran, Bahrain, Tunisia, Syria, Oman, even China seemed to be caught up in the "Internet driven democratic movement".


But reality is now hitting back. Egypt recently saw protestors back in Tahrir Square, this time protesting against the same "heroic" army they were counting on as their country's saviour a few months back. Gadhaffi is still bombing his civilians, killing them when the misguided Nato bombs don't. Democracy is still possible only in a parallel virtual reality, whose time has not yet come in this world.

Indian democracy seems to only get stronger, day by day, though. Anna brought the powerful political class to its knees through a simple Satyagraha that found tremendous support from an usually vocal and concerned urban middle class, that is waking up to its responsibilities.   The Lokpal might be the beginning of a serious crackdown on corruption, and Raja, Kalmadi and their cronies will not be breathing easy for a long time. Terrorism has failed to achieve any of its goals, and recent elections in Kashmir, and the way life has moved on in cities like Mumbai and Pune show that bombs can kill the body, but never the spirit and soul of this nation.

Indians need to be proud of themselves. Self-sufficient villages, powerful castes and joint families decide how the country governs itself, not an all-powerful political class, and therein lies the true essence of our successful democracy!