Monday, May 04, 2009

The Inertia of Apathy

In a recent conversation over a few beers, some friends and I were pondering over the ongoing general elections, and what it means. One thing led to another, and our conversation took some pretty strange turns, but some points of discussion stuck.

Politics in India is a messy affair. It's not as clear cut as the Congress, BJP and the Left. Mysteriously somehow, this organized mess works. Karan Johar recently made an advert for the Lead India campaign, where he roped in all the hottest bollywood stars to persuade the masses to vote. The message was that nothing can happen to this country unless we take a stand and vote. But how many of us know who we are voting for, and what it means not just to us, but the rest of the country as well?

Our country has an average voter turnout of about 60%. Out of which a majority are illiterate, or have just passed the Indian standard of literacy, which is being able to write your own name in one's mother tongue. Sure, they might still be smart enough to understand who can best address their concerns, but they are also that much easier to fool. In the state of Uttar Pradesh, over 20% of the parliamentary candidates have criminal records. I guess crime does pay.

But politicians are only half the story. Citizens have a large role to play in the problems that plague our country. The number of tax defaulters in India probably outnumbers the number who actually pay tax. Many would say that literacy is the answer to most of our problems. Sample this for illiterate literacy - close to 70% of credit card holders in India default on their bills. Many of these people are city-dwelling engineers with newly acquired purchasing power. Landing that software job that will make all your middle class woes disappear seems to be the promised land for the 1,200,000 students that write exams such as the IITJEE, AIEEE etc. But even after being through these premier educational institutions, basic common sense seems to be lacking. At the end, its sixpence none the richer. It makes me wonder, how can we complain about politicians siphoning money, when we are no better.

The situtation is not all bleak. Despite the shams, there are definitely changes happening. India is progressing, albiet not at the optimum rate. There is talk of making concrete changes such as easing FDI caps etc. Life still goes on, as it can only in India. I would continue on a rant about how there needs to be more accountability in the system, to find a solution to the aforementioned problems. But I simply don't know enough about my country's political and economic environment to make an educated point. Until recently I had never pondered over these issues.

Maybe it's high time we at least spare a thought.