Growing up in the largestdemocracy in the world

Governments will govern and wither away but debates and discussions have always and will always flourish and shape the future of India. I have had the good fortune of being born and raised in the largest democracy in the world, India. With a total population of 1.38 billion people living in 28 diverse states and union territories, India is one of the epitomes of diversity and inclusion. With around 20,000 languages and 100 religious beliefs, India’s ability to not only sustain but consolidate its unity and democratic principles is second to none in the world. To understand it at the micro level, I was born in a Hindu family surrounded by Muslim, Christian, Sikh, Buddhist and Jain friends and family members. The cultural exchange not least the sharing of mouth-watering delicacies that exists between myriad communities in India is an everyday spectacle. However, of late, I have been reading a lot of articles downgrading India’s democracy, particularly under the leadership of one of the most popular Prime Ministers of India, Narendra Modi. Phrases such as ‘Hindu supremacist government, death of democracy, dictatorship of Modi and declining freedom’, to name a few, are used rampantly across world media to spread awareness about a country that has more than 60 political parties holding different religious beliefs and ideologies, a country that has the highest number of voters, a country where its so-called Hindu supremacist leader prioritised minority groups of the country in word and in deed right from the inception of his government and a country where the government’s minutest moves are gauged and staunchly criticised. How can then democracy be ever discounted in a country like India?

The same Modi government that is blamed for a ‘decline in democracy’, has witnessed some of the most unprecedented, fervent and vibrant protests in Independent India’s history. ‘Land Acquisition Reforms, Occupy UGC Movement, Demonetisation, GST Reforms, Abrogation of Article 370, Anti-CAA-NRC Protests (one of the largest in Indian History), Indian American’s protests over Modi’s visit, frequent opposition boycotts and the protests against the recent Farm Laws to name a few are a testimony to the fact that India is still a land that is governed by the people, of the people and for the people. People’s ability to unite, express and govern has not only strengthened but augurs well for the health of India’s democratic landscape. And as far as democracy under the so-called Hindu supremacist government which is governing a country with the largest proportion of Hindus only for the second time after independence is concerned, it equally thrived when the country was governed for the first time by the Bhartiya Janta Party under the leadership of one of India’s tallest statesmen, Late Atal Bihari Vajpayee. From encouraging minorities especially Muslims by launching ‘Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad Literacy Awards Scheme, Maulana Azad National Scholarship Scheme and Establishment of Maulana Azad Sadbhawna Kendras Scheme’ to name a few, under the leadership of Vajpayee to the recent abrogation of Triple Talaq (an archaic and inhuman practice dehumanising Muslim women by their own husbands by divorcing them in seconds) under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, the so-called Hindu supremacist government is only following in Vajpayee’s footsteps and entrenching the idea of prioritising the minorities in the political psyche of India. The 1996 and 1998 parliamentary debacles of the Bhartiya Janta Party under Vajpayee speak volumes of the respect for democracy that has existed in India and in the Bhartiya Janta Party ever since. Why is then the massive mandate for Narendra Modi in 2014 and 2019 always viewed with an eye of skepticism and unfounded criticism? On the other hand, Indian National Congress that’s now the main opposition party in India and was in power before Modi, has been infamous for crushing protests like no other throughout history. Be it The Emergency imposed in 1975 by Indira Gandhi that incarcerated my grandfather fighting for India’s democracy or the recent one that I can recall and watched on television as a high schoolboy in 2011 where the inhuman, unlawful and barbaric midnight crackdown on Yoga Guru of world repute Swami Ramdev protesting peacefully to consolidate India’s democracy, demeaned India’s democracy, the two of the many anti-dissent stances of the Congress Party then and now reflect that the party has ever since been taking democracy for a ride. I am in no way defending Modi, I’m only defending India’s democracy. Having voted multiple times for various elections and myriad parties and candidates, I have felt hugely empowered casting my vote, which is still a pipe dream for the people of many countries in the world. And the story of feeling free and empowered just doesn’t end at the ballot. Since childhood, I’ve had the privilege to be able to debate and discuss issues of all kinds at school, university and during my

Furthermore, I am a Hindu and have worked as a teacher to kids in a Muslim orphanage for years while in India. The bond that I had and still have with Muslim kids infuses me with one of the best feelings I have experienced in my 27 years of not-so-long life. Teaching them Mathematics, English and Science and learning Urdu from them, which I consider one of the sweetest languages, is what is the reality on the ground in India. And yes, the years I spent at the orphanage were under the so-called ‘rule of a Hindu nationalist dictator’. The same Modi who is unequivocally rebuked for carrying out surgical strikes in 2016 and bombing a Pakistani training camp for insurgents in Balakot in 2019. Both of which were retaliatory and not offensive attacks. The same Modi who is scathingly spoken of for abrogating Article 370 only to integrate and be inclusive of people in the region even though the voice of the people of one of those regions Ladakh’s representative in the parliament passionately sided with Modi on the decision. The same Modi whose attempts to reach out to the Muslim community by exalting Sufism are also selectively seen as attempts to create fissures within Islam, rather than viewing them as genuine attempts to consolidate the complex cultural sphere of India. Resting my case with these beautiful lines by Late Atal Bihari Vajpayee and appealing to all the critics to continue to criticize but spare some moments to appreciate the shades of the spectrum that beautify India. Democracy shall prevail.

Kadam Mila Kar Chalna Hoga“Badhaen aati hai aaye,Ghire pralay ki ghor ghatayen,Paon ke neeche angaare,Sir par barse yadi jwalayen,Nij haathon mein haste haste,Aag laga kar chalna hoga,Kadam mila kar chalna hoga.”-Late Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee

By Paras Sharma (Assistant Editor)