Is India A Well Functioning Democracy 5f3nx

India is the seventh largest (by area) and the second most populous country in the world, with roughly one-sixth of its population, of about a billion and a quarter. India is one of the world's oldest civilizations, yet a very young nation. Democracy is a government of the people, by the people and for the people. Taking the easiest of the prepositions first: democracy is a government for the people. A government of the people indicates a government representative of the people. The third preposition is government by the people. It is difficult to call a nation democratic when its people are not allowed to peacefully protest against the atrocities and injustices done to them. The government responds to these spontaneous protestors as though they are militant insurgents from central India. It flooded Delhi’s streets with armed police and shut down roads and railways, revealing a formidable security apparatus that, many argued, could be put to better use ensuring the safety of ordinary citizens. Not surprisingly, India (primarily the middle class) these days’ brims with a free- floating rage against a cossetted political class that zealously guards its privileges and perks. 65 years after independence we should have been able to accept that India is a democracy and should have demanded more from it. But we are just happy with the idea of democracy though over the years it has hollowed, and we have lost the freedom of speech, freedom to protest, freedom from torture and so on. And those who try to expand these boundaries and follow the spirit of democracy, and widely criticized and sometimes even forced to live in exile. That India is the world’s largest democracy- is the biggest myth of the 21st century. Frankly speaking India still has not gained Independence. A few brown skins instead of the earlier whites are still ruling us, just concerned about their own personal benefits. This was not the freedom for which Bhagat Singh and Subhash Chandra Bose sacrificed their lives; this is not the independent India that Nehru and Gandhi had once visualized; this is not the Great India which we describe every time in our national anthem. Freedom is still far away. So this Independence Day, instead of just praising Deol’s performance in Border or faking patriotism by singing the national anthem; let’s take a stand. Let’s promise ourselves that we won’t ever use shortcuts or unfair methods to get a task done, promise that instead of just cursing the present situation we would vote for a change and do our own bit to make India move towards a better, happier and a prosperous future.