The Curse of Homogeneity

In the rundown to the 2019 general elections in India and almost daily since, situation is getting uglier. Friends, families, co-workers - are already feeling the strain of being politically correct, or at least the pressure of saying the right thing, in front of right people. People now look at themselves and everyone around them basis of who they voted for in the last general elections. This rift is not good in short term or long run. Presently (and thankfully), this battle of opinion is fought the hardest "online" - in whatsapp groups and in comments section of newspaper articles. Wont be long before the fights happen over dinner tables and during water cooler chats. 

Social media has become a nuisance. Equality and access have given everyone voice, which everyone misunderstands as entitlement. This is where danger zone begins. 
When a person applies for a driving license, there is a test and practical. The individual is told what is right way and what is wrong. Following those rules is secondary, but there is awareness. There are road signs that tell people to slow down, not to honk, accident prone zone. Unfortunately, there is no entrance test to get on to social media. There are no signs telling people to behave themselves. I cant help but feel that Indians should be given a written test and practical "Learning licence" before giving them a SIM card and mobile connection. 

But i digress...

Basically, what is the pressure of everyone agreeing with you?? Why should everyone else be on the exact same page as you?? 

I might agree with you about Ambedkar, and not about Gandhi; 
I might agree with you on Ambedkar about Poona pact, but disagree about formation of Pakistan; 
I can say Gandhi was right about local self government, but was racist and promoted casteism using varna system; 
I can dislike Congress for being dynastic, but give credit for infrastructure in formative years; 
I might hate Congress - but doesn't mean i support BJP. 

That is the beauty of it all. I can have my opinions - based on my upbringing, my reading, my experiences. I can do feel and think what i wish to, what i want to. Why should it be anyone else's business to want to convince me and agree to what they think and feel? 
No one else needs to be my ideological clone. And i dont have to someone else's ideological clone. Why is everyone trying to force their opinion on others? 

If we were meant to be ideological clones of each other, we would all have been factory produced, with same IQ and EQ, and same life experiences. 

Those who believe in a higher power, God, should know better than demanding that everyone follow their ideology. 

Those who call themselves liberal, should remember that liberalism is based on diversity of opinion. So, if some people don't hate the same people you do, doesn't mean you belittle them. Similarly, the right wingers have no business labeling everyone as tukde tukde gang and giving out patriotic certificates. 

The echo chamber must never have sounded more shrill. If only everyone can be entitled to their view and opinions, and stopped forcing others to be on the exact same page! 

Policy Paralysis vis-a-vis Emergency

The word most commonly used to described UPA2 was "Policy Paralysis". Not only the government but individuals, families, offices, mom n pop enterprises - everyone, seemed to be stuck in decision making! There was inertia setting in, files not moving, projects not taking off, payments not happening. 

Apparently, the reason was, no one wanted to take risks. The environment was not conducive, one was punished for taking decisions. No one will take risks, if they are going to made scapegoats.

I was told earlier on in life that the key is to take decisions. Right or wrong, time will tell. You learn the lesson and move on. The UPA2 kind of paralysis happened perhaps due to hyperactive CAG, and over-enthusiastic judiciary, and definitely due to indecisive leadership. 

More often than not, knee jerk reaction follows policy paralysis. 
Since May 2014, we have seen many of UPA schemes and plans continuing, and their version 2.0 being launched too. There was extensive coverage in the newspapers about how PM Modi was getting the Delhi bureaucracy to roll up their sleeves and get their hands dirty - off the golf course. There were reports about early morning meetings, and late night meetings, and monthly PPTs to be made by MPs and ministers on the lines of KRAs. 
A lot of people suddenly woke up thinking nothing has been done for a decade. The coalition in the 90s hasn't helped much... Imagine a some government agency that doesn't do any work in the full financial year, for whatever reasons - and suddenly wakes up on last week of March and launches hajjar schemes to make up for lost time. No one will know the objective, no one will capture the effectiveness, they will just spend money cos they were meant to. 
Has the governance been like that since BJP led government came to power? Spending money, building roads, creating infrastructure? Is there a conducive atmosphere for business? Are they addressing unemployment? And migration? Are they clueless about where they are going? 
There are some ayes and some nays. But the question one needs to answer is, is the opposite of policy paralysis, intolerance? Or emergency. 
Let us introspect. With facts. With what we see, experience ourselves. Without name-calling. 

Achche Din Kaise Aayenge

What i appreciate about PM Modi is, he has intended and mentioned that he wants to bring everyone together - opposition, bureaucracy, CMs - to the task of nation building. The other thing that is noticeable is staying away from religious / communal polarisation, by not commenting either way. The interesting thing in the last one month is, barring a few leader who insist on stoking secular/communal flames, the discussion has moved to development and governance with Modi 2.0 and everyone is hoping that is a good thing. 

IMO, most political parties have understood the religious card, dividing us on communal lines, objectifying us as vote banks, is not working anymore. The next logical step should be to weed out the criminals, bring in more candidates of diverse backgrounds, include more women and make governance at grass-root level a mandatory for leaders to rise. 

There is one thing that is troubling me though. How do we evaluate the core campaign promise of "achche din" in the next five years? It might mean many things to many people - employment, (sense of) security, inflation, rising stock market, larger part of the GDP on health and education, reduced corruption, transparency, tax reforms, police reforms, land reforms, sanitation, cleaning up rivers, FDI, foreign policy, affordable housing, retur of black money stashed away in tax havens - and many more. I'd say each Indian will have an unique wish list and set of expectations from PM Modi and his government. 

However, that still doesn't answer the "achche din" definition and i will tell you why: On any day, in any city of the country - just observe the beheviour of our fellow country men at traffic signal for few minutes. There will be late lateef's who will speed thru a red light, there will be those who are inching ahead from the left, there will be the bold ones who will break away when it is not their turn. Now don't let me single out only those with vehicles... There are jaywalkers who will ignore red / green and just walk as if it is their god-given right, and those who prefer walking on the road instead of the footpath. There will be pedestrians who take their own sweet time to make up their mind where they want to go, while standing in the middle of the road... 

For me, the "achche din" comes down to the small things in life. The unnecessary traffic jams at railway crossing, when impatient idiots go on the wrong side of the road, and choke oncoming traffic. The careless bus driver who stops the bus in middle of the road, instead of at the bus stop. The greedy rickshaw-wallah who refuses to take short distances. The asshole who honks while the signal is still red. The careless person who is talking on the mobile phone while driving / riding, or cradling the phone between shoulder and ear and speeding away. 

These and many more people like this are constantly gnawing at my day-to-day peace. They are the ones who cause road-rage. They are the thorns as we hopefully land up in to the "achche din" democracy. 

Now that the political discourse is changing, i think it is time for the auxiliary organisations of political parties to focus on other things too. These auxiliary bodies have long-guarded our culture and religions and languages, which are as old as time itself. They have used their better judgement to censor what we should read / watch / listen / do - instead of letting us choose for ourselves. They have used fear and intimidation and destruction to force us to see things their way, without trying to chat, reason and see the other side. 

These auxiliary bodies will do the nation a great disservice and to the PM himself, if they continue to increase the nuisance value and not be a part of the "achche din" initiative. 

They need to stop "creating news" and indulging in hooliganism / goondaism, and focus on being a part of the constructive system. Won't it be wonderful sight to see the volunteers of these organisations partnering with traffic police and manning understaffed signals? Just like they go door-to-door canvassing votes, why should they not go to houses and mohallas and hold camps to educate people on how to cross roads? Or how it is important to make way for an ambulance. Or not spit in public. 

I think it is time for them to re-invent themselves, as their larger political masters are taking the direction of growth and governance.

Those who think that Civics is a school subject, and not to be followed on the street need to wake up! The long arm of the Law will catch up with the criminals. What about those who are super busy doing one little transgression at a time?

Well, i don't know how the turnabout is going to happen, but i hope it does. For me, the "achche din" initiative will be reality when we follow traffic signals on the day signals are not working. When people wont shamelessly declare - India mein gaadi chalyi, toh duniya mein kahi bhi chala sakte hai.

That, will be "achche din".