Importance of Voting

India, as we know, is the largest democracy in the world. However, it was only after years of struggle that we achieved freedom from foreign occupation and became a democracy. Our freedom is the fruit of the sacrifices of generations of leaders and millions of ordinary men and women.

For people of many countries, even now democracy is a distant dream. The most populous nation on our north-east is still not one. We can see people of many countries still rising in revolt against dictatorships.

Now, because ours is a democracy, we Indians can elect our leaders. We can vote for the candidate who we think will work for us and will spend the funds for the development of our constituency, and will help make laws that will help our country progress. But are we utilizing this privilege that so people of so many nations are still dreaming for?

For many of us, especially the educated and economically well off, the day of voting is just another holiday. If on the same day, there is a cricket match being broadcast live, all of us will be hooked to the television.

As a result of the apathy of the so-called cream of the Indian society, the voting percentage does not cross 60. The politicians have become adept at garnering easy votes by dividing people across caste, religion, region and by promising mindless schemes and sops that prove costly to the exchequer. Unscrupulous politicians buy votes of the economically weaker voters. As a result, each candidate is spending Rs. 5-10 crores to win a state assembly election and multiple times of that for a parliament seat. There is now no place for honest leaders. Crooks and anti-social elements are able to find their way into the law-making houses.

Is it not a pathetic state?

We, the arm-chair intellectuals philosophize and sit at home on election days and the crooks loot our dear nation. Why can't we behave responsibly. Why can't we just go out and vote. We should remember that we have a responsibility towards voting because we understand better the capabilities of a leader and can see through their dishonesty better than our less educated and less privileged gullible brethren.

The worst affected people because of our apathy are the downtrodden lot. If crooked politicians make their way and continue to loot, they continue to wallow in poverty and ignorance. They continue to go hungry to bed every night and their children will continue to work as child laborers to earn daily bread. The status quo will be perpetuated while we enjoy our cricket match with a pack of popcorn!

The only solution to this is to go out and vote for the right leader in the elections and encourage all our friends, relatives, and acquaintances to do the same. This is the minimum that we can for our fellow, less privileged brethren.-------------------------------------------------------------One of my posts in IBM JAM held in February 2011, on the eve of IBM's centennial.