How many of us dream for a career in Indian politics? Or let's say , do we dream about becoming a Sarpanch, a responsible member of our village panchayat or a ward panch?
Still today, many of us get shiver down our spine when we get into a deep thought about the situation of contemporary indian politics and wonder if it is really a safe, secured working place for devout individuals.
Honest policemen, journalists, politicians make the headlines in mostly regional newspapers, as our national newspapers dole out more and more space to advertisers and those important individuals, on how they were killed at the hands of land mafias, mining mafias, and other mafias, how safe can we think is our political working sphere for young dreamers. After all, security of self, of job, of their loyalty is an utmost need. We can't take dreams for granted as we all know the power of dreams.
I recently got to know through a friend that, how his family has spent nearly twenty two lakhs while participating in the election for the recently held Panchayat elections in one of the villages of Uttar Pradesh. For a family of ten members, the vote, each valued at ten thousand, totals upto Forty thousand. And wait, there is more. If you are a candidate and you want to know if the voting family , with whom you tried making voting a deal, has actually given vote to your party, you have to pay additional forty thousand to secure ten votes in your favour. Quite a handsome deal.
So for the poors , one more reason to have more children and hence, more earnings though illegal, and keep maintaining India as the largest democracy and one of the most populated countries in the world.
Now since the candidate's family has incurred a cost of over twenty lakhs , after winning, the party and the family will definitely recover this cost first, then some funds will be treated as profit, as we all know, in business, it is the profit which keeps us going, and lastly, whatever amount will be left, will reach the bottom most section and that too not directly but passing through a chain of greedy middlemen.
But despite the situation being ugly and hopeless, these elections did bring tears to my eyes when I read lines which took me to the question I started this writing piece with.
Yes, in my three years' stay at Delhi, I met many individuals with diverse dreams and goals, which can easily make a spectrum, but just one individual who completed the spectrum with its most important ingredient, was a friend with the dream to become a Prime Minister. And the individual is a woman from Haryana, an engineering graduate with no political background and back up. She made me actually think how a career in politics is so difficult for a person with no back up. One evening, we sat down to plan about how to make a start. As hardly people know her, as her ideologies are quite different from the major parties we have in our country, so why would they take her into their party, how would she mobilise people, who would people believe her and in her ideas for a country so big and so diversified. It's only then I realised that becoming a CA, a journalist, a manager , a lawyer, a chef, a rickshaw puller, are easier because for the above five , you have colleges and their placement cells and for the last, you need to be a poor person and give monthly installments to get a rickshaw on lease.
Currently devoid of good leaders and managers , which can be combined to become an effective politician, how we as a nation,nurture dreams of becoming a ward punch, a village sarpanch? Aren't these dreams worth pursuing, are they devoid of glamour and handsome money which other dreams when translated into profession and career, give us ?
As a nation, a nation which is the largest democracy in the world, are we creating a culture for leaders, managers, politicians to be looked as dreams jobs so that we can give our country the most talented, enthusiastic, passionate individuals and let them run us and our needs?
In the village of Hudwa Misr, Basti, Lucknow, twenty one year old Rupam Verma, has been elected as the Pradhan. A second year student pursuing Arts, says, now only good work will restore people's faith in democracy.
Roli Singh, a B.A. first year student has been elected as the village head in Lucknow's Badeyya village. A reservation of upto only 33%, women candidates who won election this time in the results announced for seventy four districts having over fifty eight thousand villages, are over forty percent.
How these young women have managed to win elections ? Isnt it an incredible achievement. Being just twenty one, such a tender age, you are the village head. !!
How much hard work must have gone into to convince people, given the difficulty I just shared above in pursuing such a dream with no back up, how many back and nerve breaking conversations, strategies, must have taken place. Bless the souls who must have inspired and supported these two women.
Yesterday Saudi Arabia, the last country to give women, freedom to contest and vote in local elections, gave its women to celebrate much as many women won elections their too.
India is also giving reflection of an equal and just country. Let's hope these politicians get the skills and experience to manage and lead the responsibility which they have fought hard for.
I just wish these women get immense strength, and never give up attitude to pursue the new reality which is infront of their eyes now.
Still today, many of us get shiver down our spine when we get into a deep thought about the situation of contemporary indian politics and wonder if it is really a safe, secured working place for devout individuals.
Honest policemen, journalists, politicians make the headlines in mostly regional newspapers, as our national newspapers dole out more and more space to advertisers and those important individuals, on how they were killed at the hands of land mafias, mining mafias, and other mafias, how safe can we think is our political working sphere for young dreamers. After all, security of self, of job, of their loyalty is an utmost need. We can't take dreams for granted as we all know the power of dreams.
I recently got to know through a friend that, how his family has spent nearly twenty two lakhs while participating in the election for the recently held Panchayat elections in one of the villages of Uttar Pradesh. For a family of ten members, the vote, each valued at ten thousand, totals upto Forty thousand. And wait, there is more. If you are a candidate and you want to know if the voting family , with whom you tried making voting a deal, has actually given vote to your party, you have to pay additional forty thousand to secure ten votes in your favour. Quite a handsome deal.
So for the poors , one more reason to have more children and hence, more earnings though illegal, and keep maintaining India as the largest democracy and one of the most populated countries in the world.
Now since the candidate's family has incurred a cost of over twenty lakhs , after winning, the party and the family will definitely recover this cost first, then some funds will be treated as profit, as we all know, in business, it is the profit which keeps us going, and lastly, whatever amount will be left, will reach the bottom most section and that too not directly but passing through a chain of greedy middlemen.
But despite the situation being ugly and hopeless, these elections did bring tears to my eyes when I read lines which took me to the question I started this writing piece with.
Yes, in my three years' stay at Delhi, I met many individuals with diverse dreams and goals, which can easily make a spectrum, but just one individual who completed the spectrum with its most important ingredient, was a friend with the dream to become a Prime Minister. And the individual is a woman from Haryana, an engineering graduate with no political background and back up. She made me actually think how a career in politics is so difficult for a person with no back up. One evening, we sat down to plan about how to make a start. As hardly people know her, as her ideologies are quite different from the major parties we have in our country, so why would they take her into their party, how would she mobilise people, who would people believe her and in her ideas for a country so big and so diversified. It's only then I realised that becoming a CA, a journalist, a manager , a lawyer, a chef, a rickshaw puller, are easier because for the above five , you have colleges and their placement cells and for the last, you need to be a poor person and give monthly installments to get a rickshaw on lease.
Currently devoid of good leaders and managers , which can be combined to become an effective politician, how we as a nation,nurture dreams of becoming a ward punch, a village sarpanch? Aren't these dreams worth pursuing, are they devoid of glamour and handsome money which other dreams when translated into profession and career, give us ?
As a nation, a nation which is the largest democracy in the world, are we creating a culture for leaders, managers, politicians to be looked as dreams jobs so that we can give our country the most talented, enthusiastic, passionate individuals and let them run us and our needs?
In the village of Hudwa Misr, Basti, Lucknow, twenty one year old Rupam Verma, has been elected as the Pradhan. A second year student pursuing Arts, says, now only good work will restore people's faith in democracy.
Roli Singh, a B.A. first year student has been elected as the village head in Lucknow's Badeyya village. A reservation of upto only 33%, women candidates who won election this time in the results announced for seventy four districts having over fifty eight thousand villages, are over forty percent.
How these young women have managed to win elections ? Isnt it an incredible achievement. Being just twenty one, such a tender age, you are the village head. !!
How much hard work must have gone into to convince people, given the difficulty I just shared above in pursuing such a dream with no back up, how many back and nerve breaking conversations, strategies, must have taken place. Bless the souls who must have inspired and supported these two women.
Yesterday Saudi Arabia, the last country to give women, freedom to contest and vote in local elections, gave its women to celebrate much as many women won elections their too.
India is also giving reflection of an equal and just country. Let's hope these politicians get the skills and experience to manage and lead the responsibility which they have fought hard for.
I just wish these women get immense strength, and never give up attitude to pursue the new reality which is infront of their eyes now.
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