Democracy can materialize in a variety of ways; 2019 is not just another year, but the celebration of the largest democratic festival in this region of the world. As India is voting for the general elections, i.e., the largest democratic exercise in the world, it is time we question ourselves about the values we inherit from the Indian democratic ethos. It has almost been 72 years since we have liberated ourselves from the shackles of colonial masters. What they have left behind, apart from the grand old party that led the freedom movement, was a strong military presence throughout the nation, a colonially-designed bureaucratic system and Western values that were left to decide the fate of the country. India as a free society had never perceived democracy as granted to us by the Brits. Many analysts had claimed that the nation wouldn’t survive for long, thankfully to be proved wrong.
After years of clinging on to a wobbly democratic system, contemporary trends, especially post-2014, have impugned the very fabrics that have gripped the nation together. Even after years of institutional democracy, there has been a deficit of democratic values in our wisdom. Democracy is not just another form of the institutional framework; rather it is the realization that evolved post-Reformation and Renaissance in Europe. The narrative is much more than an electoral mechanism of finding expression through people’s votes. In India, foundations, which are considered to be the essence of democratic culture, have always struggled to find their way in the community. Democratic values couldn’t translate into the society perhaps due to centuries of colonial exploitation.
What differentiates a democratic nation from an authoritarian one is the consent to disagree. In ancient Indian society, we laid immense value on human speech and the way we conducted them. The values are eminent in the ancient texts of the Mahabharata and the Bhagavad Gita, but with time, these values faded as we as a civilization lost our glory.
Freedom of speech is perhaps one of the most sacred gifts of democracy to the world. In recent times, there has been an extensive campaign led by a few branches of civil societies to mold and abuse this basic fundamental right. A local infrastructure, formulated by few political parties, intellectuals and pressure groups, has become arduous to curtail this boon to propagate their own exclusive agendas. The despairing part is that the noxious breezes have also infiltrated to various institutions that holds immense reputation in the country. In 2016, one of the most reputed universities in the country saw its worst form of agitation, when few students condemned the capital punishment of a Goebbelsian secessionist leader. Unfortunately, the accused charged for anti-India slogans have today become a voice in Indian polity. The ideals of unrestricted expression have stooped to the level of using it as a shield to promote disharmony and hate speech.
It has become very apparent that today civil disobedience has become a very prominent socio-political-culture. People have muddled their right to speech with the right to abuse and chanting of anti-state slogans.
Since the ancient times, our civilization analogized the spoken words with Brahma, the cosmos. The conception was that the words we formulate and yield becomes invincible, floating through whole of the universe in the form of waves, memories or emotions. Our ancestors knew how valuable human speech was for enlightenment, and to carry forward a civilized population. Today human speech has become a free market; we take its societal utility for granted. Unrestricted exercise of free speech, guided by a few sections of media and intellectuals has affected our way of reasoning and the manner we perceive our culture. Unconscious use of speech has affected our personal relationships and bonding. How easily we label someone as a fascist or a communist; it takes no hesitation to stamp someone, as a thief, a prostitute or a mass murderer. How easily we derogate someone’s intention with slogans and speeches. The use of free speech today has become a handout tool for provoking extremism of different forms.
Democracy had always held a high virtue throughout the world, it has been considered as the ultimate goal for every state to pursue. The very essence of democracy has also become its greatest vulnerability. The rise of intellectual extremism has seen its highest surge in recent times. Many renowned scholars have gone to the extent of accusing India’s war in the Red corridor as “Gandhians with Guns”. If that is not extreme enough, many have called upon to discard democratically-elected leaders and even assassinate them! Unfortunately, the bruise has already worsened. Perverted opinions have created an unhealthy ethos for robust criticisms; democracy has already gaped an untimely death. We have forgotten about Socrates, the Greek philosopher’s salient warnings about democracy. We have preferred to idealize democracy as an unambiguous good rather than something that is ever as effective as the education system that surrounds it.
Criticisms and dissent are absolutely necessary for a democracy to flourish. Without dissent, democracy is just an autocratic form of dictatorship for a limited period of time. The founding fathers of the Indian Constitution were very well aware of the role of opposition in governance. During Jawaharlal Nehru’s first tenure, even members from the Opposition party such as Baldev Singh and B.R. Ambedkar found a place in his Cabinet. Such was the aroma of democracy during the time. Today, it is impossible to even think of such an elevated level of cooperation, where dissent has turned into abuse and hate speech among parties. Social media campaigns before elections have turned into virtual wars without regulation of speech and restrictions.
As conscious and rational masses, it is critical for the citizens of this country to think independently and unsubscribe the opinions formulated through slanderous speech. Demeaning slogans and hate speech manufactured for meticulous agendas shouldn’t invade reasoning and opinions. It is the masses that create consumer demand for hate speech. When erroneous notions are transmitted, people seeking elections easily exploit our desires for easy answers. As the general elections have commenced, the people possess the ultimate catapult. Relinquishing our choice to the manufactured dosage of paralyzing jargons would result in a government ruled by an ill-suited mob, where democratic spirit would die out and demagoguery would utterly flourish.
This article was published in the Assam Tribune on Friday, 19th April 2019
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Akash Barua 