Election. Who cares?

Xpre$$!ons...
Early morning-quake on my bed— the phone vibrated unlocking my lazy eyelids. It was another “favorable day,” my classmates usually were free to call me for translations. Since most of them came from the northern part of India, I had to translate Kannada quotes for their stories. But this one was strikingly astonishing— most of you might have encountered such a situation and refused to ponder over it. This one is a very miniscule exchange of dialogue that unusually shocked me. This type of election times typical dramatic scenario was so common.

We at our Journalism school were bringing out an Election special edition, and this story was a part of this edition that demanded reporting in rural areas. One of my colleagues asked me to translate her quotes and so she gave her phone to the lady there, I guess the village was Tagachaguppe in Kumbalagudu near Mysore Road, Bangalore. While I question the lady asking her, whom is she going to vote and why? Without even giving a second thought over my question she asks me, “You tell me. Whom should I vote? I will vote to whomsoever you ask me to vote.

While we debate on having fair and free elections there are some people who simply don’t care to know their leaders or may be there are countless backhanders everywhere in the country taking advantage of every possible way out to win the elections. Film stars from all the ‘woods’ have been planting their seats for the elections— creating another woodland for a dramatic dome. In the name of election promises made to the people and the under-table compromises or exchanges of whatever—works in favor of any parties standing for election. The battle here is not individualistic but it is the matter of 1 billion people and the Biggest Democracy in the world.Who cares?

The 15th Lok Sabha elections is awaiting its results, aftermath of which, none of the politicians will even recall of their ‘prepared speeches,’ that pompously yelled of developments, social welfare and helping the needy. Nevertheless, growth in the economy is an exception; there are more people to concentrate on this issue.

India is a secular country- really? May be we should question Varun Gandhi for some comments on this, even the Congress for that matter. Whom should we vote and what happens to our votes after the elections? It will be answered as usual with a bitter silence after they win their respective chairs in the parliament, as they believe in the phrase below- “Speech is silver during election and silence is golden after the elections are over.”