The grand dance of democracy

ELECTIONS are called the ‘dance of democracy’. Or is it the dance of politicians? Unlike professional dancers who usually have harmonious relations with each other, political ‘dancers’ don’t see eye to eye with their rivals. It is a dog-eat-dog world out there.

My first encounter with the ‘dance of democracy’ took place decades ago when I had not even attained the voting age. I was then in my early teens. It was the day of our village panchayat elections. A few classrooms in my school had been converted into polling booths. It was a special occasion for the institution as well as its staff and students.

The son of a local official, who happened to be my grandfather’s cousin, was among the candidates. He was elected as a panchayat member and later became the head. I saw him coming out of the school gate, overwhelmed by his admirers’ tumultuous welcome. He was profusely garlanded by well-wishers and taken out in a procession around the village.

Though the voting day was a holiday, I, along with my schoolmates, set off for the campus early in the morning, much before the start of polling, despite the elders’ disapproval. We were overly enthusiastic about going to school that day, unlike other days, when we attended classes virtually under duress.

However, the police didn’t allow us to be anywhere near the school. Lathi-wielding cops made sure of that. Besides, they had put up barricades to disallow the entry of non-voters. One of the boys picked up a stone and hurled it at a middle-aged policeman in a fit of anger before running away. But he missed his aim. The cop, who was absolutely seething, chased him. However, the boy was too quick for him. When the cop’s rage consumed itself, he gave up the chase and resumed his duty.

A few days ago, as I walked to the nearby school — where my children had studied — to cast my vote, it dawned on me that I had come a long way from the panchayat elections held in my own school to the current Lok Sabha elections. Our democracy, too, has come a long way. Bertrand Russell wrote in an article, ‘On Politicians’: ‘In most democratic countries, to call a man a politician is to say something derisive about him.’ Will our politicians be able to give the lie to Russell?