Silent Spectator

Our ‘Chalata Hai Attitude’ has made us a silent spectator of every thing wrong that happens around us. We silently watch all kinds of human right violations, destruction of democratic norms, communal violence incited by political parties, caste related killings of innocent people, criminalization of our political system, police brutalities on civilian population and so on and so on. The list is much bigger than we can imagine.

What have we learnt from 1984 Sikh riot? Scores of Sikhs were killed in retaliatory progroms. It did not stop there. We watched the horrifying images of Gujarat riot in 2004, where all norms of human dignity were violated. Thousands men, women and children were massacred. Women were raped before they were killed. Where were the law-enforcement agencies then, when these atrocities were being carried out on innocent people?

What happened in Nandi Gram is a burning example of political conspiracy to enforce certain political ideology on the unwilling and under-privileged, village population. The entire village was run over by the thugs hired by politicians to suppress the popular voice of the villagers. In the process many innocent villagers were brutalized and killed.

Recently it was on TV, that young kids, over 10 years of age were employed to plough and level soggy farm land in a village of vaishali district (Bihar) owned by a Union Minister for rural development. What an irony? A union Minister of central government, who is legally bound to give poor children their childhood back by enforcing the Child labor act, was found himself in violation of the act.

How long are we going to be the silent spectator of these horrifying incidents and keep on sending inefficient representatives to the parliament with criminal backgrounds who lack accountability? Holding election on regular intervals is not the only ingredient of a vibrant democracy, it is one of them. But we have failed to understand this and God only knows when ours will be a true democratic society.

Many years ago the expert statesman, Chanakya wrote:
“The sacred task of a King is to strive for the welfare of his people incessantly. The administration of the kingdom is his religious duty. His greatest gift would be to treat all as equals.”

“The happiness of the commoners is the happiness of the king. Their welfare is his welfare. A King should never think of his personal interest of welfare, but should try to find his joy in the joy of his subjects.”

This was written 2300 years ago but none of our contemporary leaders (kings) have learnt anything from this great statesman. Then, when do you think they will learn?