Dear friends,

When I am writing this editorial, the country has just now celebrated the 62nd anniversary of
our Republic. The constitutional pronouncements on 26th January 1950 made us a sovereign democratic
republic. The technical definition essentially emphasizes upon the elected head of state but it denoted
so many things about the nature of the government and the state we were going to have after gaining
independence from draconic British rule and after adopting, enacting and giving to ourselves our
constitutions to the people of India. It not only meant freedom and self-rule but it also meant a
beginning of the journey of an age-old nation into so called modern democratic system and the
inception of a new era of justice, liberty and equality. It also meant our formal entry into a socio-
economic system based on the vision of our constitution-makers. It meant the overwhelming
acceptance to socio-cultural transformation and political overhauling of our prevalent structures of
power and position. We have had the experience of having republics centuries before Christ in various
parts of the nation but modern republic system brings some altogether different characteristics into
society government and the state. Therefore, our expectations were high and so were our imaginations.
The idea of a democratic republic was fascinating and the wounds of subservience were fresh and
agonizing. The necessary inputs of creating democratic institutions were provided by the constitution
itself after lengthy deliberations in the meetings of the constituent assembly on almost every aspect of
future India. We, as a society had a perennial and continuous connectivity with democratic values of
dialogue, openness, acceptance to dissent, inclusion of maximum voices etc. And this traditional belief
in democratic norms made democratic structures flourish easily in our political community.

But after experiencing democratic republic for more than sixty years, we are faced with certain
greatly disturbing questions. We may begin with looking at the present nature and condition of our
democratic institutions and the response of our policy-makers towards the problems faced by the nation
as a whole. Starting from a very simple and mundane issue, for more than a year by now, we are faced
with acute and interminable price-rise at all levels. We have a number of legendary economists at the
helm of affairs. We have a widely experienced minister. We have a strong public distribution system. We
have godowns and storages replete with food items present more than their storing capacity. But we
have starvation and deaths due to hunger continuing. We have Supreme Court intervening into the issue
of distribution of food to the poor. The question is what kind of economics they have learnt? What is the
use of their expertise and command over intricate knowledge and nuances of economics for the hungry
people of this country and that too when they are the ultimate decision-makers? Next, almost everyday,
we are told about newer and newer scams. The stories of corruption have become stable headlines. We
have investigation agencies, inquiry commissions, law-enforcing bodies, independent judiciary, free
mass media, public watchdogs, Lokayuktas in some state, vigilance departments and so many such other
states and public domain structures but why it is that each and every time, we come to know about a
scam when the whole process has been successfully completed by the cheaters and the looters of public
money? Why do we need an honest, clean and reputed Prime ministers when bigger and bigger scams
have been flourishing under his leadership? What is the use of a man on the top political position in this
country who closes his eyes while choosing people for coveted posts? Then, we are told about some
publicized raids by Central Bureau of Investigation and some arrests later on conducted largely to befool
the ordinary citizen. Why do we need such a system that when the whole country knows who the
culprits are but we have to wait for months together for so many clearances? Why do we talk of rule of
law which means equal treatment with all citizens in all matters relating to law? Why do we send
ordinary people behind the bars for petty crimes when we let these bigwigs roam freely after looting the
public money so shamelessly? Why do we need a pro-active Supreme Court to tell the country and the
powers that be that X minister is corrupt and should be removed, that Y officer is not fit for the post he
is holding and should be sacked, that Z case has to be investigated under the supervision of the court,
and so on? Why do we close our eyes when we come to know that such and such minister has fixed
rates for works to be done? When we come to know about the rates for appointments at various levels?
When we are told about bureaucrats amassing wealth disproportionate to their known sources of
income? Why do we need an income tax department which continuously ignores these scamsters,
looters and cheaters and usually cracks down on small officials or sincere tax-payers? Why do we need a
police that is corrupt, inefficient and extortionist? Why do we need a bureaucracy that is insensitive,
ignorant and arrogant? Why do we need an educational system that creates immoral, dishonest and
unemployable youth? Why do we have a judiciary that cannot expedite the cases pending in billions?
Why do we need an executive that cannot perform? Why should we have an opposition which lacks
constructive alternatives? Why should we have a multi-party democracy where almost every leader has
a party in his pocket? Why should we have a CBI which never completes a case and which never finds
anything without keeping the interests of the ruling power in mind? Why do we have a free media which
sells news space to market players? Who do we need journalists who become power- brokers? Why do
we need non-governmental organizations who indulge in anti- national campaigns? Why do we need
social activists who are found guilty of having connivance with anti-national and extremist violent
groups? Why should we have human rights experts and activists who sympathize only with selective
individuals and groups? Why should we have various commissions who have virtually no power? Why
should we spend public money on unproductive bodies who never come out with conclusive
recommendations. The list of questions is very long is disheartening.

It is in this context it has to be accepted that loss of character, disbelief in our tradition, lack of
faith in own culture, lust of modernization, inferiority complex for ourselves, craziness for power and
money, corrupt behavior, etc. have made us a failed society as a whole. There is a rampant anarchism
which appears to be closely related with democratic freedom. So I call it democratic anarchism. We have
to get rid of this as early as possible with determination and valour and adhering to our roles in a sincere
manner and stick to our own dharma because dharma transforms our personality. That dharma has to
be strictly followed as the shastra says:-

u tkrq dkekUuHk;kUuyksHkkn~
/keZa R;tsTthforL;k·fi gsrks%A

01.02.2011 (Sanjeev K Sharma)

Meerut