The Hanging Democracy - Looking for Hope

The death of democracy is not likely to be an assassination from ambush.

It will be a slow extinction from apathy, indifference, and undernourishment.

                                                                 - Robert M. Hutchins

Democracy is, as said, of the people, by the people and for the people, which means we the people are the driving force of the democracy.

Therefore for a democracy to thrive, we need a system which works for the people, which serves the people and we need people to be part of that system selflessly.

But after 70 years of democracy in so called largest democracy of the world, i find something missing. I see our founding fathers forgot to put the most important brick in the foundation of this great nation. That brick is the 'Value of Life'.

For most of us, if not all, somebodys death is just a news. Forget about commoner, we are least bothered for lives lost at the border who give supreme sacrifice for our future.

We are a country where millions cried when Sachin retired but nobody gives a fuss when a CRPF personnel dies in naxalite attack. We don't even bother to read or inquire about it.

You know about 3000 security personal have been killed by maoist alone in last 20 years. 

Imagine a country struggling to maintain a battle ready force loosing 3000 serving men and none of the socio-political class take naxalism seriously and let it grow across the country.

Gandhi ji , the ideological father of India, gave the theory of non-violence to this historically violent nation. People followed him, many didn't but in the end everything culminated into one positive outcome, India got independence. 

Hope, this is the key word for any downtrodden person, it is the thread which pulls him out of slumber. This is what India had in 1947, a hope of better future.

A hope of peaceful, prosperous and progressive India.
One state which was always the leading light for India was Bengal - the land of intellectuals. 
Though i must rephrase, "Bengal - once the land of intellectuals."

Once upon a time people used to say that what Bengal thinks today, India thinks after 50 years. Well looking at the current situation, i don't want that to happen.
Bengal of 2018 is no way the leading light for the country, neither socially nor politically. 

After three decade of communism, Bengal had embraced the hope. There was a hope to rebuild the Bengal of Tagore's dream but after years of Mamata Bannerji's rule, it seems Jyoti Basu's rule was way better than this.

TMC, the ruling party, no doubt has learnt the tricks of trade from CPM and has gone a step ahead in silencing the dissenting voice from any corner.

The political leadership, from uncontrollable Chief Minister to the grass root level worker, all have single ideology in mind and that is to stop every voice of dissent.

Even the government machinery, bureaucracy is wilting under the political pressure and have no control on the anti-social elements in the state.

Yesterday, there was a news of an 18 year old BJP political worker who was tortured and killed by political opponents. His body was found hanging on a tree with a message to others that if they work for any opposition party, their fate will be similar.

Trilochan Mahato, a final-year history honours student of Balarampur College got his name inked in the dark pages of history as a victim of yet another political bloodthirst.

Case is under investigation, motive can be anything, it can be a political revenge, it can be a personal rivalry, it may be a road-rage killing. Be it anything, but important question to ask is  why are we so intolerant to contrasting views, ideologies ?

Political murders are like a chain reaction, an-eye-for-an-eye-for-an-eye-for-an-eye cannot be the answer to any problem. 

West Bengal is on a downhill path with no speed breaks and it seems the political system has accepted the fate of being blind and social fabric is being broken strand by strand in due course.


Unless, the intellectuals, the students and the working class don't raise their voice against the tyranny running under the garb of democratically elected government there will not be any hope for people of Bengal.

Everybody talked about patriotism, socialism, casteism, egalitarian society but they forgot to cover importance of 'value of life'.

In a country of billions, we are not at all concerned about loss of lives. 

Martin Luther King in his book “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story”  famously underlined the motivation behind violence to silence the resentment :

"Violence as a way of achieving racial justice is both impractical and immoral. It is impractical because it is a descending spiral ending in destruction for all. The old law of an eye for an eye leaves everybody blind.

It is immoral because it seeks to humiliate the opponent rather than win his understanding; it seeks to annihilate rather than to convert."

What is happening in political sphere is not a healthy sign for democracy. For a thriving and robust democracy we need divergent views, we need voice of opposition and we need a system which allows and safeguards human values and human lives.

Once a beacon of hope for the sub-continent, Bengal is in dire need of a new hope. Until then, the democracy will keep hanging.....in shame.