I don’t completely agree with the view, here things hanged a lot and are still changing. People in big cities do have got the big share but due to the spread of information technology network across the country many small towns and places are now getting the main stream of activities (please ignore areas of Bihar).

Also with education taking roots in small towns many have started to understand the meaning of the things that affect their lives. They may or may not know about what actually democracy is but they surely know that is going to impact them.

The key here is education, it should reach the masses. Once this is done things will start changing and life will improve.

Samjhe beta.

Accept your points to a certain extent but not fully. The orthodox thinking that you have mentioned has been there for sometime now, but things are changing. Today when the people of country are talking about the Mumbai incident they are not looking at each other internally, they are asking questions to the people who govern us on how many times does Mumbai has to suffer for people to open their eyes.

If you can remember since 1993 riots and bomb blasts in Mumbai things have changed. Mumbai became the first target for bomb blasts and other things that can harm the harmony here. But this time people have lost their patience and are asking for better security and good governance.

Also the problem that you are talking of divide and rule has been there from the time of British rule in India. In history the problem of people looking at others with suspicion grew more as when ever a blast used to happen some or the other terror group who used to claim responsibility where from Islamic background. The problem was that people with prominence in the Muslim community in India never came out and made statements and shown their protest when these things used to happen. Thus people were seeing that Muslims who used to be so loyal and patriotic to this country are not coming out to protect the country.

But after the Mumbai incident they have made strong statements and for sometime now they Imaam’s and Maulana’s from big mosques have asked people start counseling sessions and religious session for youth so that they are not brainwashed in the name of religion and don’t get mislead by the people from these terror groups.

These kind of steps have helped India to hold steady after the recent terror attack on the city.

Good article. Something different from what you have written earlier. I understand the point that you are trying to make from this article, but isn’t it true that people are shouting for reservations everywhere and want to tag themselves as minority and backward so that they can get benefits from the status that these groups carry.

I know people who took these kind of certificates so that children can get admissions in school and colleges, with less hassles.

To be secular and to redefine democracy in India the mindset and provision in constitution needs to be changed. While drafting the constitution in 1950’s Dr. Ambedkar had reserved the right of reservation for starting few years only. But the politicians have tried to make use of this rule to get more votes and play politics of vote bank and divide people. Also the person who has more following from these kinds of groups get more weightage in political parties as they give them seats when elections come.

You also belong to one of the minority communities in India, as per the government norms, but can I ask you one question, should the reservation for education and jobs and things like that be based on ones religion or on the basis of his economic status?

The purpose for putting reservation during the initial years after independence was to bring people to the same economic level. But in today’s scenario they have become means for political and social benefits. There are many people in India who are not economically ahead can benefit from the reservation systems but the benefit does not reach them as the people who have money and brand themselves with these communities take benefit and the needy has to go empty handed back to the same hell from where he came.

Today if you see many people who fall under the reserved are placed at higher posted in government offices, they earn good money, their children are placed well in good organizations, who are also earning well, but when the time of enrollment of their children in school comes they show their caste and try to take benefit of reservation provided to them. Is this right?

To redefine democracy and democratic pluralism as you ask here, people from these sections who enjoy the reservation benefits needs to stop taking these benefits and should be ready to let go of the privileges associated with it. Are they ready for that? Are people ready to stop the politics of vote bank by sticking to the party who represent them rather than following a party who can uplift them and change their life.

Are they will to do this? If they ready to this then the thing you are asking is possible and things can and will change in India.

Your views Isha.