DailyPost 2878
DEMOCRATIC FEUDALISM
The onset of democracy on 15th of August, 1947, was a watershed moment in the history of India. What is expected in such momentous times is that the country would transform beyond recognition. Transformation of physical infrastructure is the easiest to happen, whatever great stories we might build around it. The creation of building blocks of quality education and good healthcare are quintessential to the growth of the nation. This would show sluggishness even if it were to happen in bits and pieces. Scientific temper, research & development and creativity and innovation depends on a different world view; a democratic world view.
Democracy is not just the creation of legislature, executive and judiciary and a media on the periphery. If this were to be the transformational structure, we could have reached the moon a long time back and would not have been struggling with an abysmal per-capita, flailing healthcare and questionable mass level quality of education, which can only put us to shame. How are we able to digest all this dismal state of existence? More so, if we had progressed correctly, the situation could have been radically different. Do we have a democratic world view? Liberal, objective and empirical. Modern day cutting edge delivery and sustaining it is the goal progressive democracies keep fighting for.
The progressive democracies are fighting for it. We were able to sustain feudalism in the garb of democracy. That has turned out to be our nemesis. There is certainly a huge challenge between democratic delivery and feudal mindset. It does not happen. What does happen is at the best is plucking some low hanging fruits, which are touted as monumental achievements, that too happens in the backdrop of the democratic feudal ecosystem. The paternalistic nature of our political class and consequently that of the government is a direct manifestation of our feudal mindset and our love to carry it forward.
Actually we don’t know anything else. Then the trappings of power. The obsession with this is to a suicidal level. They are ready to go to any extent to fulfil this skewed mental urge. The interaction of the modern day democratic feudal lords is no different from the original masterpieces. Quite a few come from such backgrounds and others pick up with an ease, which is unimaginable. Knowledge, skills and expertise are all abhorred, what is appreciated is raw power, the capability to ride roughshod and get away with it. What a tragedy this whole circus is maintained by the state exchequer, so it has turned out even better than the feudal lords. Equality, collaboration, consensus, giving up and giving away, futurism, technology, and planning have all been left for the masses to think about as the democratic feudal lords keep talking of it as their ideals.
BUILDING DEMOCRATIC SUPERSTRUCTURE ON FEUDALISTIC INFRASTRUCTURE IS NOT AN EASY TASK.
Sanjay Sahay
Have a nice evening.