Apolitical

Dreams – a word that captures imagination and pushes us to the verge of victory. Let me start of with this simple question. How many of you have dreamt of reforming India?

It all started with this incident – An incident that reminds me of a vadivelu joke. I was standing in a queue to get kerosene from ration house. It was fine sunny day that made me sweat. Just when I was about to get my share, a fight started. The person in-charge had cheated people by filling the bottom of the can with a solid block. What made him do such a nasty thing? What is he going to do with the money gained by such fraudulent behavior? Is he not paid for his work? Is there a way to change all this?

I have a good old reminiscent memory of my college days. I had to cross a highly congestive road daily. My college administration was thinking of building a foot-over-bridge for the past 10 years. Death is an incident that reminds you of the pain one has to go through. A pretty rough accident occurred while crossing the road and sadly, a student passed way. Come two days, there was alternative arrangement in place. Any guesses, the person who died was son of an MLA ( I am not speaking ill-will here). This made me think, this made me fear, that, politics is the only way to change things around.

A few problems that we tolerate:
We don’t have good roads despite paying road tax

When there is a power cut in US for an hour, it becomes LA Crisis, but, there are frequent power cuts here.

Our Traffic Signals don’t work when a politician is passing through and we people suffer one or two hours in the infamous Mount Road, Sarcastically, it is the same person who came begging for our votes two months back.

How many of walk slowly and go dumbfounded when some Policeman watches you and enquires your name? It’s an irony that the person is in place to protect and not threaten you.

Many of you people should have had group discussions in colleges. Do you remember any topic you discussed? Let me remind some: Corruption, reforming educational system, 33% reservation for women and globalization. Have you ever noticed that any problem that you discuss or think about points either to you or the politician. 99% of us think that today politicians are crappy and Indian system needs a change. To put it in an IITian view “Politics need to be refurbished to prevent Economic in-stabilization”.

The last state election in TN made me realize a few facts. People voted for DMK, as they announced that they will provide a TV for every house. A basic question is he giving alms to us. Who needs it? Has anyone who ruled TN ever thought of improving the basic education system that is below par compared to modern standards. The answer is a big no. Think of it, the politician wants us to keep in dark evading our right to know about politics and this world.

We know all this; still we are afraid of politics. We don’t want to get into it as it doesn’t provide us career options. We will marry, have two kids, read newspapers daily, complain about the processes taking place in India, and remain apolitical always.

Karthik Chandrasekar
"Every man dies...Not every man really lives"