Indifference - What's the damn point?

As my TV blares with Arnab Goswami’s voice bombarding politicians with questions, which he answers himself, my mind races back to recap the impact of the Elections. No, not for Narendra Modi, not for the Congress Party, but the impact it had on me.

Last year, I wouldn’t have bothered about the elections. I can say with reluctant certainty, I wouldn’t have known that elections were even happening. Believe me, this is the most shameful thing a Journalism student can admit. There was no significant incident that dramatically turned my view around, no life-changing reality check. But all I used to hear at one point of time was “Ugh, this country? What is the point of voting? It’s gone to the dogs anyway. I’m getting out of this s*hithole as soon as I can.”, and that made me feel queer. Was I actually…upset? This was new to me. I had lived a comfortable life, filled with ignorance and indifference. I heard people talk about the importance of a stable government, but it always went over my head. The words “UPA” and “BJP” just used to sound like the Alphabet Song to me. But when I saw, heard and felt this indifference as a third person? That hit home for me.

Why? What was the point of indifference? Indifference just gives out the message that we did not care what happened to, for or with the country. That only gave the people governing us more power, if they felt they were ruling an ignorant and unaware country. But WE had the biggest power, we the people could kick them out and throw them out on the streets if they didn’t make a good difference. Why would anybody in their right mind not use that power? And I don’t mean voting for the sake of exercising that right. Voting because choosing who governs us cannot be taken lightly.

Why? What was the point of “leaving this sh*ithole”, as people so eloquently put it? They would spend crores on an expensive wedding and go settle in the USA and live a life of their children getting fat with creepy accents. People can complain about the country all they like, but they cannot sit back and expect change to just happen. “But what difference is one person going to make anyway?”, we might ask. Well, what if millions of us said that? “But the candidates never listen to the public anyway!” Well, if you don’t vote, they can’t hear what we have to say.  I admit, all of this occurred to me on a ten minute bus ride from Guindy. But it was one hell of a thought-provoking bus ride.

I realise the voting lecture is about a month late - I must be Internet Explorer personified. Well, voted or not, the election results were declared today. And it was a historical victory for the BJP, for Narendra Modi, and hopefully, for the country.  The elections changed me from an ignorant and clueless student, to somebody who set an alarm just to wake up and watch the results being declared.  From somebody who did not who Narendra Modi was, to somebody who knows the exact number of seats he bagged. They don’t call us the “Watchdogs of democracy” for nothing.