Help
Sign In
2009
December 2009 
The Great Indian Election Tamasha
Posted on May 16th, 2009
by 
Meenakshi
Meenakshi
We have just had general elections in India for the Lok Sabha [general assembly]. A slightly personal touch for me, is that Shashi Tharoor, one of those who won, was at the University of Delhi when I attended it too; and many a time we'd go to university debates to hear him and other contemporaries! [that's the extent of my name dropping for this one!]
Children wait for their parents to vote;
The wonder that is India's election-With a continent-sized 714 million voters,India has learned to pull off virtually flawlessly the biggest, eye-poppingdemocratic exercise with the kind of ease that is a part of our new brandequity. …”How do you preventelectoral fraud?” “How do you ensure that the voting machines are not hijacked?”These are questions to which Indian electoral juggernaut has now answers to.But, for the outside world, how a poor country puts up such a complicated andmammoth show of democracy remains a wonder.
Congress Coalition Set to Return to Power The India National Congress party and its allies sailed tovictory Saturday, securing a strong mandate for the designated primeminister, Manmohan Singh.
Viewpoint in the Wall Street Journal about the issues a new government should address: India Journal: Let's Get Going
Two winners who may make a difference:
Indian Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi, greets supporters at anelection rally in Baliguda, in the eastern Indian state of Orissa. Forhundreds of thousands of people in this largely rural swathe of northIndia, Rahul Gandhi is their prince. The boyish looking 38-year-old isthe latest political incarnation of the fabled Nehru-Gandhi dynastythat stretches back over 60 years
Shashi Tharoor creates history -Shashi Tharoor has created history by winning the Lok Sabha seat from the Kerala [Images]capital, Thiruvanathapuram, by an unprecedented margin. Never beforehas any one not born in Kerala or not educated here or not proficientin Malayalam registered an electoral victory in the state.
[Yes, he's the same person who was being considered for UN Secretary General ]
Indian voters
[cross-posted from World Heritage Society]
india-elections-2009-5-7-9-22-16
Children wait for their parents to vote;
The wonder that is India's election-With a continent-sized 714 million voters,India has learned to pull off virtually flawlessly the biggest, eye-poppingdemocratic exercise with the kind of ease that is a part of our new brandequity. …”How do you preventelectoral fraud?” “How do you ensure that the voting machines are not hijacked?”These are questions to which Indian electoral juggernaut has now answers to.But, for the outside world, how a poor country puts up such a complicated andmammoth show of democracy remains a wonder.
http://im.rediff.com/election/2004/apr/01tamasha.jpg
Congress Coalition Set to Return to Power The India National Congress party and its allies sailed tovictory Saturday, securing a strong mandate for the designated primeminister, Manmohan Singh.
Viewpoint in the Wall Street Journal about the issues a new government should address: India Journal: Let's Get Going
Two winners who may make a difference:
Indian Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi, greets supporters at anelection rally in Baliguda, in the eastern Indian state of Orissa. Forhundreds of thousands of people in this largely rural swathe of northIndia, Rahul Gandhi is their prince. The boyish looking 38-year-old isthe latest political incarnation of the fabled Nehru-Gandhi dynastythat stretches back over 60 years
http://news.bbc.co.uk/media/images/40081000/jpg/_40081839_rahul_g
Shashi Tharoor creates history -Shashi Tharoor has created history by winning the Lok Sabha seat from the Kerala [Images]capital, Thiruvanathapuram, by an unprecedented margin. Never beforehas any one not born in Kerala or not educated here or not proficientin Malayalam registered an electoral victory in the state.
[Yes, he's the same person who was being considered for UN Secretary General ]
http://shashitharoor.in/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/shashi-tharoor
Indian voters
http://is.gd/Ars6 Voters in Hyderabad
http://is.gd/AruI Voters in Varanasi
[cross-posted from World Heritage Society]
Access: Public
The US could take some lessons from India in the electoral process! Fascinating…
I'm so impressed with India's electoral process! Thanks so much for sharing. You must be very proud. :)
i did followed it by the news .. much change is going on the world
Thank you friends; I got a shock today when I read 150 newly elected MPs have criminal records
But let's hope this helps: More young MPs in new Lok Sabha
Long way to go; but then at least things have started…
Judi, I realized another thing- Indians show their love of their country by being very critical of our country; we are rarely never proud of our politicians! I think we hold it to higher standards than has been shown by our politicians so far; and just hope that the young ones are able to prevail with real fresh and creative actions.
But yes, the electoral process, though not perfect is at least a beacon for that part of the world!
I just realized that one of the deepest problems with the USA as a political entity is that unlike India, we have no real history of love for our homeland. Our homeland is too young and too varied a place with too many people looking towards “the old country” for the deep love of the homeland to incite and motivate us. There needs to be a deep belief in the incorruptibility of the politicians to keep the system going and we don't have that.
Wow– that's an insight I would never have had! I always see Americans so full of pride for their country, so patriotic; and wondered why we don't have that in India. But now I see that our love for India is like that of a child for a mother; too deep to be expressed; but that an 'outsider' can easily see.
Thank you for this perspective, samiyam.
I agree with samiyam about the USA being too young and too varied … for the love of the homeland. This country/society has been likened to the teenage phase of life where we are exuberant without wisdom, taking chances without any self control. We have a great deal of patriotism but no true love of the earth that sustains us, no sense that the land and our diverse society is one. Meenakshi, yes, what a beautiful picture – the Indian people's lov for India is like that of a child for a mother. Yet, you all have an old wisdom that guides you, too.
If only love could rule.
Judi, grt to hear yr warm words. sunshine, do you think love does rule; else the universe would fall apart…but so silently that it gets drowned out?
completely :)
i fell in love with the people of India, braving the elements and their own life as they go to vote. See the updates at the World heritage society - including photos.
Dear >Meenakshi,
my heartfelt congrats to the nation and people of India.
see also the 2 articles from Fareed Zakaria:
India Rising
(As comment the 2nd one from FZ)
Yes, thank you for that link to your blog, Albert. It made me think of something else that
NILEKANI, the co-chairman of Infosys said:
I would bet on India, definitely.
I think the structural advantages, the fact that we'll have this young population when China starts aging, the fact that we have paid the democracy deficit, so that's behind us now, the fact that it's much more of a bottom-up economy…
ZAKARIA: What do you mean by bottom-up economy?
NILEKANI: It's not a top-down thing where policy decisions are driven from the top. It's millions of people bubbling at the bottom who are driving this thing, and it looks very chaotic. But in the final analysis, that is much more sustainable in terms of the durability and longevity of any change.
Yes. And there are lots of rural areas in India too. Beyond the false either or of top down or botom up is the deep understanding of the growth dynamics. As the Yunus foundation f.e. is understanding already.
See also:
Indias Three E`s: Entrepreneurs, Economics & Education
We have similar needs in the Arab Gulf Region. There ecmas.net was initiated for UAE.
However India is far ahead of this region and in strong coming out mood as Fareed describes:):)
Well, the three E's gives a disturbing but realistic no doubt, picture of India. It's not new, that we have unemployed graduates; and in Mumbai, even homeless [“pavement dwelling”] factory workers.
I think the greatest strength there is the vibrancy. Whenever I go to India, if I just see what's going on, without liking or disliking it; what comes up, is the life and enthusiasm, and new products -including in village handicrafts, that are flooding daily life there.
The Arab Gulf region has the disadvantage of not having a strong base, wouldn't you say? But the wisdom to know that they need to open up to brains and brawn from other countries.
Yes, in Dubai and Abu Dhabi for example the expats make 80 85 percent in relation to the locals.
However tribal structures and family constellations basically dominate the dynamics. Thats a pre blue patchwork in Spiral Dynamics.
Singapore and Hongkong would be some role models. In the process of diversification from oil these memetic specifics will play a crucial role. And in the natural design process of che-mideast.org ist absolutely important that people from the respective culture themselves are conducting these processes.
Thats why it takes lots of time here in Germany:):):)