I was whiling away my time, sitting on the dining table, nursing my morning cup of coffee (at 12 in the afternoon) when one of my mates posted this rebuttal to her colleague's article. (You are meant to read her colleague's article first and then her rebuttal.). So basically both of them play devil's advocates. Why? Well, apparently Arundati Roy visited Xavier's college in Bombay and spoke whatever she usually talks about. I wasn't there, so don't really know what the conversation or monologue was all about. But having read both the articles, I felt like I needed to pen my argument. You know the kind you and your flatmate engage in as you have your dinner and are watching the news because there is nothing else interesting playing on the telly at the moment. The following italicized bits is my argument.
The rebuttal article actually comes real close to articulating the problem which plagues almost every single person who gets their 15mins of panel discussionary fame on telly. But it doesn't. The bigger problem with most of us is that, people know what is wrong, but don't really have a proper structured solution or an alternative to that suggested solution if it fails. Everybody is aware of Murphy and his omnipresent laws. "Revolution" may be the answer to some of the questions, especially at a grass root level, but there also needs to be an alternative to it. There needs to be parallel solutions/course of actions for the suggested malaise which plagues the society. And each of these solutions/courses of actions needs to be complementary in nature making the solution holistic in nature.
And this problem is universal, whether it is Roy or Hazare. Both have suggested a course of action, but what if that plan doesn't work, what is the alternative? What happens after the intended result has been achieved? The results of half arsed planning and thought is quite visible in the US action on Afghanistan and other place. Revolution happens, fine… What happens after that? The government is corrupt, okay, topple it, bring in a new one. But who? There are no alternatives. The only option to the existing government which is in power is suffering from infighting and accusations of being right winged to the point of being labeled extremist.
At the end of the day, India is a democratic country. And I firmly believe in the process of democracy. More importantly I understand what the word means and what the process entitles. Unfortunately people who have perked up ears holding on to every word being uttered by them don't seem to respect or comprehend democracy.
The solution or the answer to MOST questions is not revolution being spelled out. But educating people what democracy is and not teaching them the spelling of abstract and malleable concepts. Like revolutions. (Case in point Roy and Hazare)
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