Democracy of India

Democracy is a form of government in which people are governed by their own elected representatives. It is a government of the people, for the people and by the people. In this system of government, it is the people who are supreme and sovereign. They control the government. They are free to elect a government of their own choice. Freedom of choice is the core of democracy.

Democracy existed in ancient Greek and Roman republics but with little success. It had very little scope in ancient India. Democracy entered its golden stage in he twentieth century. Many countries in the world today follow the democratic form of government. Democracy depends on co-existence of ideas and of parties; the right to free discussion;  universal adult suffrage; and  periodic elections.

Indian is the largest democracy in the world. The Constitution of Indian was enforced on 26 January, 1950. It ushered in the age pf democracy. India became a democratic republic infused with the spirit of justice, liberty, equality and fraternity. The Preamble, the Directive Principles of State Policy and the Fundamental Rights reflect the Indian ideology as well as the caste, creed, religion, property, or sex have the right to cast their vote. After and election, the majority party or coalition forms the government and its leader become the Prime Minister.

Political parties are the vehicles of ideas. Parties act as the bridge between social thought and political decision in democracy. The Indian politics system is a multi party system. However, gradually politics has become a game of opportunism and corruption. Most political parties are only interested in coming to power. Every party adopts different caste politics. Some try to influence the people thought caste politics. Some try to raise the religious sentiments of the people. The Indian ideology today is replaced by caste and religion.

We enjoy every right in theory, but not in practice. real democracy will come into being only when the masses are awakened and take part in the economic and political life of the country. There is inequality in every sphere- social, economic and political. Illiteracy is the main cause of inequality. The illiterate masses get easily lured by money during such an event. Also some of our legislators have criminal records against them. The people who make the laws themselves break them.

Even after more than sixty years of Independence, one forth of the population today goes to bed with an empty stomach, live below the poverty line without access to safe and clean drinking water, sanitation or proper health facilities. Governments have come and gone, politics have been framed and implemented, crores of rupees have been spent, yet many people are still struggling for existence.

Casteism today is more pronounced that it even was. Untouchability remains abolished only in theory with frequent newspapers reports of Dalits being denied entry to temples or other public places. Violence has been taken a serious turn in country, Bandhs, strikes and terrorist activities have become a common affair. Every sphere of national life is corrupted. Our democracy is capitalistic. Here, the rich exploit the poor who have no voice or share in the democratic structure. For a successful democracy, all these need to be checked.

But India, as a democratic country, has progressed in many aspects. It has archived self-sufficiency in food grains as a result of the green revolution. People vote for change whenever a government fails to come up to the expectations of the people. India has been a successful democratic country only because the people are law-abiding, self-disciplined and have the sense of social and moral responsibilities.

For a democracy to be fully successful, the electorate should be literate and politically conscious. They should be fully aware of their rights and privileges. The illiterate masses of India should be given education so that they can sensibly vote for the right leaders. The U.S.A, Britain, Germany and Japan are successful democratic countries and gave progressed in every sphere because the masses are literate.

There should be quality in every sphere of life. The politicians should also respect the true spirit of democracy. They should refrain from corruption caste and communal politics. The citizens should elect leaders with good moral values and integrity. People should be guided to choose their representatives. They should not be influenced by anyone in this respect. Individuals should learn tolerance and compromise and understand that freedom in not unbridled but dependent on not harming another individual's well being.

Democracy demands from the common man a certain level of ability and character, like rational conducts, an intelligent understanding of public affair, in depended justice and unselfish devotion to public interest. People should not allow communalism, separatism, casteism  terrorism, etc. to raise their heads. 

They are a threat to democracy. The government, the NGOs and the people together should work collectively for the economic development of the nation. Changes should come through peaceful, democratic and constitutional means. The talented youth of today should be politically educated so that they can become effective leaders of tomorrow.

CULTURE...

Culture is that invisible bond, which ties the people of a community together. It refers tot he pattern of human activity. The art, literature and religion of a community represent the community's culture. Culture manifests itself through the lifestyle of the individuals of a community. The moral values of the people of a community also represent their culture. The importance of culture lies in its close association with the living of the people. Different cultures of the world have brought in diversity in the ways of life of the people inhabiting different parts of the world. 

Culture is related to the development of one's culture plays an important role in shaping the principles if the individual's life. The cultural values of an individual have deep impact on his/her attitude towards life. Culture is the ultimate system of social control where people monitor their own standards and behaviour. A community's culture lays the foundation of the living of its people. The cultural values serve as the founding principles of one's life. They shape an individual's thinking and influence his/her mindset.

Culture gives an individual a unique identity. The culture of community gives its people a character of their own. culture shapes the personality of community. The language that a community speaks, the art forms it hosts, its staple food, its customs, traditions and festivities comprise the community's culture. The importance of culture cannot be stressed enough as it is an integral part of living. Culture refers to the pattern of human activity and the symbols, which give significance to this activity. Culture is represented through the art, literature, costumes, customs and traditions of community. Different cultures exist in different parts of the world. The natural environment greatly affects the lifestyle of the people of that region, thus inhabiting different regions of the world.  

The culture values of community give it an identity of its own. A community gains a character and a personality of its own, because of the culture of its people. Culture is shared by the members of community. It is learned and passed from the older generations to the newer ones. For an effective transfer of culture from one generation to another, it has to be translated into symbols. Language, art and religion serve as the symbolic means of transfer of cultural values between generation. Culture is a bond that ties the people of a region or community together. It is that one common bond, which brings the people of a community together. The customs and traditions that the people of community follow, the festivals they celebrate, the kind of clothing they wear, the food they eat, and most importantly, the cultural values they adhere to, bind them together. Culture is seen as a system of social control, wherein people shape their standards and behaviour. 

The cultural values form the founding principles of one's life. They influence one's way of living and thus impact social life. There are different types of culture across the world and each culture has its unique essence. While defining the term 'culture', there are several elements that together constitute as the culture of a particular region or the culture of particular people. The various languages are essentially an important part of the culture. Every society or every civilization has a set of norms, which are an inseparable part, and an important element of the culture. The social values of a particular civilization are also considered as an element of the culture. 

The values of a culture often refer to the things to be achieved or the things, which are considered of great worth or value in a particular culture. Social collectives refer to the social groups, organizations, communities, institutions, classes and societies, which are considered as symbolic social constructions. A status or a social role is nothing but a slot or position within a group or society, which gives an overall idea of the social structure and hence is an important element of culture.