A week after 26/11, I was sitting at the office cafeteria, having coffee with a few colleagues. The topic of conversation was around the Mumbai killings: the failure of Intelligence & Security, corrupt politicians, useless government...and so on. Pretty much all we had been watching on all TV News Channels and reading in the dailies.
Just as the conversation was getting heated and one of our colleagues indulged in name-calling of political leaders, an expat working in our office, an American, stopped by to say hi. "Some serious talk goin on in here?" she asked. She pulled a chair and sat down while we explained that India needs better political leaders, and the ones in power today weren't deserving. She listened and then asked "So why did you guys vote for them?"
None of us had expected that! We all looked at each other. Straightforward, simple question. For which we had no answer. Rather, we were too ashamed to admit, that "We didn't!". We didn't vote for them. Infact we didn't vote for anybody, and we had never voted in our lives!
Turned out that of the 6 elite souls seated at the table, none of us had voted in the last elections. Only one person at the table actually had a Voter's ID and she had last voted in 1999. I am sure the statistics would be just as shocking if you expanded it to our city and the entire country.
We don't need a foreigner to remind us of our Fundamental rights and duties, do we? We may not be able to join politics ourselves and bring about the reforms that are needed. "It's too late to do that". "I am just settling with my job and life, I cannot make a U turn at this point". "The system is corrupt and very old, what difference will I make?" "Can I really be that selfless? " There are a thousand excuses, questions and doubts.
But the least we can do is to cast out vote and pick the right leader!
Bangaloreans -
Visit
http://www.ceokarnataka.kar.nic.in/ to find out how you can enroll yourself as a
voter. The site will direct you to http://bangalorevoterid.org/ for all your Voter ID related questions including schedules for issuance.All it takes is 2 hours of your time to get the Voter's ID. And another 2 hours on election day.
Please vote! I surely will.
