{"id":6581,"date":"2018-12-27T13:05:58","date_gmt":"2018-12-27T07:35:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/calamur.org\/gargi\/?p=6581"},"modified":"2019-04-09T01:41:05","modified_gmt":"2019-04-09T01:41:05","slug":"6581","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/calamur.org\/gargi\/2018\/12\/27\/6581\/","title":{"rendered":"CNBC Column : The Great Election Mela"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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I write for CNBC- TV18<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tis election season in India. With the General Elections due in May 2019, and a bunch of state elections on the anvil now, campaigning is in full swing. But what are the elections about?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Going by the rhetoric of the\npolitical class, we maybe mistaken in thinking that the elections is about a\nmultiple-choice history paper.  It\u2019s like\nCoal Sear says in the Manoj Night Shyamalan\u2019s film \u201cSixth Sense\u201d<\/a><\/strong>\n\u2013 \u201cI see dead people\u201d- the elections campaign is full of people who have moved\non from this world. Already, the memory of Sitaram Kesri, who was last seen in\nnational politics two decades ago has been dusted out and rolled out as an\ninstrument of electoral pugilism. Mr Kesri\u2019s soul must be gratified that he is\nfinally of some use in some election, while the first-time voter, born much after\nMr Kesri was deposed as the Congress leader in favour of Sonia Gandhi, is\nprobably figuring if Kesri is a newspaper, a sweetmeat or a colour. Nehru, dead\nfor the best part of half a century, makes an appearance in election speeches.\nAn electorate, that is\n45% under the age of 25<\/a><\/strong> is suddenly curious about a man whose\nshadow looms large on the nation decades after his death. But it is not just\nabout dead people. Allegations and counter allegations are bandied about\neffortlessly. Already, Mr Modi has asked Rahul Gandhi what his maternal grand\nparents (who were Italian) have done for this country. Mr Gandhi in turn has\nalleged that the chowkidar is a thief. Shashi Tharoor has mentioned the\nchaiwallah, Mavendera Singh has accused Vasundra Raje of being an outsider to\nRajasthan. And, the entertainment continues. Amidst all this there are\ndiscussions on faith, food, degrees (or the lack of ) and other incredibly\nirrelevant yet hilarious items. It is almost like the parties think that\noffense, and offensiveness, is the best form of campaigning. But, is this what\nthe elections are about. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Narendra Modi won a massive mandate\nin 2014, on the back of a promise of a better, more inclusive, tomorrow. A\nfuture in which people have a shot at equality, progress, and escaping from the\npast.  A core aspect of this is jobs, and\neducation and skills that lead to jobs. \n\u201cAchche Din Ayenge\u201d the theme of the 2014 campaign focused on a better\ntomorrow in many areas. Curbing Price rise, increasing employment opportunities,\nbetter schools, better infrastructure, better security, to name a few. And\nalong with the promise of \u201csabka saath, sabka vikas\u201d a promise of inclusive\ngrowth and development where everyone benefits, not just the cronies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Elections in India, remain what they have\nmostly been. A chance for voters to favour or disfavour a set of parties over\nanother set of parties based primarily on their sense of wellbeing. How good\nhas the previous five years mad them feel, and how hopeful are they about the\nnext five years. And, it would stand to reason that politicians would fight on\ntheir record if in power; or attacking that record if in the opposition.   However, whenever politicians talk policy,\nthe all pervasive  television news media\nwith over 400 news channels, finds it easier to show other more entertaining\nthings. And, ultimately all political parties end up competing not with each\nother for attention, but with celebrity weddings, star babies, cute dog and cat\nvideos, and other such distractions; and they play to the gallery. It is easier\nto gain eyeballs by going on the offensive, than detailing out policy and the\nachievements of policy. Media follows sound bytes, sound bytes gain traction on\ntwitter, the twitter outrage turns into IT cells driven hashtag promotion; this\nfeeds itself back into TV news. This encourages politicians to make even more\noutrageous statements, which gain traction on social media. Rinse and Repeat,\nmultiple times over. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This has become the theatre of the\nabsurd, highly entertaining, highly addictive, but ultimately counter\nproductive. It is possibly the mental equivalent of eating highly deep fried\nfood as your only diet. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maybe it is time to borrow best\npractises in media and politics from other cultures. A tradition of media\ndriven structured debates in which each candidate has a specified time to\ndiscuss how they will bring about change at a local, state, or central level.\nFor democracy to survive and thrive, elections cannot just be about rhetoric.\nNor can it be just about the legacy of people dead for decades. IT has to be\nabout the legacy you create, and the future you envision. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately, in a ratings driven\nworld, corporations give us what is seen the most. And, that usually is six to  seven people screaming at each other\nsimultaneously, in a farce that passes off as debate. This is what we get to\nsee, because this is what we like to see. Entertainment. With reports\nindicating that in a digital world, human beings have a shorter\nattention span than goldfish<\/a><\/strong>, the coming elections are likely to\nbe even shorter sound bytes.  Indian\nelections have often been described as melas, where it is a festive carnival.\nAnd, an essential part of every mela is the tamasha. Let the entertainment\nbegin.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n