Thank god it’s a Democracy

The last two years can best be described as Protest years; there have been a rather unusual rise in the number of protest that have taken place in our country. The count of protest began with the Anna Hazare’s, anti corruption campaign that saw thousands of people coming on the streets in the various parts of our country and showing their anguish against the sudden outburst of scams that engulfed the administration of the country. And probably the biggest protest that the country has seen in the recent times came last December, viz a viz the Delhi gang rape, which I must admit as a human being, shook me.

These protests saw the youth of the country taking part with immense motivation and in huge numbers. This was perhaps the first time in a long time that such a huge number of the population stood up for something. It was probably the first that the greater chunk of the society realized what it is like to live in a democracy, something that has to be actually experienced in order to realize.

But what they seem to have forgotten is that although they have the right to protest, sit on agitations, or strike, they can’t hold this right as a tool for blackmailing the government. People must understand that the population of India is not in a few thousands or millions; rather it is more than 1.2 billion. So it not possible for the law to be changed every time a few thousand men and women sit on a protest to change a law (which was made to cater the needs of a nation) which has been serving for more than 65 years. As much sad and biased as this may sound, this is the ugly truth that people must grasp if we as a country are to progress. The Supreme court’s decision that as many as 90% of all the dowry cases in India were wrongly filed is one the best examples how laws can be easily misused in our country. This is the reason that any law before passing through, has to go through severe scrutiny. This is the reason that any law made is crafted in such a manner that it caters to a large number of people.

The people must understand that just like they have right to protest, the government has some rights too, a wrong or a flawed law can do much more harm to the society than the reason it was made for. They must try to understand that it’s not just the law that has to be changed with the changing times, but the attitude too needs to be changed. The law can be changed nth time but it does not guarantee less offenses, for they can be misused if not implemented properly, rather it is the attitude of the people that has to be worked upon and is due for a change.