MY TAKE
More than the vote
NIRUPAMA HEGDE
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Like in the US, the youth in India need to go beyond just voting, and get engaged at deeper levels… an NRI’s view on the elections 2009.
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In India too, public service needs a new face that will create a new culture of service and a renewed sense of social and political responsibility
Wedged between pitches for cars and mobile phones and squeezed into the 30-second time slots between Bollywood videos, a new type of commercial has snuck its way into the television line-up in recent days.. Actors like Bipasha Basu, Sonam Kapoor, and
Boman Irani, appearing in black and white close-up shots, have been urging young Indian voters to make their voices heard in the national elections.
Now, after an elaborate voting process which brought over 300 million voters to the polls, the 15th Indian Lok Sabha has been elected. Did India’s young people vote — or rather, did they “jaago”, as Bipasha, Boman and Sonam asked them to?
Though I don’t bear the tell-tale finger nail mark of an Indian voter, I did witness, and vote in, the historic 2008 national elections in the United States. This May, I have been travelling in India and have been closely observing the elections here.
Just the beginning
What has struck me about both the Indian and American elections is the importance and visibility of the youth vote. In the U.S. last November, Hollywood celebrities like Bono and Leonardo DiCaprio were the face of campaigns like Rock the Vote, in attempts to lead young people to the polls. P. Diddy and Paris Hilton walked the runways in t-shirts that threatened “Vote or Die”. And the buzz worked — in the 2008 presidential elections, the largest number of young people voted since 1972, making it the second largest youth voter movement in American history. About 24 million Americans aged 18-29 voted in this election, putting the voter turnout for that age bracket at about 50 per cent.
But voting was just the beginning of what will hopefully be a large-scale, permanent change in the way in which young people participate in democracy. Voting, though a stride in the right direction, is merely a part of a citizen’s responsibility in the democratic system. In any nation, the ideals, values, and institutions of the democracy also need to be maintained and improved to ensure the welfare of future generations.
After the election of President Obama, public service has suddenly assumed a new, cooler form and taken on greater relevance to every-day youth culture. The dearth of corporate jobs caused by the economic crisis, combined with the new winds blowing in Washington has renewed the appeal of working in the public sector. One of the most important factors that has energised the young population is the emergence of new technology in the world of politics. Rapid, constant communication facilitated by programmes like Twitter and Facebook have revolutionised political issues, as young people can read President Obama’s tweets or read his Facebook page alongside those of their friends.
These trends in the United States bear great parallels to the Indian context, where more than half of the national population is under the age of 35. Young people in India can harness great power by mobilising their peers and getting involved in political and social issues. As India steps into a new world stage, India’s young people are being presented with the great opportunity to shape the nation’s, and in turn the world’s, future.
As a young person, I understand the feelings of frustration or even apathy that young people often experience about public service. Working for the government or in the non-profit sector is rarely seen as glamorous or exciting work. Moreover, it is often hard to grasp how working in the public sector actually translates into discernible, progressive change. Caring about an issue is one thing, working for that cause is quite another.
In Washington, President Obama’s administration has rebranded public service, luring the nation’s youth to the front lines and creating new enthusiasm to work in government and non-profit jobs. In India too, public service needs a new face (perhaps the mug shots of attractive Bollywood stars?) a face that will create a new culture of public service and a renewed sense of social and political responsibility.
New perceptions
The efforts to make young people vote are an important step in the right direction but they cannot stop there. Whether or not India’s youth made it to the polls, they now have the chance to participate in the democratic process, which extends far beyond just the election. In a campaign speech in July 2008, President Obama spoke of the delicate nature of democracy, in which the “government depends not just on the consent of the governed, but on the service of citizens.” India, the world’s most populous democracy, needs for its citizens not just to vote, but to get involved. So, though the mark on voters’ fingernails will fade in a few weeks, it is important that the sense of public duty and responsibility remains much longer.
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