DEMOCRACY LIVES BY THE ITS PEOPLE
{Piyush Mathur, Senior Advocate & Former High Court Judge}
Right from the Origin of Mankind and Development of Human Races, Every Mighty Person has been Thriving for the Establishment of Supremacy of Individual Over Groups of People, with a view to Thrust Control Over the Human Force in One Form or the Other, right from the stage of Stone Age to the Developing Ages of Monarchy (Rule by One Individual), Oligarchy (Rule by Small Elite Class), Isocracy (Rule by Citizens, Who Possess Equal Political Powers) and Timocracy (Rule by Those Who Owns Property) etc., where sometimes Individuals had possessed the entire Power or at Times the Small Group of People had become the Repository of Power, to Govern the Entire Masses, which had Finally Taken the Humanity towards the System of Democracy, when Magna Carta was drawn in England and some of the Rights of the Subjects of the King were categorised and crystallized.
The Concept of Democracy finds its Foundation somewhere in the 18th and 19th Centuries, in some of the Countries of the World, but it got its Significance in the 20th and 21st Century, which Witnessed the Great Economic Depression in the World along with the Second World War, when the strength of ‘Democracy’ was Tested and Closely Analysed with the Fall of the Communist Soviet Union.
An Analytical Research of the Historical Documents reveal that the Humanity has found several Forms of Democracy, which can be summarised as Representative Democracy, Parliamentary Democracy, Presidential Democracy, Liberal Democracy, Constitutional Democracy, Direct Democracy, Inclusive Democracy, Participatory Democracy, Socialist Democracy, Anarchist Democracy, Consensus Democracy, Cosmopolitan Or Global Democracy, which engulf in itself Classic Differentiation in the Form and Substance of its Governing Principles, through the Participation of its People in different manner.
When India fought for its Existence and attained Freedom in the Year 1947, it Witnessed a steep rise of a Political belief amongst its People, where the Supremacy of the People, emerged as the Decisive Political Force, with the fond hope of establishing a Federal System of Government, “By the People and For the People” and since then Our Country and Countrymen have adopted a path, which promises for the Equal Participation and Development of Each and Every Citizen.
The Moment the Word “Democracy” is Uttered, the Human Brain start emitting flashes of Glorious Words like Freedom of Expression, Freedom of Assembly, Freedom of Occupation, Equality of Citizens, Independence from Foreign Rulers and above All, the Concept of the Citizen, being the Chief Contributor and Controller of the Establishment of Government and the Governance, through the Election of Representatives to the Parliament and State Assemblies.
An Edifice of Glory and Sacrifice emerge automatically in the Minds of the Citizens, which reminds Us of the painstaking efforts of Our Forefathers, who Fought and Shed their Blood and Sweat, for securing Freedom from the erstwhile Autocratic Rulers and established a Politically Sound System of Governance, through its Own People, For the People and By the People, in the shape of a Federal System of Democracy.
The Opening phrase of the Preamble of Our Constitution of India, Brightly displays the Might of its Citizens as “We The People of India”, wherein and where around the entire Fabric of the Sovereignty of the Nation and its Governance is Woven, in such an Excellent Manner that it Strongly Portrays the Dynamism of its People, in the Creation of the Democratic Polity of the Nation and its Enjoyment by All, without Fear of being Ruled by any Individual or a Group of Mighty Politicians.
The Concept of Democracy, as visualised by the Framers and Makers of Our Constitution, take into its Sweep Each and Every Citizen, when it Declares that Our Democratic Governance is “For the People, Of the People and By the People”. Therefore right from the stage of the Inception of “Democracy” in Our Country, the entire Foundation has been Laid on the Mighty Shoulders of its Citizens and the Strength of its People has been made the Life Force, for the body politic of Democracy.
However Many Reformers, Lawmakers and Jurists have Expressed their Feelings about the Darker Aspect of the Democracy, on account of the Inability and Lack of Commitment of its Citizens, towards the True Development of the Democracy. A Famous Jurist, Economist and a Politician in the Body of a Famous Lawyer named Nani A. Palkhiwala, while dedicating his Collection of Essays
“We The People” has Coined his Concern in These Words……….
To My Countrymen
Who Gave Unto Themselves The Constitution,
But Not the Ability to Keep It,
Who Inherited a Resplendent Heritage,
But Not the Wisdom to Cherish It,
Who Suffer and Endure in Patience,
Without the Perception of their Potential.
The History of Each Nation, records Stories of its Development, Achievements and Failures and remind People of the World, about What Happened Where ? and When a Country exhibit a Glorious Past and a Glorious Present, it simply Highlights the Heights, its People have attained in the Fields of Education, Literature, Science, Industry, Commerce and a Variety of Occupations and Avocations, which takes the Country to the Zenith of its Glory, in the Annals of Human Civilization.
Shri Rabindra Nath Tagore had Expressed a Beautiful and Lyrical thought in Gitanjali about the People of His Country in These Words;
Where The Mind is Without Fear
And The Head is Held High
Where Knowledge is Free
Where The World Has Not Been Broken Up Into Fragments
By Narrow Domestic Walls;
Where Words Come Out From the Depth of Truth
Where Tireless Striving Stretches its Arms, Towards Perfection
Where the Clear Stream of Reason Has Not Lost its Way
Into The Dreary Desert Sand of Dead Habit;
Where the Mind is Led Forward by Thee
Into Ever Widening Thought and Action
Into That Heaven of Freedom, My Father
Let My Country Awake.
Tracing the History of Democracy may be an Interesting Exercise for the purposes of Analysing the Rise and Fall of the Political Systems but One has to always Remember that even the Clear Principles of Democracy can not be applied as a Tailor Made Formula in any Country, without taking into account the Nature and Belief of its People, so Developed due to the Impact of their Culture and Civilization, therefore the Colours and Contours of the Democracy would keep on Changing, in different Backgrounds of Different Civilisations, although the System of Governance may remain the same i.e. Democratic Governance.
Right from the Stage of Monarchical Rulers, Our Country has emitted Unique Illustrations of Democracy, when the People of Licchavi, in the Kingdom of Vaishali, (where Bhagwan Mahaveer was Born) have established a System of ‘Gantantra’, in the 6th Century Before Christ, which could be taken to be the First Illustration of Rise of Democracy in Our Country, as by this Time, even the ‘Magna Carta’ was not brought into its Existence in England, which is Claimed to be the First Known Document drawn in AD 1215, which talks about the protection of the Rights of the Citizens and placement of restriction on the Rights of the Monarch Named; King John of England, in these Words that;
“Decisions on Important Matters Should Not be Made By One Person Alone. They Should be Discussed With Many”.
Modern History of Our Country is filled up with Enormous Illustrations to show that when the People of Our Country Gather Together and act Either as a Leader or as an Activist, they have All Aroused a great Deal of Storm in the Arteries of the Democracy and Brought about such Changes, for the benefit of the entire People of the Country, which has Ultimately Strengthened the body politic of Democracy, with the active Participation of its People. It may be the Freedom Struggle activated by Father of Nation Shri Mohan Das Karam Chand Gandhi or the Movement Shri Jai Prakash Narayan Ji took up 35 Years ago, Or the Latest Movement of Shri Anna Hazare for bringing a Strong Legislation in the shape of a Jan Lokpal. All these Movements, with the active Participation of the “People of India” have Strengthened the belief that ‘Democracy Lives In Its People”, because whenever and wherever, People of Our Country have Joined Hands and Collectively activated a Public Cause, the System has been Radically Mobilised and Resultantly the Democracy has been Strengthened.
Sixty Three Years of Independence may be a Longer Time for Evaluation of the Development of the Mankind, but it would not be sufficient to Analyse or Evaluate the Success of Democracy Or Strength of a Democratic Nation, because it takes Centuries to Build a Nation and many more Years to Imbibe the Delicate Doctrine of Democracy in the Duty Free Cerebrum of Human Structure. Therefore Our Country might exhibit small patches of Development in the Urban Civilisation, however a great deal of Efforts need to be Focussed, for the development of the Rural India, where after alone the Democracy would start exhibiting its Effective and not Ephemeral Exuberance, with Equality of Opportunities and Placement, for All of its People.
Post Independence Era of Our Country is Filled Up with Several Such Instances where due to Active Participation of the People of India, many New Vistas have been Opened and a Radical Change has been brought about by the Non Governmental Organisations, by Reaching Out to the Needy People of India and by Extending their Supporting Hand, to Firstly Wipe Out Tears from Their Eyes and Thereafter to provide Strength to them with their Dedicated Efforts, sometimes Without waiting for the Financial Assistance of the Central Or State Governments.
This New Phenomenon of NGOs, in the Entire Country, could possibly do some Good Job, Only because Many Dedicated Citizens Realised that Paying Taxes to the Government is not Sufficient Enough, as They Owe Something More to Their Nation, which could be repaid in terms of extending a Helping Hand to the Needy and Poor Fellow Citizens. This Feeling of Oneness for Fellow Citizens has created Miracles in Many Areas of Life, by Public Spirited Persons, Who do not care as to Whether they are a Part of the Governance Or Not; but they Simply Care for Those Who really Need Care. Therefore the Democracy could be seen, in its Body and Form, in the Conduct and Compassion of its Citizens, as to How Much Each One of Us Care for the Cause of the Other Fellow Citizen and How Dispassionately One Extends His Helping Hand to Strengthen the Democracy.
The Judicial Activism has also Contributed immensely in the Development of the True Democracy, with the advent of an Innovative Category of Public Interest Litigation, wherein the Supreme Court and High Courts of Our Country have Opened Wide Windows for Non-Traditional Category of Litigation, while exercising its Extraordinary Jurisdiction of issuance of Prerogative Writs, for protecting the Fundamental Rights of the People of This Country, as also for providing an Effective Mechanism, with a view to secure Constitutional Obligations of the Public Functionaries, which has Greatly Helped in the Development of the Institution of Democracy and the Mankind.
Our Country and Countrymen have proved by their Conduct and Active Participation that the Development of a Country depends upon the mighty Conviction and Active Participation of its Citizens, in bringing about a Strong Nation and when the People of the Country becomes the Life Force of the Democracy, in-spite of a variety of Hurdles and Difficulties, One could Rightly say that the Democracy Lives By Its People. However the Citizens should always Remember their Promises made with their Own Country, for Building a Strong Nation and a Strong Democracy, Only then the Democracy would remain a Fresh Bouquet of Roses and the Journey would become full of Fragrance, in the Words of Robert Frost, who said;
The Woods are Lovely, Dark and Deep
But I Have Promises To Keep
And Miles to Go Before I Sleep
And Miles to Go Before I Sleep.
Thank You Very Much.
Jai Hind.
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