Blot on my ForeFinger!

It is time to celebrate our democracy. The great Indian jamboree is here. We are complicated and an enigma to any political commentator from the west. We are living examples of plurality and diversity. Every 300 kms the language/ dialect spoken changes. We are possibly a nation of many countries. And yet India works.

I am not going to get into this patting-ourselves-on-our-backs phenomenon. There are enough people who do this on a regular basis. But we also need to recognise the reality - which is that India somewhat works. And it is up to us now to contribute to improving the situation.

It really is time to stand up and be counted. It is election time!! 731 million people are eligible to vote in India this year, compared to 131 million in the Obama 2008 elections, and yet let us be assured that each and every vote counts. It counts not because it will make a difference individually, but it counts because collectively we send out a clear message - that apathy and nonchalance towards the political process has officially come to an end. A message that while we as a country are far from being perfect, we will work to make this a better country, because we care.

We care enough to stand in queue one more day to cast our vote. Because, by choosing to vote, we make our voices heard on the issues that we are willing to espouse and those we want to discard. By choosing to vote, we are taking ownership of our collective future, a future that isn't incumbent upon us by default, but one that we choose to create.

Let us make plans for long queue vs. long weekend this election day. Join me and become an idealist, a hopeless romantic and ‘ We Can’ evangelist instead of the usual cynic. May be, just may be we can make a difference.