By: Vivek Kumar Singh
Course Coordinator
Essay Programme
WWW.UPSCPORTAL.COM  

For us in India, democracy is not just a way of life, it is the way of life. For our nation the defining principle has been and will always be “Unity in Diversity”. This is the idea of India. Our unity has been forged through the institutions and values of democracy. Indeed the fundamental premise behind our governance system is that every Indian is a free person. We seek salvation for ourselves through the framework of an open society and an open economy. Today, it is with pride as an Indian that recognize the extent to which our democratic experience is regarded abroad with admiration. India is a multi-religious and multicultural society. Democracy and the respect for fundamental human freedoms and for the rule of law do provide a congenial environment for development.

Democracy is a method of government by persuasion and discussion. The core of democracy is choice. Democracy is incompatible to any form of idea e.g. socialism, collectivism,or capitalism. Democratic society is always open to ideas and views.It entertains plurality of ideas and arrives at an agreed line of action by comparing them, ironing out the difference and forming a composition.The word Socialism was purposely avoided though many of the tenets of socialism were included as the DPSP. The constitution must allow future parliaments to function freely without being tied to a particular political agenda. All parliaments must be allowed the freedom to choose and adopt the best in the prevailing circumstances. The Preamble to our constitution says, “We the people of India, having solemnly resolved to constitute India into a Sovereign Democratic Republic ” It has been further said in the preamble itself that Indian democracy will secure to all its citizens social, economic and political justice, liberty of thought, expression, belief and faith and equality of status and opportunity. In the past it guaranteed only political rights, but now it is also striving to secure economic rights as well.

Abraham Lincoln in his famous speech at Gettysberg described democracy as government of the people , by the people ,for the people. Democracy is slightly more than that. Apart from political it is social also. It envisages not only a democratic form of government but a society in which there is free exchange of ideas and each individual enjoys the same status in society.

Democracy is a way of life in India .It has grown deep roots. The making of democratic India was not only result of an ideological preference ,but a pragmatic understanding of ground realities. There is no doubt that the present age is the age of democracy, and it has developed into a very strong movement all over the world. Even the Communist countries, which reject the basic western philosophy of democracy, call themselves people’s democracy. India not only survived but flourished as a democracy. An important aspect of the Indian democratic resilience is the ability to adapt and accommodate to changing realities. In a democracy ,economic reforms are an exercise in political persuasion and management and yet our direction remains clear as also our determination to deepen the reform process. Many countries have been unable to resist the temptation of achieving certain economic goals at the cost of effectively curtailing the right of dissent and the freedom of expression .But in India the democratic spirit been instrumental in creating change.

The triumph of Indian democracy was that it accommodated the sentiments behind the secessionist tendencies and provided solutions within the framework of the Indian union.The Indian people have used their democratic prerogative to mandate a coalition government in New Delhi- when this happen ,many observers at home and abroad jumped to the conclusion that India was on the brink of instability and would soon become ungovernable. Almost all the parliamentary democracies of the Europe have passed through coalition systems to arrive at stable two-party systems ,even now, several European countries are governed by coalitions.

Pt. Nehru 's prescient caution to the political classes of our country when he said that more than external aggression ,the greatest threat to India's unity and independence would be he rise of communal politics and religious politics.

Liberty,Equality and Fraternity generally in all constitutions of the whole world.But Justice is unique feature of our constitution.Democracy succeeded so far because of visions of the leaders and democratic temper of the people but distortions continues when whole state get hijacked during election days.

Democratisation of country's political and government institutions with greater representation of the rural population and weaker sections of the Indian society.The expansion of literacy and the experience of electoral politics spread over the last five decades have qualitatively raised level of political consciousness and socio-eco expectations among the people.There is lack of charismatic leadership and national appeal cutting across considerations of caste,religion, language regional and ethnic afflictions.National parties have to depend on coalition arrangement changed the sociological and economic impulses of domestic politics.

Needless to say that democracy is a philosophy that has to be put into practice with certain degrees of variations in different parts of the world, without sacrificing its essence. Indian democracy is comparatively young and not as strong as western democracies. It does still suffer from many ills, which are likely to linger for some time before they are completely removed.

(a) The greatest ill of our democracy is that a large number of people in India are illiterate.They have no mature thought about their voting right and choice.
(b) The feelings of casteism, communalism and regionalism.It mars the basic feeling of democracy.There should be proper law to punish those who choses such means. We need people whom our people can respect and not merely because they belong to their own subsect, but because they have personal attributes that are relevant to the task of nation building.
(c) Another bane of our democracy is the influence of money and muscle power in the elections.There is need of electoral reforms and auditing of electoral expenses.
(d) The multiplicity of parties is the cause of lack of a strong opposition party, which is essential for smooth functioning of a democracy.There is need of evolution of two strong party system in India.
(e) Another serious problem that confronts our demo¬cracy is that of political defection.There is need of strong law because old one is not yet effective.

Democracy is slow ,painful but definite process.All political parties remain completely committed to democratic institutions.India has a non-political permanent civil administration and military establishment.Conviction among the people that contradictions emanating from the diversities and pluralities have to be resolved through democratic means.For a democracy to be truly great,people must not only have the freedom of choice -not between the bad and the worse,but between the best and the better.

"She has 300 million faces but one sole life,majestic and strong eighteen are her tongues for utterance and yet, her heart is one."(SUBRAMANIAM BHARATI)

The functioning of democratic institutions in India has been satisfactory on the whole. Scope for improvement is always there. India’s 1977 elections proved that democracy is a way of life for Indians, who hold it as a valuable possession and would not let it slip. In working towards these ends, and for Government to be an effective instrument of development, it is necessary to make it more transparent as well as more accountable. Here the media has a very important role to play. It has long been said that eternal vigilance is the price of democracy. Democracy is based on the notion of a popular mandate, but it should not be construed as a populist mandate.

Click Here For Essay Guidance Programme