Sometimes, some beautiful times, one gives cynicism a rest and enjoys the beauty of democracy and the resilience of people, however deprived. I am in awe of the Indian masses. I know that this election was not won over facebook campaigns or fancy speeches in English. I also know that a lot of it had to do with which party was more cohesive. But I have learned that elections are not always won through hate speech (even if it seems to work in Gujarat, Karnataka and certain parts of U.P.). I have also learned that the joy of an financial package that helps the people is that regardless of how many politicians refer to it as vote-bank politics and how many money-grubbing capitalists call it populism, the people respond and vote for more. And hey, if vote bank politics means better lives for the poorest of the poor, I am all for it.
This year, we have a promising party in charge. Not a perfect party but a secular party, and a party that acknowledges and talks of the large and invisible group below the poverty line. This time, they are in charge and out of reach of the highwaymen coalition partners that each try to force them in a different direction. This time, a man worthy of the title is still prime minister. And if not entirely pleased to return to a fundamentalist party run state, I will be delighted to return to an intelligently run country and I hope that reading the newspapers will stop being depressing for a little while.
