india

Since today sees an end to our 10 questions feature, it is only fitting that we end with a question that is at the heart of this project. Over the last few months, the Democracy House has been attempting to start a global debate about democracy. Our efforts have not been in vain as our forums have had constant activity. Our channels on YouTube, MySpace, Facebook and Flickr have had substantial interaction making the Why Democracy? project a resounding success.

Through these various discussions, the question of the day has been answered many times and on a number of levels. We have ultimately left it up to our readers to discuss whether democracy is indeed good for everyone. The answer after reading hundreds of contributions? Undecided!

After working on the last leg of the Gandhi film for the Democracy project, I escaped to Kurseong and Darjeeling in the north Bengal hills for a much needed break.

But the quiet and sleepy environment of the hills that I remembered from childhood trips had been completely transformed by a sense of revolutionary fervour – not an activism that aspired for independent statehood or for better livelihood, but a round-the-clock fever-pitch movement to…make Darjeeling’s own son, Prashant Tamang the next Indian Idol.

The Indian economy has been growing rapidly the last few years and necessarily requires enormous amounts of energy for it. As it is dependent on imported hydrocarbon fuels for its needs, it has an interest in those states which are potential energy suppliers. The stability of Myanmar is a matter of concern for India as it is considering investing US$ 150 million in natural gas exploration there.

As an economist with an interest in economic development, I have always been intrigued by the relationship between democracy and economic growth. That is so because I call two distinct places home: India, where I was born and grew up, and which is the largest democracy in the world; and the US, where I spent much of my adult life, attended universities and worked, and which is the most powerful and successful democracy in the world.

I confess that to whatever extent the idea of democracy is appealing to me, I am not overly impressed with the actual implementation of democracy in India. I am also not sure that granting universal adult franchise was the right thing to do at the time of India’s political independence in 1947. Democracy, it appears to me, is not just about exercising choice but rather it is about informed choice. I think that in India we have what I call a “cargo cult” democracy, as I have argued before on my blog.