Democracy inaction
I am already eligible to cast my vote as a citizen of India, but I have never exercised my adult franchise. Either I was too young; and when the Election Commission finally included my name in the voters' list, I happened to be away from home, as I am now. From a detached vantage point in Delhi, I am only following the elections in Manipur, choosing not to be a part of the great Indian political shopping.

I have no regrets, though. Had I been in Manipur, I would not have cast my vote at all. The elections have become an exercise in which you choose the lesser evils, not a capable leader. It's a ritual that has lost its meaning, other than murdering your conscience just to keep the democracy running.

The real irony can be read in the measly voters' turnout. Reports in E-pao say it is about 50%; the winner may well get only 20% of votes and rot in the parliament for the next five years - dumb and speechless. And I have problems with leader who gets chosen by a minority of voters, at the expense of the majority of us who cast the ballot (or don't).

But, people get the leader they deserve. At least, the same can't be said about me as I have not inked my nail yesterday. That's why I don't regret my staying away from polling booths. Nobody can now point fingers at me and say "You have also a role in putting that illiterate moron in the Parliament".