Dear friends,
Many of my friends have brought up a discussion and wondered whom they should vote in the upcoming general election? The commonly held line is that AAP is not yet ready. I think the bigger question is if we are ready. Change is not easy and certainly never perfect. It does not come in superman's suit or with a magic wand. It comes with a cuss word uttering law minister and rollback of your favorite policies (read FDI). The American revolution did not bring freedom to slaves. Abolition of slavery did not bring equality of opportunity to blacks until civil rights struggle of 1960s. American saw the first black president after yet another 50 years. But, each step was a quantum leap that enabled the next step. There are several such example throughout history whether it be Latin America's slow untangling from imperial arm-twisting or the coming together of the grand vision of Europen Union. Change is a continuous process of ebb and flow directly proportional to ordinary citizen's engagement. If we thought AAP was single-handedly going to bring about change, we were wrong. They can change with your participation. I am not asking that we give AAP a clean slate. In fact, I am asking exactly the opposite. We should question their policies but not with apathy and skepticism; rather with active participation. It is the first party that has opened the doors for young generation to participate. At least, we can be certain that their coffers are not filled with dirty money. You can join them with conditions making your demands known. Participate in their volunteer programs. But we may not do that because that means giving our time away from shopping or watching cricket. We could research and suggest an alternative policy but we may not do that because that will force us to think rather than follow the headlines of TOI or HT. Suggest a good candidate for your constituency but we will again not do that as it will force us to take a stand. I am suggesting a hard way because I am asking us to demand with contribution. Most of us like to expect but without contribution and conditions. Let us agree that history will not absolve us if we let this opportunity slip by without giving it adequate chance. That will require optimal dose of hope and resistance from all of us.
For over 30 years, we have collectively complained and groused about the absence of honest political party. Now that a party has emerged whose founding members' struggles for various people's rights (RTI, freedom of speech, anti-corruption) are well-documented and which lays an intra-party democratic framework, lets not back out from our end of the deal using excuses of public policy procedures and ideologies that until recently none of us discussed. Let us acknowledge that the exponential increase in our interest is a direct result of AAP's lightning attack on our stinking political system.
There will be a time when I will take a clear and open stand on AAP - for or against. Today is not that time. The baby is just born. I am going to nurture it and challenge it. I will be judgmental about whether he or she is a good person at an appropriate age. There is no place for apathy and skepticism that has rankled our souls for way too long. Its time to raise. We are the ones we have been waiting for.
-Nitin Sonawane
Many of my friends have brought up a discussion and wondered whom they should vote in the upcoming general election? The commonly held line is that AAP is not yet ready. I think the bigger question is if we are ready. Change is not easy and certainly never perfect. It does not come in superman's suit or with a magic wand. It comes with a cuss word uttering law minister and rollback of your favorite policies (read FDI). The American revolution did not bring freedom to slaves. Abolition of slavery did not bring equality of opportunity to blacks until civil rights struggle of 1960s. American saw the first black president after yet another 50 years. But, each step was a quantum leap that enabled the next step. There are several such example throughout history whether it be Latin America's slow untangling from imperial arm-twisting or the coming together of the grand vision of Europen Union. Change is a continuous process of ebb and flow directly proportional to ordinary citizen's engagement. If we thought AAP was single-handedly going to bring about change, we were wrong. They can change with your participation. I am not asking that we give AAP a clean slate. In fact, I am asking exactly the opposite. We should question their policies but not with apathy and skepticism; rather with active participation. It is the first party that has opened the doors for young generation to participate. At least, we can be certain that their coffers are not filled with dirty money. You can join them with conditions making your demands known. Participate in their volunteer programs. But we may not do that because that means giving our time away from shopping or watching cricket. We could research and suggest an alternative policy but we may not do that because that will force us to think rather than follow the headlines of TOI or HT. Suggest a good candidate for your constituency but we will again not do that as it will force us to take a stand. I am suggesting a hard way because I am asking us to demand with contribution. Most of us like to expect but without contribution and conditions. Let us agree that history will not absolve us if we let this opportunity slip by without giving it adequate chance. That will require optimal dose of hope and resistance from all of us.
For over 30 years, we have collectively complained and groused about the absence of honest political party. Now that a party has emerged whose founding members' struggles for various people's rights (RTI, freedom of speech, anti-corruption) are well-documented and which lays an intra-party democratic framework, lets not back out from our end of the deal using excuses of public policy procedures and ideologies that until recently none of us discussed. Let us acknowledge that the exponential increase in our interest is a direct result of AAP's lightning attack on our stinking political system.
There will be a time when I will take a clear and open stand on AAP - for or against. Today is not that time. The baby is just born. I am going to nurture it and challenge it. I will be judgmental about whether he or she is a good person at an appropriate age. There is no place for apathy and skepticism that has rankled our souls for way too long. Its time to raise. We are the ones we have been waiting for.
-Nitin Sonawane
