The Political Curtain
I’m politically honest (oops! Was that an oxymoron!!!) All my idea about politics is the way I see it in my college- for nothing other than power! And all I do as a common voter is choose the best among the worst!
College politics- one of those very favorite things to debate upon!! How can the country progress without the youth thinking of politics? Why should you sell off your youth to a dirty thing like politics?
It is useless to define what politics is- we all are intelligent enough to check the dictionaries. But do you realize how important the State is? I came to think of it when, in my first year of college a senior told me, “You don’t exist if the state chooses to not let you exist!”
When we are born, the State confirms our birth, hands over the Birth Certificate. We get in to school, we pass out. The State certifies that we are literate. We find a job, the State says that we earn more than what we need and therefore should give up something. We get married- yet again the State affirms that. We die- but we are dead only when the State officially hands over our death certificates. So you can cease to exist without dying if the State chooses to. And ultimately who whips this horse? The political leaders chosen by us, the democratic people of India!!!
And we say running a State is a joke? No way!! But unfortunately thinking of politics today, all that I know is what I see in my college.
Being under the Communist rule ever since birth, I shouldn’t have seen much of tension. West Bengal is politically, the most stable state in the country. You may wonder whether I’m anti-industrialization, talking against Tata’s car factory or speaking up against the violence in Nandigram. I am neither a democratic maven nor the Marxist saint; I cannot comment on policy implications or send out judgments about what these two particular events had to do with the Communist rule. I am a small entity.
My college has always been politically active. I didn’t know why till I joined. I wondered why Students’ Federation of India (SFI), never approached me in spite of the party members knowing that I come from a communist family. I found out very soon- all the active SFI members are muscle men who can bulldoze down the opposition. All that they needed from me was the vote- better not let me see the dirty politics that they play behind the curtain. I was the most confused soul on the Election Day…
College elections- CPM backed SFI have the right to bring in people from other colleges to beat up the opposition. They fail to recognize classmates whom they have studied with for a whole year, they steal away the strategy sheets of the opposition, they call up confirmed voters and threat them, frighten their families so that the students cannot even come out to vote! In spite of that they fail to win the elections. They fight, they demand a re-poll, and they say that the opposition rigged, arrange for attendance registers from the University long after the working hours are over and don’t allow the panel election to come through before a month is over!
What about the so highly sought after opposition, Independence Consolidation, IC, who seem to win the election doing nothing? I’ve nothing to say about them because they don’t do anything except the passion to make a change! They hardly have any organization. They don’t have a mother party helping them beat up people and bag the votes. They aren’t even good liars! Poor them!!
In the devastating state that Indian politics is in, even this much honesty would go ways to help us achieve the Indian dream. But that is really a distant dream- after all what do we students understand of politics? What can the youth do? And incidentally, by the time they are old enough to make an impact, unfortunately, the common citizen’s psychic phenomena will turn them corrupt enough as well. After all, we live in India!
So, do we, the youth, bid a good bye to our political dream and just end up being a statistic in census?
Perhaps we should now go and look up on the dictionary as to how politics is exactly defined!
Authored By Sudeshna Sen, India
Tags: politics
64 Responses to “The Political Curtain”
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June 11th, 2008 at 8:02 am
well written… gud1…
June 11th, 2008 at 8:25 am
Very interesting, However there is a lot we can do. perhaps the first is to recognize that communism , as an active system, barely exists in the world today outside India. five countries -China, Cuba, North Korea, Laos and Vietnam- are ruled by “communists” and even of these China and Vietnam follow the globally (economically) accredited free market system. The other three countries are among the poorest in the world.
The problems with communism are many fold and we have seen its destructive power very often. Take for example north and south Korea -south Korea is one of Asia booming economies with high living standards while North Korea is a country rife with Inequality and poverty.The same people, the same resources JUST different policies. the same goes for east and west Germany, vietnam -the list is endless.
Its sad that rational Indians today can still call themselves communist. By spreading this basic idea each of us can make a difference.
June 11th, 2008 at 8:40 am
Hello Agastya… i totally agree with you… but i’d like to add 1 more thing.. “communism” as far as my interpretation of Marx goes is no where in relation to what is practiced, at least in India, today. (You have rightly pointed out about the other 5 countries)
This post didn’t throw any light on communism… you could say 700 words were too less to cover communism! What i just meant was because of the streamlined politics, youth politics isn’t given a scope… you try to protest against something, but you can’t because you don’t have a huge political backing… The state we are in now.. perhaps the only ideology that counts is to strive and make an honest attempt to bring about a positive change..
Last but far from being the least, i believe being in power for too long is bound to corrupt any group of “politicians”.. as for that matter anyone. And in this certain case, I’ve never seen any rule other than the “Communist” rule… May be this indeed is the best case, but unless i get to see other cases, how can i say that this is the best?
June 11th, 2008 at 9:46 am
well written Ms Sudeshna sen…:P
That was an incisive arrow from a sarcastic bow.
But one thing i fail to understand, what exactly do u mean by “the passion to make a change”?
moreover,I dont accept that u can make diff only if u’ve powers, u can verywell do the same as a civilian.can’t you?
June 11th, 2008 at 9:53 am
Well… if anyone could, i knew only u would ajit.. make a difference as civilians? Tell me with our corrupt political system, how often have you bribed a police to avoid the 1 week torture of a case? If you were a minister or MP however, you wouldn’t even be bothered about giving a bribe… every small thing makes a difference. Tell me, as a normal civilian, will you take the hassle of running behind the cops for a week when a 100 bucks can save you the travel?
I don’t care for powers… But in a democratic country, do you realize that these “powers” represent you and me?
June 11th, 2008 at 12:40 pm
@sudeshna
i have not experiencec college elections which are backed powerfully by political parties yet( even though am in college now)…I have only heard of them and sometimes i feel that college politics should be ’student and youth politics’ in the pure sense..
Adulteration by parties for local needs just do not justify it..I have lost a specific dear one in college election in my hometown in Kerala..It was outrageous..
@civilan making a change.
ANYONE n i really mean it, “ANYONE” can make a change..
A civilian who works as a doc,an advocate,a casual laborer or a scavenger…ALL CAn..
THE ISSUE is not about running around instead of paying a 100 rupee note the issue is as to ‘DO WE REALLY CARE?’
IF we do, we all will make a change…i have seen a lot of examples and that encourages me to say that we have not some hope but ALOT of hope..
cheeeeers
June 11th, 2008 at 12:47 pm
yes laxmi.. it hurts to see your friends so involved in politics getting beaten up for nothing… and all they had tried doing is to protect one bit of free space for our voice!! it really hurts!!!
ya.. the question boils down to “DO WE CARE?” a question we should remember always perhaps.. the 100 bucks was just an example… i could as well say littering the road or not paying IT and go on… all we can do.. at least whoever is reading this, i’ll hope we all are united in making a slight change being mere civilians… politics, as i said is a big thing and am not democratic maven!!
June 11th, 2008 at 4:50 pm
Perfect
June 12th, 2008 at 7:04 am
good one dear….all the very best…
June 12th, 2008 at 7:10 am
that was like old wine served in new bottle…
everthing u’ve written is known by every civilian…But it’s inevitable…
I really appreciate the way u’ve written n presented…keep it up…
June 12th, 2008 at 7:25 am
Koel
very nice, keep on writing such stuff. I have seen comments, but its your gut feeling that should flow as smoothly as it should.
great, keep it up and show it to prolefts also. don’t worry.
amites mama
June 12th, 2008 at 7:40 am
Thankx a lot roshni, ankita, dutta n amites mama… as dutta said.. nothing new, just pointing out the truth again… how i wish we could do something.. n how i hope we all will
June 12th, 2008 at 10:49 am
youth in poilitics has allways been a fascinating subject.
it’s been put in a good infact a bit sarcastic way for that matter,but a bit uncertain.
anyway,well done…keep up the good work.
wish u the best.
June 12th, 2008 at 11:18 am
yes anjan… the sarcasm was totally intentional… and the uncertainty too… taking a stand in particular is not what i do in general
have a lot more to see… after all we all are students in the school of life 
thankx a lot anywayz..
June 12th, 2008 at 6:50 pm
hey its a great one!! absolutely perfect and i simply the loved the first para and the sarcasm in it!!
it is actually THE REALITY of the Present India!!! Sad but true…
June 13th, 2008 at 7:21 am
Nicely presented.
congratulations on putting up a very good draft.
But wud’ve been better if u’d thrown some light on as to how to make this a better country politically.
June 13th, 2008 at 9:25 am
hey jane!!! i rather put what i think very subtly through sarcasm… “They aren’t even good liars! Poor them!!” Basically as far as i am concerned, i think nothing can be done unless we the youth do away with corruption… as in a previous post ajit said we can do something as civilians.. that something is being honest and nipping corruption at the bud, wherever we see…
Thankx a lot
June 13th, 2008 at 9:50 am
A draft with quite matured n realistic views in it.
keep it up writer…
June 13th, 2008 at 10:07 am
It made me to remember my days in school….
Well written .
June 13th, 2008 at 10:39 am
Well written!!! I hope definitely we can make difference by distributing this valuable content….
June 13th, 2008 at 10:46 am
thankx navin n venkat
n ya.. if we are together we’ll definitely see a change 
June 13th, 2008 at 10:51 am
A good frank post, but sometimes seems to slide down into an IC election pamphlet against SFI. I belong to neither, so it is often interesting to watch fireworks from the sidelines.
As for allegations I personally know some of them to be true, and as for communism, my friend a cursory glance at world history would show that it has always been pushed down your unsuspecting at first, then protesting threat. Democracy and communism never make good bedfellows.
If West Bengal calls itself communist, then the only point is that militant trade-unionism is legalised, not penalised, frankly i don’t know which unique mish-mash brand this belongs to!!
As for your blog, keep it up!!!!
June 13th, 2008 at 10:58 am
*throat not threat sorry
and now i feel its not militant trade-unionism , but violent unionism of any kind
June 13th, 2008 at 11:01 am
yeah Ms Sudeshna sen thats true.. But even i agree 100% with ajit what he said in above comments…. “I dont accept that u can make diff only if u’ve powers, u can verywell do the same as a civilian”.
June 13th, 2008 at 11:05 am
Personally i don’t belong to IC… what i mean is IC is everyone who dreams of a better future… IC doesn’t have any political color or backing. So debangshu, no question of posting pamphlets… but yes, you could say it’s anti-SFI… infact anti-”any political party” who practice everything except clean politics!!
Allegations.. well an interesting thing is that i was real confused about who’s honest before i saw them myself indulging into everything that i’ve talked of… heard of some others, but didn’t put because i was no witness to them.
Lastly, as far as communism is concerned, i keep my mouth shut in general. It’ll take me a lifetime to understand Marx and relate his theory to what is practiced in Bengal or China or wherever… But even then, if you ask me, I don’t understand the concept of voting into power a communist party… for me, communism is some phase that the world will witness (i don’t know if it ever will!!! but that’s another question!) only when it is mature enough to witness it…
Not only trade-unionism, every other thing as log as muscles and not brains are involved, is legalized in Bengal…
Thanks a lot for being honest about it though…
June 13th, 2008 at 11:07 am
@ amarnath… i’ll give you the same answer that i’ve given… we can make a difference. Yes!! We will… but what about the people who represent you and me across the globe?!! They are our “faces”… but are we them?
June 13th, 2008 at 11:39 am
How did the opposition win despite SFI playing games and threatning? Guess that should have been mentioned!
June 13th, 2008 at 11:43 am
simply because the SFI puts off people by what they do and the votes sweep into the opposition’s pocket
yep.. shud hv mentioned… but wud’ve taken the flow off… so…
June 13th, 2008 at 11:48 am
I was guessing that only but thought of confirming it!
Nice to see somewhere politics is neat!
June 13th, 2008 at 11:53 am
btw.. another thing i should add i guess. When you see your friends get beaten up, no sane person can vote for the violence creators… and for that matter i wonder if i’ll soon be the punchbag of the violence for drafting reality…
June 13th, 2008 at 4:09 pm
I haven’t read the comments, but I’ll agree with what you said in the post itself. It is actually a pretty hopeless situation, and unless a strong, honest, organised opposition is formed we’ll continue to have these farcical elections where we choose the lesser of two evils.
As for communism, I feel that a philosophy asking people to abandon their self-interest is doomed at the very outset. To top it off, communism is all-inclusive and totalitarian. Implementing it in a part of a society is technically impossible. Then again, all this is being said on hindsight.
Brave post, voicing an opinion a lot of us share and talk about but few would put a pen to.
June 13th, 2008 at 4:10 pm
hey ya… it was a very well written article… i thought only kerala had such politics where the ruling party had control of student political gropus in coll and indulged in such gundas acts.. u have brought out a serious issue which concerns the entire nation in a very light manner which actually highlights ur article…!! Cheers…!!
June 13th, 2008 at 4:21 pm
thankx miss anciently modern… i think ur miss
n as far as voicing is concerned, i know i stand a huge risk… n i mean it!!! jus hoping clg ppl dont get to see this, or i’ll get it real hard!!
dhivya.. yep… sad but true, this is what has come of politics.. that’s how our “statesmen” are!!
June 13th, 2008 at 4:28 pm
good good,,,,,,, keep it up!!!!
June 13th, 2008 at 4:31 pm
thankx ra
June 14th, 2008 at 7:17 am
great piece…loved it. Wud be nice to read more of such stuff !!
June 14th, 2008 at 7:22 am
hello too good!!!!!!!!!!
June 14th, 2008 at 7:35 am
hello this is a very nice article i am looking forward to meeet you
thanks
June 14th, 2008 at 8:06 am
woww!!! that was really a well crafted draft, considering the fact that it’s from a student.
the points that u’ve put in are bluntly good n unfortunately, facts.
it’s not that i’ve not read ny article of such kind, but it’s really hard to compose an atricle in this manner on such a topic especially by a non-professional…n haa thr are some uncertainities ,though they doesn’t disturb the content n essence of the draft.
Keep up the good work. Congratulations from my end regardless of the results.
June 14th, 2008 at 9:04 am
thankx amar, amit, shreya, and kally
@ kally… yep there are uncertainties… but as i’ve said, i stand a risk for drafting this article… anything more specific would only increase the risks.. tried to put in what i wanted to say very subtly… but ya, next time will try to be better
June 14th, 2008 at 10:02 am
Very well written.I could identify with some of your feelings too.Being on the other side of the bench (literally)it seems equally frustrating, disheartening and at times shocking to see the young people being made pawns of a much larger game- dirty plitics.The only hope is probably that, people like you are aware of it.
June 14th, 2008 at 5:01 pm
thankx a lot!!! good (i definitely mean this sarcastically) to know that our teachers face the same dirty politics at the other side of the bench as we the students do!!! and trust me, the politics on the other side of the bench affects not only the teachers but also students like us… 1 unfulfilled dream… i dreamt of being taught by one of the top 5 macroeconomists in the country… the dream was slashed because of politics!!! time we really should come forward…
i dont know how come my post got the ratings but hardly any comments… is everyone too busy with emotions?
dont tell me politics is that boring or not pertaining to our social scenario!!! am really looking forward to some good discussion, debate whatever… please give me a chance as well!! :p 
June 14th, 2008 at 5:46 pm
Staying at the top is Ms.Sudhs with her talk abt politics which is striking and meaningful
June 14th, 2008 at 5:51 pm
staying at the top?? ummm well no comments on that but am really looking forward to discussion for which people are giving me hardly any scope!! don’t tell me that the post was soooo good that i should remain an unchallenged authority :p
June 14th, 2008 at 5:58 pm
i have some prob with the page loading , cant read half of the words…
anyway, u know about the party, LOKPARITRAN, it was floated in tamilnadu by IITians :)(students and ex-students)
it had real good mission statements and the youth of many colleges supported them.
but then ofcourse as starters theu cudnt win much in d state elections..the two giants DMK+and AIADMK+gobled 99 percent of the seats..
but what was even worse was that this youth party started breaking up slowly and later ended up almost dead…though ppl are tryin to revamp it..
i hv no idea wr dey went wrng?
it was a good podium…
June 14th, 2008 at 6:06 pm
well that’s what happens to most budding political parties… IC as i mentioned has joined in with another “non-political” (meaning not into mainstream) party from another famous insti and have formed USDF. this was done very recently… don’t know what plans they have in future… but if they do have any, i would as a civilian much rather vote for them and not the mainstream parties… as of now, i can’t vote coz the opposition in our state is worse than the ruling party… and the ruuling ppl suck… to say very less…!!
June 14th, 2008 at 6:09 pm
Yes, this point shud also be noted..
what will ppl do if they have a party whom they dont like much but still they cant do much because the opposition is even more pathetic!
sometimes it puts the multiple party system and the whole idea of democracy in jeopardy!
June 14th, 2008 at 6:21 pm
well leks… i dunno if many people know this but we can actually use our right of choosing not to vote coz we feel they are not worth it, but when u do exercise this right, make it a point that you cancel your vote… else the political parties can rig your vote in their favor
June 14th, 2008 at 6:25 pm
yes, true..i got only one chance to vote after i became a major
but even then i remember many ppl wanted to vote for the youth party and there was a huge miscommunication that their symbol was an axe with something but ppl knew just ‘d axe’ and there were many students who ended up losing the vote for sm unknown party whose symbol was ‘d axe’,no wonder LP lost…
tat was on a lighter note…but to think even such things happen…is sort of shameful..
June 14th, 2008 at 6:46 pm
umm… that’s the sad part of it..
June 14th, 2008 at 7:34 pm
btw.. on a light note.. u know d last time during elections, d 1st time i “voted”, thr were two candidates of same name from the ruling party, 1 4m an independent 1 n two of d same name 1 4m d opposition n another 4m another independent candidate… so u see, how these mainstream parties manipulate the voters by making up candidates!!! awesome game they play… would do anything to get votes!!
btw.. i need 2 clarify myself on 1 issue… i no way mean to say what is practiced in Bengal is communism.. or i don’t grudge over only CPM… the same goes 4 TMC, Congress, BJP… or whatever.. i just wanted to talk abt the corruption in the mainstream political parties… suddenly struck me if people are taking me wrong.. as it is no1 points out anything letting be in d illusion (or reality
) that am perfect.. hehehe
June 15th, 2008 at 8:48 am
awesome write-up.
though i am not into politics n all, i liked it coz of presentation.. n ya.. i think this is what today’s politics is.
Kepp it up author.
June 15th, 2008 at 12:24 pm
[...] The Political Curtain [...]
June 15th, 2008 at 12:41 pm
CONGRATULATIONSSSSSSSSSSSSSS ……..!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!…………..A BIG HUGG FROM ME > >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>::::DDDDDDDDD<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<……………….
June 15th, 2008 at 12:41 pm
very well written.keep writting.
June 15th, 2008 at 12:55 pm
THANKX for the support everyone… and one very very warm thankx goes out to ajit… he didn’t stop questioning me, but he never stopped supporting me… n ya another special 1 to khush who told me about this contest… thankx a lot dears..!!
June 15th, 2008 at 12:58 pm
Pardyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy chahiye aab……….
and keep writing good pieces… :*
June 15th, 2008 at 12:59 pm
hehe!! ajaa calcutta…
June 15th, 2008 at 1:02 pm
oh btw.. lemme be sarcastic for 1 last time… this post wouldn’t have been possible without the rampant corruption of the mainstream political parties!!! should i thank them??
on a more serious note… it’s my earnest request to everyone who went through this post, let’s keep working to make an India as we dream of, our way… we can help as civilians as ajit and amarnath said… we can at least stop some corruption, act a little more sensibly… hope you are with us…
cheers!!!
June 15th, 2008 at 1:11 pm
Yes I am ,,,,,,,and we all are with each other to make a country a better place to live in..!!!!!!
June 15th, 2008 at 1:12 pm
ok…congrats for sudhs at d main post..
and congrats to the article here…:D
June 15th, 2008 at 3:32 pm
Hi Sudeshna,
COngratulations…..!!!! Wish u good luck in the next contest too…..!!!
Thanks,
Susheela.
June 15th, 2008 at 4:27 pm
Congratulations!
June 15th, 2008 at 5:18 pm
thankx susheela n navneet