Changing Equations

The Egyptian uprising had Facebook as a medium (Wael Ghonim from Google used it to reach out to youth in the country) to mobilize opinion and crowds, back home response to Anna Hazare’s fast against corruption generated tremendous support in towns and cities across the country and that too at a rapid pace (less than 24 hrs), one thing that is common to both mass movements is access to information by the citizen and how it is challenging the government. In this social networking world information is no more a privilege of a few, it is getting difficult for the governments to control it. (In perhaps the most secretive anti-terrorist operation in the world, we saw a commoner tweeting innocently that something is not right dead at night). There is nothing secret in this world anymore.

For 60 years Governments and bureaucrats in India could hide and while away time withholding information from the public, this of course lead to entrenchment, corruption and under development. Today the momentum in the country is against these evils and the enabler has been access to information. The RTI act, aggressive visual media and mobile penetration is leading to dramatic resurgence in public reaction to issues that concern the nation. Indians who have given up hope on development, corruption, education, health care etc can now aspire to live in a better India by forcing governments to act.

The response of government to Ramdev’s fast against black money is an indication of the new found eagerness to address such sensitive issues faster before it gets out of hand. Of course there is a counter argument if the methods adopted by Anna and Ramdev are proper in a democracy. I am not sure about the pros and cons of such information lead mass movements but I am sure the elephant called Indian democracy will start moving.