Anupam- The Dreamer

There is a vast majority of people in our country and even elsewhere in the world, who are obsessed with occupying some high-level post or position in the society. And why shouldn’t they? Because such posts/positions command influence, power and authority to “do something”. And higher is the ability to do something, higher is the respect/aura/obsession associated with that position. The people come to believe that those occupying high positions can “do such things”, which are difficult for a normal person to do. That’s the primary reason why many people often worship influence, power and authority.

Let’s delve a little bit into the genesis of this positional power. There were different types of power structures in the society since earlier times. It moved from monarchy to oligarchy to democracy or constitutional form of government over time. But, still at some places and in some countries, earlier forms of power structures continue in some or the other complex form. Yet, in most places, there is some sort of democracy. In a democracy, the ultimate power rests with the people. From the people, it flows into the Constitution which derives its genesis from the people of the land, and from the fountain of the Constitution, the water of power flows down to different branches of the legislature, executive and the judiciary. From the executive branch or the government, it flows into the political positions and into bureaucratic positions. Even outside the government, there are power structures in the private sector, NGOs etc., but let that discussion be reserved for some other time.

Now, coming to the government, various positions have been created to serve different functions in the service of the people of the nation. Every position serves some particular purpose, and to enable this, the position is given some sort of authority/power. Because without the latter, it is very difficult to get something done, leave alone serving the people. For example, the army and police have to be given some power to ensure peace and security. The political leaders have to be given some power to frame laws for the welfare of the people. The bureaucrats have to be given authority of law to enforce them and to hold erring people accountable. So far, so good. Right?

The problem starts when the obsession with posts/positions of power goes out of control. This obsession may be among common masses and also maybe among the occupants of power. And this brazen obsession, often to the level of madness, can be seen vividly during the times of elections. During this time, the people, media, political activists, etc. catapult the status of the positions in fray, to such a level that sometimes it seems that the real power has gone away from the people, who are the actual holders of power in a democracy. They start to see the electoral candidates as their whole and sole, from whom they can seek some mercy, some influence and some goodwill after getting elected. The people come to see that the source of power has shifted from them to the elected representatives. In one sense, it is the elected representatives, who actually wield power over the people in myriad ways. But in other sense, the power that they wield is derived from the people only. It is not the case that after getting elected for 5 years, they become the boss of the people who are at his/her mercy, rather it should be the other way round. The people should never forget that the power has been given to the representatives by them only, who hold the power in fiduciary capacity (in trust of the people).

If that is how the people start thinking of power in the bottom-up manner, the posts/positions will not matter much. And neither will the person who occupies that position. What will matter is whether the occupant is exercising the power as per the larger wishes of the people or not. But, what happens in reality in most instances is the exact opposite. At times, the people are in so much awe about some particular positions, that the person occupying the same becomes immaterial. They start to revere the positions as a means to achieve their own good. And if by some means, they can come to occupy those positions of power, they would be more than happy to do so. Whereas, the real thing that should matter is whether the person occupying a particular post/position is doing the task meticulously and to the satisfaction of the people or not. And even if a person harbours an ambition to occupy certain established positions in the society, whether that person is discharging his/her role to the best of capacity and the wishes of the people or not.

If the people understand this dynamic and start enforcing accountability on the persons occupying the positions of power, then it will bring prosperity for the nation at large. And if that is not the scenario, then I can only remember the words of my teacher, Shrivastava Sir, who once told us that we should perform our duty to solve the problems of the nation and not worry about those we couldn’t because even Shri Rabindranath Tagore has famously remarked that “Bharat Bhagya Vidhata”, meaning the Lord is the protector of India’s future!

Till next time….