With a billion people, the Republic of India is the world’s largest democracy. The form of Government in which supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation, usually involving periodic free elections is termed as a Democracy. The power may be derived from the people, by consensus (consensus democracy), by direct referendum (direct democracy), or by means of elected representatives of the people (representative democracy).
In simple terms, democracy is a system of Government with four key elements:
• A political system for choosing and replacing the Government through free and fair elections.
• The active participation of the people, as citizens, in politics and civic life.
• Protection of the human rights of all citizens.
• A rule of law, in which the laws and procedures apply equally to all citizens.
The word democracy is derived from the Greek word ‘demos’ meaning people. In the memorable phrase of President Abraham Lincoln, democracy is a Government “of the people, by the people, and for the people.” Democracy is not just a political system, but a way of life. Freedom and democracy are often used interchangeably, but the two are not synonymous. Democracy is indeed a set of ideas and principles about freedom, but it also consists of practices and procedures that have been molded through a long history. Democracy is the institutionalization of freedom. If democracy is to work, citizens must not only participate and exercise their rights but also observe certain principles and rules of democratic conduct. They must respect the law and reject violence.India’s democratic system has been working successfully for the last half a century. But this democratization has also been facing several challenges.
• Divisive Tendencies
• Extremism / Terrorism
• Unemployment
• Political instability
• Parochialism (Provincial Tendencies)
• Growing Illiteracy
• Corruption and Nepotism
But the ultimate power lies with the people and they must serve as the final guardians of their own freedom and must build their own path toward the ideals set forth in the preamble to the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights: “Recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice, and peace in the world.”
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Aditi Rindani 