IMPORTANCE OF THOUGHTFUL VOTING

India is the world's largest democracy with current population of about 1.21 billion. The success of democracy and formation of responsible government is directly dependent on the voting power of the citizens. Elections form the bedrock of India. Since Independence, as many as 15 Lok Sabha's have been formed through elections, the first one being held in 1951-52. This time they are starting from 7 April 2014. The methodology of election is through universal adult suffrage, whereby every citizen of India over 18 years of age is an eligible voter in the eyes of the Constitution. But the question arises that are we voting? Are we utilizing this power at its best?

Voting is the best way to get one's opinions heard, as it allows one to select the candidate who best represents their views. Voting also helps democracy to prevail and if people didn't vote they would be ruled by someone who wouldn't necessarily represent them or have the country's interests at heart. So the need of the hour is not just vote but do thoughtful voting. Every individual can make a difference. The reason to vote cannot be over stated. One man one vote says a lot. It puts each person on equal footing. A vote from a rich person has the same power as a poor person. Young people have the same right to be heard as their elders.

In some cases nowadays people hesitated to vote. While others just vote because their family or friends have pleaded them in order to make their close ones win. In this year’s elections we need to change this scenario.  When a person does not vote, or votes without thinking then that individual citizen does not participate with the electoral process. What would happen if no one voted? Our democracy would end! Voting gives you the right and voice, to have the say, who will be the next most powerful leader in the world. It is the single most effective way to make your voice be heard. If you are not using this opportunity judiciously, you give away your right to influence the government overall.

Have we become a nation of low information voters whose knowledge is largely limited to media sound-bites and newspaper headlines? It must be every citizen's responsibility to determine if a candidate has kept his/her promises through knowledge of past performance. A question every voter must ask as he/she participates in this election: "Is this leader worth my vote?"

It can't be denied that the recent democratic experience in India has not been encouraging. For the past several years, India has been struggling with rampant corruption, unsure economy, and unclear foreign policy. Election after election has seen ineffective governments come to power that have done more harm than good. Therefore, we need to take a stand now. It is our duty as responsible citizens of India to make informed decisions and choose the best candidate from those presented. 

The success and failure of our state and nation lies in our hands, our responsibility is to investigate and elect representatives who are patriots, men and women who are willing to jealously guard the Constitution and who will continually put country over personal gain.

Posted By: Anam, brand ambassador "MY VOTE FOR a BETTER INDIA" social initiative by "Pickyouropinion.com".

 

Fight For Survival Till The Last Breath

What does it take to be an independent and outspoken woman in a male-dominated society?

I have found the answer to this question in the lives of many unknown women around me. Women who have been never accepted the social norms, who are wrestling with society  to keep their heads held high despite the insults and the demeaning words that they face at home, in the workplace, and even while walking down the roads. Life is a constant struggle, a fight against everything and everyone around her. For a girl the battle for her life commences right from the day she is conceived in her mother’s womb. Her existence, her survival, is unpredictable as in every 12 seconds, a baby girl is aborted. That's about 7,000 girls killed every day just because they are females. It seems more tragic when a mother, for whatever reason, ends the life of her own child merely because she is a girl. Whether the decision is taken under social or family pressure but the fact remains constant that a girl child is unwanted. She is nothing but an object for fulfillment of a man’s sexual desires, and the provider of a womb to bear his children.

If she manages to survive, than her parents took her as a burden because of various traditional belief and misconceptions of the society. She is often brought up in an atmosphere where the family would have rather preferred a boy in her place. She has to struggle at every step of her life, whether it is for her survival, her education, her rights, her freedom or for status in the society. She has to fight alone for herself. There is no one to stand for her. A girl love her parents till the end for life though she is an unwanted child for them but a boy throw her parents out of his house and still he is the “apple of the eye” of his parents.    

Today’s girl has prove herself in every field, whether it is Politics, Media, Management, Law or any field, she has come out  with glowing colours than a boy. She can do everything that a man can do and moreover more perfectly than a boy. We live a country which was once run by the women and still in that country a women is disrespected, treated like garbage of the house, as an unwanted part of the society. We live in a country, where goddess is worship but in the same country girls are disrespected in every possible way they can be. Why it is so? Why people are double faced? They should stop worshiping the goddess after all they are also women. One side you are ill-treating them and other side you are worshiping them.            

The hatred towards girls has grown up so much that it has brought to the system of eliminating the girl child – the vulnerable and unwanted gender, in the womb, before she sees the world. The pathetic situation is that women are forced to endanger their own species either in the womb by practicing female feticide or at birth by practicing female infanticide or after birth by way of neglect.

But if the girl power combine them and fight for their rights, than we can change the scenario. I know the path is very rough and filled with various obstacles but yet it is not impossible. It takes time, but changes will come. There are miles to go before we sleep.

Posted By: Samiksha Jain, brand ambassador "MY VOTE FOR a BETTER INDIA" social initiative by "Pickyouropinion.com".