Today is National Voters’ day, and it is apt that I share my personal viewpoint regarding this power that every citizen of India has to shape up their individual destiny and the destiny of the nation as well. Specially meant for encouraging the newly eligible voters to exercise their franchise, celebrating National Voters Day in its true essence by advocating the citizenry to cast their vote is quite satisfying. For most part of my life, I have been watching Hollywood movies, especially action thrillers, where heroes like Arnold and Sylvester Stallone would bash up the bad people pretty comprehensively amidst all the sinister plotting and shooting. The underlying theme of all such movies was the goal of the hero to save the American way of life, and to protect liberty and freedom. In similar vein, our generation was witness to the ‘American Dream’ that promised a good life with prosperity and moreover-total freedom to develop the self and the nation as per the qualities and the occupation one chooses. These observations form the cornerstone of my argument, since people in India are now placed in a similar situation, when in the present context, the ‘American Dream’ may have lost its charm, however, the ‘Indian Dream’ has definitely shaped up through which millions of Indians aspire for a good life for themselves and their loved ones. A life in which fighting for survival is not the sole goal, but to strive for a good life through excellent opportunities and developing inherent talents is the chief purpose. Such kind of aspirations were unthinkable for a majority of Indians till recently, but now due to the levels of exposure and the explosion of the internet, everyone knows what is driving the change for prosperity in the world and everyone wants to hop on to the bandwagon of progress.

The scene is set, as India is about to witness a landmark election most probably in the sweltering summer of 2014. The time has come for the people to have their say, and decide what is best for them and who is best to lead the nation and make their lives more prosperous and secure, and how can the people get the opportunities to grow, thrive and enrich their lives, through enterprise and education. The time has come to consolidate the ‘idea of India’ as seen by the ordinary masses and put the idea into action and realize the change we all want to see in our immediate surroundings and life. No doubt that each individual is equipped with the power of changing his or her own destiny, and it is up to the individual to shape up their life in the way the deem fit, an act of choice which is one of the fundamental facet of human life. However, other than individual destiny, there also exists the collective destiny of all us as a nation, and as the members of the human race. We all are bound together by the thread of humanity where the effect of our actions is not isolated, but each and every action of ours is combined with the actions of every other individual into a collective energy that eventually and ultimately shape up the circumstances of our life and our future. So without viewing our actions through the exclusive and isolated prism of just individual viewpoint, we all have the duty to realize the power of the collective and take conscious steps to shape up the destiny of India which fits the general idea of life and freedom that each one of us wants. It is we who can make a difference in the circumstances that we collectively face so that everyone gets ample opportunities to grow and excel, and realize their full potential in life, instead of struggling for basic necessities of life, which the more affluent ones take for granted, but which still allude the deprived and weaker sections of the society.

So how can we influence this positive change? It is through the wonderful and the powerful right to vote that we all posses that exercising this right responsibly and in the best manner, not casting votes in the name of caste, creed or religion, or through other narrow perspectives that have done nothing but ultimately held all of us back, bound in the chains of conflict and penury. The time has come to break free from the shackles and move past everything that has held up our progress, our aims and aspirations for a better life, surely we are not asking for the stars, but just for the means so that we all are in a position to wonder about the stars and finding ways and means to achieve be one ourselves. This is not at all as difficult as it seems to be. Through our right to vote, it is our own responsibility to root out the corrupt, the inefficient, the dividers and the looters, who have played the part of being the sole culprits of all of our torments. By exercising our franchise in the best possible manner, it becomes imperative that all of us are contributing positively in the process of bringing a positive change in our lives and in turn make India our dreams into reality. It is often said that democracy is not a perfect way to truly fulfill the aspirations of all, since the leaders we elect are just representing the majority that voted for them, but they don’t represent the entire spectrum of the masses who participated in the democratic process. However, it is here that the principle of choosing the best comes in, and instead of holding a myopic view and opinions regarding our choice that may incline us to vote on the basis of caste, creed or religion, it is our responsibility to rise above such narrow minded aspirations and vote on the basis of who is going to provide clean and progressive governance, that has the potential to alter our lives for the better.

So, when the time comes to exercise your vote, don’t hesitate and vote responsibly, so that when we are honest with ourselves, we will no doubt support the ideas that have the potential to change our life, to give us ample opportunities to progress, those ideas that unite us in the thread of progress and growth, instead of dividing us by shackling us in the chains of conflict and division. To vote is a sacred duty, and it is our primary duty to perform this duty entrusted to us by our founding fathers in a responsible manner, for they put in their faith in all of us, and in our capability to decide for ourselves regarding what is best for India, and whom we choose to lead the nation. By casting our vote, we are not making a choice for ourselves and the current generation, but also shaping up the lives of our progeny and generations yet to come, for the edifice of a vibrant and thriving democracy lies on the foundation of change and enlightening self interest, that has the power to influence both our individual and collective destiny. At the end, I would request the readers to themselves be the change they want to see in their world, and through this constructive effort, we can surely experience the rise of India not only as a superpower, but as a guiding light for the entire world, a role that our great nation has been fulfilling since time immemorial. Now, the baton has been passed on to us, and it is surely our responsibility now to live up to the responsibility entrusted to us.