There is a wave of change in the entire country today. Whatever be the religion, caste, creed, or age of a person, whether he is rich or poor, a city dweller or a villager, everyone seems to be dreaming about change. If this enthusiasm keeps up, something that has not happened in sixty four years of India's history will happen in ten.
But at this point in time it is very important for us to understand our future course of action. This opportunity should not get lost in an insignificant target such as a mere change of government. It is therefore, very important to understand where we should now be headed.
Gandhiji used to say, "true democracy is not run by twenty people sitting in Delhi. The power centres now are in capital cities like Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata. I would like to distribute these power centres in seven lakh villages of India." We celebrated our first Republic Day on 26 January 1950 but conveniently forgot these words by Gandhiji.
And that is why such a yawning gulf or chasm exists between the haves and have nots, rich and poor, There is an ever growing rift between religions and castes. Corruption and the escalating cost of living is indeed making life immensely difficult for the common man. There are hungry and unemployed people in our midst even after sixty four years of independence.
If we want to change the economy of the country, we have to change that of the villages. The economy cannot be changed by sitting in Delhi and formulating schemes or by dispensing money through the same. This can only happen by empowering people. In our democracy today, the system is far stronger than the people.
It often seems that the system is far more valuable than the people it is meant for. We have to understand that people's role in a democracy is not merely voting once every five years. They have to participate in democracy and governance. Power centres have to move from Delhi and other state capitals to villages and communities........
ANNA HAZARE.......
But at this point in time it is very important for us to understand our future course of action. This opportunity should not get lost in an insignificant target such as a mere change of government. It is therefore, very important to understand where we should now be headed.
Gandhiji used to say, "true democracy is not run by twenty people sitting in Delhi. The power centres now are in capital cities like Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata. I would like to distribute these power centres in seven lakh villages of India." We celebrated our first Republic Day on 26 January 1950 but conveniently forgot these words by Gandhiji.
And that is why such a yawning gulf or chasm exists between the haves and have nots, rich and poor, There is an ever growing rift between religions and castes. Corruption and the escalating cost of living is indeed making life immensely difficult for the common man. There are hungry and unemployed people in our midst even after sixty four years of independence.
If we want to change the economy of the country, we have to change that of the villages. The economy cannot be changed by sitting in Delhi and formulating schemes or by dispensing money through the same. This can only happen by empowering people. In our democracy today, the system is far stronger than the people.
It often seems that the system is far more valuable than the people it is meant for. We have to understand that people's role in a democracy is not merely voting once every five years. They have to participate in democracy and governance. Power centres have to move from Delhi and other state capitals to villages and communities........
ANNA HAZARE.......
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