Holding on for support !

This dragon fly holds on to the slender leaf of a grass and steadies its body with no other support. 

It was a captivating sight. It had not struck me the way it did this morning when I watched this dragon fly. The body is balanced by holding and balancing with the wings. It is holding which makes it possible for the wings to stabilise the body.

Three officers of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) resigned in the recent weeks on account of their inability to hold on to democratic values when so much is happening in India where freedom of expression, pluralism, dignity to life, inclusiveness of all communities, consultation for difficult decision making, etc are getting intensely compromised. 

As citizens we hold on to values enshrined in the constitution of the republic of India. There is reaction and coercion to give supremacy to other considerations than what we believed to be the constitutionally valid principles of democracy.

This is distressing! 

The political narratives which get portrayed in the print and video media represent a majoritarian view point. There is  paralysis of conviction and the 'thought of India' is through the optic of religion, political ideology or vote bank compulsions. 

The constitution of India has been our hope and it looks that its 'slender strength' would loose out by the traction from multiple pressures, and by forces keeping an eye on revising its foundation of secularism. 

I sense fear and apprehension within myself, because dialogue, exchange of thoughts, consultation for collaboration are the norms of the past. Now it is one political party, one ideology and one philosophy of 'development'!

If the 'slender' stem of the constitution fails, the equilibrium in society would crumble!  

I wonder whether all political parties who want to strengthen the 'slender' stem of the constitution would come together to strengthen it and its supremacy! Let them remember that there is no space for political freedom if the slender strength of constitution fails! Th courts of Justice can also crumble under the heavyweight of an ideological compulsion they too are under! The press and visual media which stood firm in the past have caved in partially or fully!

The dragon fly needs a slender stem to hold on to. The people of India,  other than those who feel comfortable in the present dispensation, would need the 'slender strength' of the constitution to prevail!

M.C .Mathew (text and photo)