Elections: a first-hand account

13th October 2009

4.25 pm

I travelled 2 hours this morning from Andheri (where I am temporarily staying) to Dombivli (where my name is registered on the electoral roll) to cast a vote, for no individual, no party whatsoever! Yes, I wanted to cast a “Protest vote” because I do not deem any of the candidates fit even for candidature, leave alone governance. I reached the poll booth (Saraswati Vidyalaya, Dombivli West, District Thane) and as per the instructions in the newspaper, I went to the presiding officer and demanded the form in which the “No vote” needs to be entered against my name. As I had expected, the officer said that the above form is not available at the poll booth. I then demanded a note in writing from him stating the non-availability of the form despite my willingness to vote, which, he refused to handover. I was not surprised. I then demanded to speak to the Zonal Officer (name and telephone number not revealed due to obvious reasons) about this issue. She assured me that despite the non-availability of the above form, I could write down my “Protest vote” and the reason for the same against my name in register 17-C (or 17-A: she herself appeared to be confused about the same). Otherwise, I would not be able to cast my vote. Left with no option, I went ahead and wrote down the fact that I DO NOT WANT TO VOTE FOR ANY OF THE CANDIDATES BECAUSE I DO NOT DEEM ANY OF THEM FIT FOR CANDIDATURE in the above register and signed against my electoral roll number.

The catch here is
1. I am not sure if the register in which I have entered a “Protest Vote” would even reach the election office. However, I am 99% (if not 100%) sure that my vote is going to be personated by someone else. That is how much faith I have in our system.

2. I am 99% (if not 100%) sure that the above form was available with the presiding officer. Only, he chose not to give it to me because of obvious intentions. Again, that is how much faith I have in the people who are running the system.

3. There was a so-called self-proclaimed helper at the poll booth who was speaking to various officers on my behalf. She even noted down my electoral roll number. She, of course, is an active worker for a political party that has fielded a candidate from our area. I am 99% (if not 100%) sure that my vote will be personated and will go to the candidate from the “helper’s” party. That’s how much faith I have in our own fellow countrymen.

PS: I may be banging my head against the wall when I say I am trying to fight for change. People say all this happens only in movies, and looks good only in ads. I am only trying to say that these movies are not just for commercial success. These ads are not just to publicize any brand. A revolution is possible. And it will happen. I believe so. Even if the system that I am myself a part of sucks! Bigtime! And I will continue my fight in my own way. Whether the tide is with or against me!

My A to Z! :)

Pre-script: The inspiration for this blog lies here.

How many times have you set an alarm and ended up getting up an hour after the alarm went off? How many times have you struggled to even get yourself out of bed and go to work? How many times have you wrapped up a bath in 2 minutes flat because you were running late for work? How many times have you walked out of the house with a folded slice of bread in one hand, your cell-phone in the other, your mouth full of a bite and your tongue struggling to move within as you blabber instructions? How many times have you cursed fellow drivers, rickshaw-wallahs, the municipal authorities, and your fate while driving down to work? How many times have you had to face the unfair wrath of a tyrannical boss first thing in the morning? How many times have you spent the day sulking about your boss, workplace, and colleagues? How many times have you thought of committing suicide or killing someone for an assignment not completed or non-cooperation? How many times have you skipped lunch due to presentations or pending work? How many times have you felt like strangulating or smothering you boss to death? How many times have you returned home, shoulders drooping, as though your shoulders are burdened with the weight of the entire world? How many times have you had trouble meeting deadlines, for no fault of yours? How many times have you had to forego an outing, movie, or family function for work? How many times have you had to stay up longer than midnight to complete assignments? How many times have you gazed in wonderment at the calendar at how fast time has flown by? How many times have you felt like you are a robot, when, essentially, you’re still flesh and blood?

Phew! That’s too many questions! And uncomfortable ones! No one really wants to go through any of these! But then, that’s life, isn’t it? Do we really have a choice? Frankly, I wish we do. And deep down, I think we don’t. Sounds ominous, doesn’t it? Here’s some consolation: we’re all sailing (read sinking) in the same boat!

Before I write any further, let me acknowledge the fact that I am no spiritual guru who will preach endlessly on how to live a meaningful life. Neither am I a Yogi who claims to heal people through Yoga. I did not dream of God Himself blessing me and bestowing me with magical powers. Nor am I looking at making a smart buck from unsuspecting people by showering upon them bits of wisdom. There are life’s lessons that I’ve had to learn the hard way. There’re things I wish I’d never done. There are experiences that I wish I could rub off the slate of my life. There’re also things I wish I’d done. I only wish to share them so that a few people like me don’t end up committing the same blunders that I did. Humble as it may sound, that truly is my intention of writing this piece.

Here, I present to you my own A-to-Z mantra! These won’t guarantee success, fame, or money! These are just some basic fundas that I follow. If, however, these can be of any help to anyone, it’ll give me immense satisfaction! Read on! :)

Accept yourself, others, and failures. Nobody’s perfect, nothing’s perfect. But imperfection is what makes things and life interesting!
Believe that everything that happens is only for the best. Even if it sucks, bigtime!
Cry your heart out, when you feel like. But don’t waste your tears.
Dream and fantasize—you can do all that you ever wanted to, in your dreams... and plus you never know when it’d come true!
Enjoy every moment to the fullest. Like you enjoy every sip of your favourite drink! Till the last drop!
Follow your heart. It acts crazy most of the time, but it’s worth listening to!
Grab each moment that you get to spend with family or a loved one. You’ll never get enough of them. Ever!
Hope, even against hope. Hope sees the invisible, feels the intangible, and achieves the impossible!
Inspire others—with your words, your deeds, your behaviour. Let people want to be like you. Imitation is indeed the best form of praise!
Jealousy never did anyone any good. Be happy for others as you are for yourself. Feels good within!
Keep your temper under control. It’s good for your heart, your blood vessels, and many other parts of your body (such as the brain, you pervert)! And for the people around you as well!
Love unconditionally. You might end up breaking you heart, but love anyway. Simply because love is beautiful!
Move on. Don’t sit and brood over something that didn’t turn out the way you wanted it to. There’s much more to look forward to from life. Those who truly love you want to see you happy!
Nurture a hobby. Paint, sing, dance, play... let yourself loose! You might end up creating a million-dollar masterpiece!
Open your mind... to the plethora of possibilities! You will surprise yourself with your potential!
Praise a job well done. A few words of appreciation will not cost you anything!
Question things if you are not convinced. Even if you think you’ll not get an answer!
Reward yourself, for every little achievement. Like I will, after I complete writing this blog, with a steaming, freshly brewed cuppa!
Smile. As much as you can. Day and night, all the year round, in happiness and sorrow, just like that... simply smile! Period.
Take a break when required! Give yourself some rest. The world can wait. Or leave, if it is in a hurry!
Understand that you are unique! Different from everyone else in this world! One of a kind! Wow, that’s huge!
Visualize what you want to be. You’ll end up being it... sooner! Oh, by the way, I am visualizing myself as a multi-millionaire right now!
Wait and watch! Sometimes, it’s the best thing to do! Time is a great healer. Patience really pays, although not in cash!
XL (for the not-so-motivated, read excel) in everything you do! Even if it is cooking up a bowl of instant noodles! Now that sounds pretty achievable, doesn’t it?
Yes, I can! That may sound similar to what a Black American President propagated, but it works! Believe in yourself, in your dreams, in your ability to achieve. Then as they say, impossible is nothing!
Zzzzzzz.... that’s neither how I’m feeling after typing this, nor how you’re feeling after reading this... just a piece of advice: never compromise on your sleep. Even if you’ve to take a day off, bunk a class, miss a movie... sleep is blissful! Now who doesn’t agree with that?

Post-script: Hope that was of some use to you! Or made you smile! Or at least made a good read! Anyway, thanks for stopping by! Cheers!