Collectivity

"The people's will is paramount."

The seemingly axiomatic statement flowed out smoothly from the lips of the Prime and floated down to rest upon the ears of the assembled group of men, uniformed and standing at attention.

 

"It is this simple rule that you must accept as your first priority in your line of duty as guardians of the Indian Republic. You must remember, at all times, that India, unlike any other country before it, is a People's Republic in the truest sense of the term. We government officials are not the Ruling Class. We are not Enforcers. Instead, we are very simply, agents who act on the behalf of the Principal, the populace. It is they who decide the course of this country and the nature of its policies. We are the executors of those policies. That is why we call ourselves...the Executive."

 

"As citizens of the Janata Ganarajya, you have already seen the machinery of this great nation at work. It is our job, as the Executive, to collect, synthesize and publish information that is deemed to be of national importance. This is a continuous process that happens all the time, every single minute, every single day. At this very second, all over the country, Officials of the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, are in touch with practically every household on every street in every village, town and city; they're in touch with journalists, companies, corporations and non-profit organizations, ready to receive the slightest bit of news that may be of public importance. All this information is then published in the National Register and later placed in the Republican Archives for safekeeping."

 

"For five days of every week, this information is analysed, studied and processed by Officials of the Ministry of Policy Formation. Based upon the information received, every sixth day of the week, the MPF releases a weekly report which contains a list of policies that are either newly formulated or are upgrades of existing policies, all of which, are designed to provide solutions to problems posed by the people during that week."

 

"On the seventh day of every week, we have the National Voting Day. This is the acme of our political process, the greatest triumph of Indian Democracy. Every seventh day, citizens from every part of our incredible nation march to the polling booths to declare their stand upon every policy that has been proposed that week by the MPF. They vote on issues ranging from the diminutive to the grandiose; they vote on how to rid their local street of potholes and they vote on our diplomatic stance at the South Asian Union. We, as a collective, decide our fate. It is we who have finally brought about on this earth, a true Peoples' Democracy."

 

The Prime paused to lick his lips.

 

"That gentlemen, is essentially how our country functions. Over time, the people have made modifications to the system, of course. For instance, the weekly policy list of the MPF is no longer as important as the Peoples' Policy List – a list of policies proposed by the people themselves to tackle the problems that affect them. The job of the MPF is now merely to provide an expert's point of view to the Peoples' List that is, to provide an opinion as to which policy it thinks is more effective to tackle a given problem. In fact, provided the people wish it, the MPF wishes to rename itself as the Ministry of Policy Recommendation from the following week and discard its own list."

 

"But I digress, gentlemen. I am not here to give you a lecture on the civic structure of the Indian Republic. I am here to remind you of your own role in the system. For the past five years, each of you have been trained and tested in the confines of the Executive Academy for one and one reason only – to act as checks and balances to this near-perfect system that we have designed. On this day, you will graduate from the Executive Academy as Officials of the Ministry of Law Observance. Today will be your last day of training and I will be your last instructor."

 

The Prime let his eyes hover over the rigidly assembled group of men, standing stiffly at attention and staring directly at him.

 

"Before I remind you as to who you are, let me tell who you are not. You're not soldiers, though you have been trained as such. If the MLO needed soldiers, we would hire directly from the Military Academies. You're not policemen, though that is what your role is claimed to be. We already have enough policemen to handle the arrests and incarcerations of ordinary law offenders. You, gentlemen, are the final vestiges of the Old Republic of India, cast in a new role. The MLO, in essence, is the last judiciary and you men are the last Judicial Officers."

 

"Don't mistake me. It is not your duty to pronounce judgement upon your fellow citizens. No single individual or for that matter, no exclusive group of individuals has that right anymore. The pronouncement of a sentence based upon the conduct of a fair trial is carried out, in theory, by the entire nation. No, what you do, in your role as Judicial Officers, is ensure that such trials are indeed carried out in a fair and unbiased manner and the sentence, once pronounced, is carried out swiftly and efficiently. In short, you are the ones who instigate the trials, conduct them, monitor them and conclude them in a manner conducive to the laws of the Indian Republic."

 

"I don't need to elaborate on the process of a trial in this country since that is what you have been studying for the last three years of your training. You know that it is your job to ensure that all concerned parties are present at court; it is your job to ensure that witnesses are protected and that they speak the truth; above all, it is your job to ensure that true and authenticated information about the trial is sent to the MIB for broadcast and for recording in the Republican Archives. We live, gentlemen, in an age where information is the ultimate power and thus, information is what influences public opinion. Therefore, in a country where public opinion decides the fate of men, it is your sacred duty to ensure that it is fair, free and unbiased. I don't think I need to tell you that the power wielded by an MLO Official is arguably greater than the power held by any other individual in the Republic. That is why your responsibilities are greater than those of any other individual citizen in the country."

 

The Prime was approaching the end of his speech now. The other ministers were beginning to shuffle their feet in impatience, waiting to rise, applaud and walk away as soon as possible.

 

"As Prime Minister of the Central Executive, it gives me great pleasure to be present at your graduation ceremony. My own brother was an MLO Official and as you know, he managed to work his way right up to the position of Law Observance Minister before his unfortunate passing away. Having lived under the same roof as he, I have had innumerable glimpses of the life of an MLO Official. I can assure you that it is a life both fruitful and satisfying, provided you carry out your duties with impeccable precision. Gentlemen, I put my trust in you and your conduct and I hope to God that you carry out your duties with the same conviction as my brother carried out his. Jai Hind"

 

---

 

About ten minutes later, The Prime was enjoying a cup of tea on the lawns of the Ajit Patel Annexe of the Executive Academy. The Ajit Patel Annexe, named after one of the most illustrious Law Observance Ministers in Indian history, had been functioning as the training centre for MLO Officials for almost 22 years. The Prime, who had an MPF background, had spent his Academy days at the Swaminathan Annexe instead and had rarely visited this part of the Academy. Therefore, he relished this opportunity to observe a portion of the Academy that he'd hardly ever seen.

 

"Am I disturbing you, Prime Minister?"

The Prime looked up to see an old man, nearly eighty, leaning upon a stick and staring at him with piercing grey eyes. They were quite alone. The other ministers were scattered across the lawns, each engrossed in his own conversation. The Dean of the Academy was near the entrance of the Main Hall, where The Prime had made his speech, conversing with the Director of the MLO Training Department. Nobody seemed to be interested in either The Prime or the old man.

 

"No, certainly not." Replied The Prime, waving at a chair next to him. "Pray, be seated. Can I offer you a cup of tea, Mr...?"

The old man accepted The Prime's invitation and seated himself on the proffered chair.

"You may have heard of me." He said, his steely grey eyes sparkling in the sunlight. "I was a Junior Instructor over here at the MLO Training Department when your brother was a student. In fact, I gave your brother some of his first lessons in the Indian Penal Code. My name is Kumaran. Rajesh Kumaran."

 

The Prime's eyes widened in surprise before his lips curved into a welcoming smile.

 

"Of course! Dr. Kumaran, you underestimate your own eminence. But I am quite surprised to see you here. I have heard that you are a man who values his privacy, especially after your retirement from the post of Academy Dean...now when was it, fifteen years ago?"

 

"Nearly twenty." chuckled Kumaran. "I voluntarily retired at the age of sixty-two about seventeen years ago, even though I could have gone on for another three years. You're right, Prime Minister, I am indeed a man who likes to keep to himself. However, when I heard that the brother of one of my brightest pupils was coming to address my own department, I found it difficult to keep myself away. I am sorry to hear that he has moved on. My condolences."

 

The Prime nodded.

 

"He used to speak very highly of you, Dr. Kumaran." He said "He always said that you were wasted in your job at the Academy and that it would have been better if you had been an Executive Member instead."

"Did he, now?" said Kumaran, softly, chuckling. "Prime Minister, if you can accuse me of underestimating my own eminence, your brother can be accused to overestimating my abilities."

"Come now, Doctor." Protested The Prime. "My brother was generally very miserly with his praise but never so when it came to you. Why, he once claimed that you could have easily become Prime Minister yourself and a brilliant one at that!"

"It was a probably a good thing that I was never that ambitious." Replied Kumaran. "If I was, I would have probably brought this country a great deal of misfortune and ruin."

"Why do you say that?" asked The Prime, curiously.

 

"I say so because I know so." Said Kumaran, simply. "Tell me, Prime Minister, did your brother ever talk to you about his life here at the Academy?"

"Sometimes." Replied the Prime. "But you have to know that my brother was a man who did not like talking about his career with his family, so I cannot claim to know much."

"Hmm...Tell me, did he ever talk to you about an informal gathering that we used to have over here during his time called the Friday Evening Club?"

 

The Prime shook his head.

"I am afraid, Dr Kumaran, you have me out of my depth. Surely, there are hundreds of such informal student associations at the Academy. I myself was a member of such a club called..."

"This was no ordinary student association, Prime Minister." Interrupted Kumaran, his eyes glinting. "The Friday Evening Club, as the name suggests, used to gather ever Friday evening at my quarters for the purpose of discussion."

"The discussion of what?" asked the Prime

"Ah..." said Kumaran, looking at the Prime so hard that the latter felt as if the steel-grey eyes were piercing his skull. 

"I am an old man now, Prime Minister, with no regrets. So I don't think it would matter if I talked about the Friday Evening Club and its affairs to you right now. Well, to put it very shortly, the Friday Evening Club was created to discuss those topics that were not...in fact, still are not, discussed today, be it within the Academy or within Indian society in general."

 

"What topics are you talking about?" asked the Prime cautiously.

"Well, there were many things. For example, we used to talk about religion and philosophy and politics. We would often discuss the nature of the universe that we occupy and our role within it as human beings. We would talk about the role of our nation at the world stage. We would..."

 

"None of these seem very controversial topics, Dr Kumaran." Interrupted The Prime, smiling.

"Oh, but they were, Prime Minister. In fact, they still are. You misunderstand me. When I said we discussed religion, I meant that we discussed the role of religion in society and whether we needed it or not. When I said we discussed philosophy, I meant we discussed many philosophies, not all of them of Indian origin. When I said we discussed politics, we actually debated and discussed on whether our current political system was the best for India as a country..."

 

"Stop!" cried The Prime. He was now breathing heavily, his eyes wide open in anger and surprise. "How dare you...you accuse my brother of indulging in these...travesties! I..."

"Prime Minister, will you please shut up for a moment and listen to what I have to say?" snapped Kumaran in reply. "I have waited for years, to tell this to someone...I will not be robbed of this pleasure right now..."

 

The Prime had been about to get up when Kumaran spoke. Now, he collapsed back into his chair, staring at the old man curled up in the chair next to his. None of the others on the lawns were paying attention to them as most of them seemed to be wrapped up in their own worlds. Kumaran spoke again.

 

"As I said, Prime Minister, what the Friday Evening Club talked about is taboo even today. Yes, your brother did take part in these activities, though I have to say, he was vociferously conservative and rarely went against prevailing notions in society."

 

The Prime felt a flush of pride for his brother. Swallowing his anger, he looked at Kumaran again.

"Go on, then." He said. "What else did you talk about?"

 

"Many, many things." Replied Kumaran. "Oh, for instance, we used to discuss women a lot. And their rights."

"Their rights?" asked The Prime. "What do you mean, their rights?"

"Ah, you poor poor man." Said Kumaran. "Surely, you're aware Prime Minister, that women were once considered citizens as well? In fact, I believe that is still the norm in many countries today."

"A despicable norm." Spat the Prime. "It's disgusting, considering women to be equal to men! Why, it is no wonder that so many of these countries of yours are morally depraved and sunk in sin..."

"Is that so?" asked Kumaran. "What then, is your opinion on a woman's rights?"

"Why, what the people decided them to be!" cried the Prime. "Didn't the people decide, decades ago, that a woman has only one right and that is the right to be the property of a man?"

"Did they?" asked Kumaran. "If I recall correctly, the first such judgement that was passed said that a wife was the property of her husband and an unmarried woman was the property of her father. That particular judgement barely passed voting with only 51.02% voting in favour. That means practically half the country voted against the judgement."

"That doesn't matter!" cried The Prime, heatedly. "There was a majority ruling in favour of that ordinance! Ergo, by the law of the land, the people voted against the rights of a woman."

"I have serious objections to such a claim." Replied Kumaran, gravely. "But I'll let that pass for now. But Prime Minister, tell me, doesn't it shock you that living human beings who breathe and eat and drink just like us are now essentially slaves to the whims and fancies of other human beings? Women are nothing better than products nowadays, the right to own them being sold from father to husband for obscene quantities of money. The husband will then have his way with her and when he tires of her, will sell her off to any other man willing to pay the price. All perfectly legal of course."

 

"You seem to be forgetting, Dr Kumaran, that the Peoples' Ordinance also did a lot of good." Said the Prime. "By making women the property of their male relatives, we destroyed those social evils that were eroding the fabric of our society at that time. A woman can no longer elope with a man of her choice and claim her marriage to be legal. She can no longer be sexually promiscuous at the age of eighteen and then claim that since she's a legal adult, her father has no right to intervene in her affairs. She can no longer file for divorce so that she can abandon her chosen husband for another. In one felling swoop, the people literally ended the breaking of families, the estrangement of father and child, the phenomenon of illegitimate children and unnecessary divorce."

 

"But at what price, Prime Minister?" asked Kumaran, softly. "Need I remind you as to what happened afterwards? With a loss of identity, the girl child became practically worthless. No family wanted a girl for a child anymore because every family knew that women would only end up as the property of men to be used and abused at will. The country's sex ratio, already skewed, declined dangerously until the girl child became practically extinct in some areas."

 

"The people solved that problem too." Replied the Prime grandiosely.

"By legalizing the cloning of women. What started out as a loss of legal identity ended as a loss of literal identity for her. Tell me, Prime Minister, if the people really 'solved' the problem of a declining sex ratio by cloning, why is it that most men still prefer to marry a non-cloned woman? Why do the upper classes of our society still travel abroad to hunt for potential brides among the Indian Diaspora and then try to buy their identities from them with money? I don't think I need to tell you the reason. The decline of the female population also meant shrinkage of the gene pool. The cloning of women meant that instead of a diversity of genetic combinations, the Indian population began to display the same old strains of genetic material over and over again, leading to an increasing instability in the genetic makeup of every successive generation of Indians. That is why..."

 

"Nonsense!" growled the Prime. "The similarity of genetic strains only means that Indians are coming closer and closer to each other as one people. Genetic diversity is harmful for the unity of our country! This is..."

"So say our loyal extremists." Snapped Kumaran. "Don't spout the arguments of a lunatic fringe at me, Prime Minister. I know you don't believe in those statements yourself. No man of even a moderate scientific education would. So stop acting like a nincompoop."

 

The Prime took a deep breath.

 

"All right, let us say that the people were...mistaken...about this one ordinance. But surely, that is not an indictment upon the entire system itself! The system works and in fact, works better than so-called democratic processes elsewhere. Where else have we gone wrong, tell me?"

 

"Oh I can tell you with pleasure." Growled Kumaran. "About forty years ago, the Indian Republic passed the Peoples' Ordinance No. 2092-43. Do you remember what this Ordinance was about, Prime Minister?"

"Of course." Replied the Prime Minister. "It was the recognition of the first two official state religions. The ordinance was passed with 72% voting in favour."

"Except that the following week, the people voted for yet another ordinance. Can you tell me what that was all about?"

"Naturally, the people felt that recognizing two religions alone wasn't fair so the following week, the Peoples' Ordinance No.2092-43A was passed, recognizing seven other religions as official state religions. About 81% voted in favour."

"How many religions, as of today, are recognized by the Indian Republic as official state religions?"

"Since the acceptance of Peoples' Ordinance No. 2092-43G twelve years ago, there are officially fifty-six religions which have been recognized as state religions by the Indian Republic."

"Doesn't that strike you as excessive, Prime Minister?"

 

"Not at all, Dr. Kumaran." Replied The Prime. "The sheer number of officially recognized state religions means that the Republic acknowledges the rich diversity of Indian culture and strives to ensure that this diversity is maintained."

 

"You're a funny man." Remarked Kumaran. "Just a few minutes ago, you were telling me that diversity of a genetic pool is detrimental for our country and yet, you're now mouthing eulogies in favour of diversity of religion. But let that be. Prime Minister, out of these fifty six religions that have officially recognized as state religions, how many religions are truly independent religions and not just some sub-sect of an existing religion?"

 

The Prime paused to reflect.

"Very few, I admit. I would say about nine or ten are truly independent religions. But what has that got to do...?"

"Does that mean more than forty-five religions that have been officially recognized as state religions are no more than sects and cults?"

"I wouldn't put it that way exactly..."

"Yes or no, Prime Minister?"

"Hm, all right, yes. But why is that such a...?"

"If they are no more than sub-sects of existing religions, Prime Minister, does that mean that more and more of such sub-sects stand a chance of being recognized as official state religions?"

"It is quite possible, yes."

"Think about what you're saying!" growled Kumaran, shaking his fist at the Prime. "All these religious sects and cults, which are no more than sub-categories of bigger faiths are beneficiaries of a number of grants, loans and subsidies from the Executive. Why? Only because they happen to be on some goddamn list approved by a group of people who have no idea as to how much public money is being wasted! Tell me something, Prime Minister, how far will this go? Tomorrow, the people might support state funding for another fifty-six religions and another hundred the day after! How much of state funding are you going to waste upon temples and mosques and churches once a thousand cults have been approved as state religions?

 

Moreover, what is the point of a state religion, Prime Minister? A person's faith in god is supposed to be a personal affair, to be decided by that person alone and no other. What moral right does a society have in favouring one religion over another? By doing so, you're merely discriminating against those whose religions haven't been recognized. Why not do away with the whole sham concept altogether and simply remain religiously neutral?"

 

"The people decided..." stammered the Prime Minister.

 

"The people..." said Kumaran, loudly. "...are idiots!"

 

Some of the people assembled on the lawns turned their heads upon hearing the last statement. A general buzz began to pick up as the eminent personalities identified the source of the commotion. Kumaran collapsed back into his chair, breathing heavily. The Prime Minister tore his gaze away from those steely grey eyes and turned to face the curious onlookers. A few smiles and friendly hand-waves later, the buzzing subsided and everyone went back to their own conversations.

 

The Prime Minister turned hesitantly towards Kumaran.

 

"Have you ever articulated your feelings so openly before?"

"Outside the Friday Evening Club? Never." Replied Kumaran. "But these opinions that I place before you, Prime Minister, have been simmering within me for a long time. Our system, this so-called democratic peoples' republic, is broken and in fact, has been broken for a very long time indeed. If nothing is done to ever correct these deep flaws, I am afraid that the Indian Republic will soon be doomed. We may as well bring back Naxalite rule."

 

"Surely, the system can be corrected from within?" asked the Prime Minister. "If, for instance, you were to bring these flaws to light through the media or even the National Register, surely it will lead to debate?"

 

"Will it?" asked Kumaran, wearily. "Think about what you're saying, Prime Minister. What I am insinuating is that the entire system, the complete civic and political structure of the Indian Republic is broken and is on the verge of collapse. I am not speaking against just one single law or one tiny Peoples' Ordinance. I am criticizing everything that this country has stood for since the overthrow of Naxalite government and the Kolkata Incident. Do you truly believe that the people of this country will be able to look at themselves in the mirror and call themselves stupid?"

 

"I have great faith in the people of India." Said the Prime.

"Well, I don't." Replied Kumaran. "Most people really don't understand many of the issues and crises that a nation faces. They are often too busy making a life for themselves to actually care. As a result, politics, economics or foreign affairs all take a back seat in the lives of ordinary citizens and their view of life is distorted by the lens of limited experience. By forcing them to vote on issues that they don't really understand or whose long-term implications they're unaware of, you're essentially creating a distorted decision."

 

"It's what they want."

 

"No, it's what they think they want. They think they're smart, intelligent and informed but the truth is that very few human beings are indeed so. I can show you a dozen famous Ordinances passed by the people over the last ten decades and point out the narrow-minded thought processes that went into creating them. The decision to deregulate forest land for example or the Ordinance to declare Pakistan as "an eternal enemy" showcases our lack of foresight. Mass decisions rarely work because human beings tend to think of the short term while thinking together as a large group. Long term implications are rarely taken into account. Believe me, my friend, when I said that that people were idiots, I meant it."

 

The Prime sighed and looked right into Kumaran's eyes.

 

"So what are you saying, Doctor? Should we do away with democracy completely and embrace dictatorship? Or should we return to Naxalite rule where a single party gets to decide everything on behalf of its people? Or should we, good heavens, go further back to the workings of the Old Republic with its humungous quantities of red tape, bloated bureaucracies and sickening political manipulations? You must admit, that however flawed our current system might be, it's surely not as bad as these alternatives."

 

Kumaran didn't reply immediately.

 

"Not as bad?" he said finally. "I wouldn't know for sure. The Old Republic, for instance, would have never allowed women to lose their rights as human beings. But you're probably right, it wouldn't do to go back to these outdated political systems. Nevertheless, our current system must be corrected. It is not right, it is simply not right for a person who is aware to just sit back and let the wheels continue whirling. The system must be changed."

 

"How?" asked the Prime.

 

Kumaran stared into empty space. Many of the dignitaries were leaving now and almost all of them made it a point to wish the Prime good evening before departing. The blue skies were now fading to a deep grey and green lawns were darkening. The Dean and Department Director, however, continued their deep discussion while some of the remaining ministers settled more comfortably into their chairs for a long evening. Finally, Kumaran spoke.

 

"I don't really know, Prime Minister." He said. "It's frustrating...I know that the system is flawed, I can even point out the flaws in the system but I really don't know what to do about it. It was rather cathartic, talking about it to you, but I can't claim to have done much by talking. The only thing that occurred to me is that this particular system that is in place right now seems to be doing a bit of the correction itself."

 

"What do you mean?" asked the Prime.

 

"Well, do you remember how, many years ago, the Republic passed Peoples' Ordinance No.2036-12, attempting to make military secrets a part of public domain?"

"Good heavens, of course. The Republic nearly lost itself with that Ordinance."

"Yes. It was because of that Ordinance that we lost the war that followed the next year. But then, sobered by this experience, the Republic passed Peoples' Ordinance No.2036-12A which rescinded the previous ordinance. That way, the system corrected a mistake it had made."

"So, isn't that a good thing? It shows that the system is self-correcting. Maybe, there is no need for us to do anything."

"No! Remember, that with 2036-12A, the Republic corrected one problem but created another. Army officers began to hide all sorts of scandals under the new ordinance until the Law Observance Minister at that time took it upon himself to propose a new ordinance to the Ministry of Policy Formation who subsequently published it for public approval. If it hadn't been for Ajit Patel, who knows what other crises could have turned up under 2036-12A!"

 

"So what are you saying?"

 

"I am saying that no matter how good a system is by design, it always needs good people to manage it. Smart, intelligent people like Ajit Patel who can detect the flaws in the system (because there will be flaws) and ensure that such defects never end up becoming a detriment to the progress of the country. Somewhere, somehow, we forgot this. This is why there was no one to protest when fifty-six religions were officially declared faiths of the state. This is why no one came forward when some idiot had the lunacy to propose making women a property of their male relatives. This is why no one pointed out the obvious fallacy of declaring permanent war with Pakistan. We were too busy admiring the 'will of the people', too busy talking about the beauty of the system to realize that the will of the people can also manifest itself as a lynch mob."

 

"So what you're saying is that our system just needs to be handled more effectively."

 

"For now, that seems to be the only solution. But don't forget, Prime Minister, that this should only be a stop-gap measure. There is no denying that our system is deeply and terribly broken. We do need long-term solutions and looking for more effective managers is just a temporary move. I have no doubt that whatever corrections we do to the system, there will be more problems. Nevertheless, we need to make these corrections otherwise we will find ourselves going down paths we never wanted to travel on."

 

"I quite agree." Said the Prime, getting up and grasping Kumaran's hand.

"It has been a real pleasure talking to you, Dr Kumaran and I will ruminate over our discussion for a very long time. There's one thing I'm definitely going to start with..."

He hesitated and then went on.

"...I am going to instruct the Ministry of Policy Formation to discard their proposal to change their name as well as to continue publishing a weekly list of recommended policies. I think it is time we started showing the people that we can come up with smart proposals too. That's just one small step though."

 

"But an important one, Prime Minister." Replied Kumaran, shaking the other's hand. "An important one. I hope to see more initiative from your side in the near future."

 

"Indeed, Doctor. Good evening."