Whenever a teacher asks the students what they want to become, we all know what the usual replies are to this commonly asked query. However, one answer which is very rare to hear is “I want to become a politician”.
Since childhood, we have felt that becoming a politician is not good thinking for a simple living family. There are multiple reasons to think like that, but it is true that we all think the same.
When we grow up, if we are lucky, we do the same job we answered in the class or be even luckier to do something better or different. Some can even get the most prestigious job considered in the country for a middle-class family, which is the Indian Administrative Service.
When people enter the job after hard work and determination, few of them realise that they are there to obey the instructions of their boss who is basically a “Politician”, the same which was not among the clapped answers in the class.
Why do parents of a simple middle-class family who have a 9 to 5 job not encourage their children to become politicians rather than dream of becoming an IAS or IPS or other administrative jobs? It is not bad to dream of these reputed jobs, but the question is: why don’t they promote their children to become a politician in the largest democratic country?
One of the major reasons is that a child of a middle-class background with no political lineage has the least success rate in politics. So now another question arises: why is the success rate not favourable for a simple person who does well in studies and can become a politician easily, just like any other profession?
What is the ingredient to become a politician in our country? Who can become politicians, ministers and hold reputed constitutional posts following a simple path as there is no exam to pass and no stringent criteria to fulfil?
Let us now think who were those who majorly become politicians in the past decades. Generally speaking, those who were the lineage of old political families, actors, sportspersons, and other famous personalities joined politics after retirement.
But did a normal middle-class family boy or girl who got motivation for hard work and study for getting a government service ever think of making politics their career? If not, then why is this career option not thought of in school for the topper of the class. They have good knowledge and are bright students.
A few years back, politics was not a part of the discussion even among youths and it was only a matter of concern for some older adults during their tea time. However, things have changed over the years. We should thank social platforms for attracting youth towards the political ecosystem, which was completely out of thought for a normal middle class 9 to 5 family.
Nowadays, everybody talks and discusses and even makes an opinion about every political incident happening around them. Many youth are now part of some political parties as their social media workers and join any party as per liking or approachability and work for them.
But again, the question remains the same. Whom do we accept as our leader? Not everyone joining these parties becomes a leader as we Indians are very particular about whom we accept. We need some typical features in our leader.
A few among them are that they should be from some royal family, should be from political family background, should have played cricket or Olympics, won a noble prize, singer, actor or organised some big mass movement or created some propaganda activism for few months or a caste driven movement or some attention drawing anarchic activities or have gone to jail or marched on the roads.
We expect our leader to be something sort of larger than life, like a Nayak, and who can create a mirage of a great person who changes everything with their magical personality and makes development that has never happened in the earth’s history. We are all inspired by Bollywood, which in 3 hours with their musical background make expectations more magical.
But everything mentioned above is the reason for the almost failed political system in our country and whole politics is driven by something else without proper planning or execution.
We should understand Politics and politicians run the country, make policies right from finance, security, international affairs, education, and whatnot; everything that affects each individual’s life.
We all should change the way politics is looked upon and think of how politics should be freed from the hands of a few powerful families and devices of fooling people in the name of caste, religion, beliefs, race, language, violence, crime, money and other factors.
India has a big youth population amongst whom are people who, if given a neat and clean environment in politics, can join and take part in policymaking and smooth journey towards the country’s development.
If this happens, we can expect many more students to answer their future and dream careers as wanting to be politicians.
Things are changing and end with a hope that very soon, the answer to the basic question of whom we accept as our leader would be that we can accept a normal common person as our leader.