Of Diwali, Dhanteras & elections!

   By Vijay Darda | 28-10-2024

Mann hi mann mein laddu footein… haathon mein fulzadiyan

Diwali traditionally starts with Dhanteras but my proposition to share the joy with friends and the vast Lokmat family begins a bit earlier. When I use the word ‘family’, it includes the thoughtful readers and all those who have given me immense love and energy with their excellence. After all, this festival is such that unless you share happiness with the loved ones, and unless you light up others in the glow of love, the joy of light remains incomplete. So, first of all, I wish you all a very happy Diwali in advance.

You would have noticed that this Diwali will be entirely different from the previous ones. When I was thinking about Diwali alongside the elections, a phrase from childhood came to mind: Mann hi mann mein laddu footein… haathon mein fulzadiyan! Clearly, the joy in the heart and sparklers in hand symbolise happiness. But during the election season, the roles are different. Those who have received party tickets to contest naturally feel joy inside. It’s hard to say whose mouth will truly taste the sweetness of victory, but it’s certain that those who feel joy will want to sweeten your — the voters’ — mouth too and will promise you the ‘sparkler’ of development in your area. I know there are many leaders truly devoted to development, but there’s also no dearth of those who just hand out hollow promises.

It is safe to say that this election season will bring a true Diwali into the lives of voters too. Since Diwali has coincided with the election season, the voters will be treated accordingly; otherwise, throughout the rest of the five years, it’s usually the voters who sweeten the mouths of the leaders, garland them with flowers, and even burst entire strings of firecrackers if they visit their area. Amid this Indian tradition of democracy, some lines from Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s poem flash in my mind:

Hum padaav ko samjhe manzil,

Lakshya hua aankhon se ojhal,

Vartamaan ke mohjaal mein aane wala kal na bhulaayein,

Aao phir se diya jalaayein!

Aahuti baaki yagya adhoora,

Apno ke vighnon ne ghera,

Antim jay ka vajra banane nav Dadhichi haddiyan galaayein,

Aao phir se diya jalaayein!

Thinking about Diwali and elections, a word suddenly flashed in my mind: ‘Dhanterasi!’ Wouldn’t we call someone possessed by wealth ‘Dhanterasi’? I have no hesitation in saying that even without the festival of Dhanteras, our electoral system is entirely possessed by wealth; it’s always Dhanteras during elections. Election expenditure is always in public knowledge. Even if a candidate is popular and has done considerable work in his/her constituency, he/she would still need at least Rs 15-20 crore to contest election. If there’s a tough fight for the seat, this figure may well go up to Rs 50 crore.

Earlier this year, just before the Lok Sabha elections, the American magazine The Economist reported that India’s Lok Sabha elections could be the world’s most expensive elections, even surpassing those in the United States! The report estimated that at least around Rs 83,000 crore would be spent. That’s an average of Rs 153 crore for every parliamentary seat. The well-known Centre for Media Studies estimated that the 2019 Lok Sabha elections cost a total of Rs 55,000 crore to Rs 60,000 crore, or around  Rs 100 crore per seat. If there are three serious candidates per seat, each would need to spend at least  Rs 30 crore or more. The actual cost is even higher. You may remember that when asked if she would contest the election, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman had categorically said that she does not have enough money to do so. The reality is that our election system is in the grip of money power.

Hopefully, one day the times will change, and the real Diwali of democracy will be on the day when elections are no longer a ‘Dhanterasi’ affair. For now, enjoy Diwali and assess the election candidates… we can discuss elections again another time; for

now, let’s ruminate over Diwali…

Nabh mein taaron ki baraat jaise,

Tam ko lalkaarte ye nanhe diye!

Tam ka aalingan kar,

amaavas mein,

Nav ujiyaara laate ye nanhe diye!

Bahut kuch batiyaate ye nanhe diye,

Tam ka shaurya ghataate

ye nanhe diye!

The festival of lights is also a celebration of removing the darkness within, with the rays of love and compassion dispelling the shadows of the mind! May the festival of lights fill your life with health, love and joy. Warmest and infinite best wishes for Diwali!.

 

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