Monday, 24 May 2021

The Election Results and Understanding People's Choice

 M

uayt Smeo2r4opouo,nhe u2so0r1dedf9g 
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Whether we mourn or celebrate the election results, #PeopleAreNotSheeple.
Seen too many posts today labelling the 'masses' as suggestable fools, undeserving of democracy.
If we dont understand the wave, we have lost the pulse of the people.
Time to stop. Listen.
🙏

39 Comments

  • Gangadharan Kumar
    Good luck asking "liberals" to listen..
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    • 2y
    • Aparna Krishnan
      Gangadharan Kumar listening, putting aside the ego, is a dying art these days.
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    • Viswanath Lakshmanan
      😀 "Liberals" hav perched themselves too high to listen. Even in this moment of defeat, they r virtue-signaling Hindus. Congress took a very smart centrist position in Kerala, which worked like a charm. Only if they had the conviction to carry the same stand to rest of India, they wud hav done much better. Unfortunately, they allowed themselves to be slotted with the deracinated left-libs.
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  • Sameer Shisodia
    The people have lost the pulse of nature and the planet, and what's good for them. They think short term and in zero sum grab games more often than not. Politicians across the world are exploiting that, as conditions become tougher and insecurity rises. Sheeple or not, it's not smart choices being made. And certainly not born of self belief and a desire to participate in change.
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  • Kannan T
    The words and labels you have cited are harsh indeed. But people can be wrong, have been wrong collectively on many issues, on many occasions. This is one such occasion. Listening/understanding and accepting are different things. When, as an individual, I feel everybody else is wrong, I should never hesitate to point out. Whether I am liberal or conservative, rural or urban, literate or illiterate are all secondary.
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    • Aparna Krishnan
      Kannan Thandapani my point is just that we lost the pulse of the people. People usually have a good reason for acting the way they do. That we need to stop and understand.
      It could be real insecurities, it could be need for identity, it could be lack of viable alternatives.
      Yes, our position can be different, and yet understand we must. If we wish to be relevant.
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    • Venkatesh Srinivasan
      The issue is that people conflate your personal prejudices and make an imaginary bubble and imagine everyone agrees to your theories. If someone disagrees then he/she is a troll. It is nice to walk out of your echo chambers and then things will be clear.
      Criticism is always welcome but has to be grounded.
      You kept saying Modi was anti poor and so on. He has got maximum votes from the poor. Why? He built toilets, houses, provided insurance etc etc! Has he solved all problems, not by a country mile. But does he have the right intentions of course yes! Most people have recognised that and voted him.
      Give the devil his credit. You may not like his politics (which of course you are entitled to) but try and be objective in your criticism. 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽
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    • Aparna Krishnan
      Venkatesh Srinivasan it is very complex.
      In my village. Yes, they all have cylinders. They like the cylinders. But there is nothing to cook on the stoves. No work. No money to buy food which sells at urban rates in a globalised market. It is a breakdown.
      The youth are lost, and into drinking.
      Yes, still why have the poor voted as they have. That is the answer we need to seek.
      One reason is an obvious paucity of options. Another reason is identity. Somewhere people are seeing an Indian image, however fake or real. That on the ground he has done nothing for Ayurveda or Sanskrit or anything else in concerts terms is my complaint, but yes, people seek that image at least and I respect their choice.
      At the same time in my state people have clearly chosen Jagan as CM. In TN people have given a resounding choice. Kerala also.
      People have clear choices for State as opposed to Centre and they don't necessarily match.
      Times are complex, realities are harsh. Yes the mandate is clear. I hope this government factors in rural livelihoods and farmers issues with the urgency needed. The last time farmers who walked to the capital from far and away were turned back without an audience. We will hope that changes.
      We will work with the victors and the losers to try to a genuine better deal for the vast poor of this land. Winning and losing and making points is secondary. Only the poor matter.
      🙏
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    • Venkatesh Srinivasan
      Thank you for a considered response. I sincerely appreciate that.
      no one forced the youth to go and drink. Should individuals not take responsibility and be more disciplined?
      Are we not abdicating our individual behaviours to the state?
      Agreed AP and TN have a different dispensation. I am sure next time around in five years there could be a surprise.
      Jagan has an unaccounted empire of tens of thousands of crores which are earned by stealing government resources. If you think he is good for the poor of AP I wish all of you lots of luck.
      By the way now that elections are over I will try and rekindle my efforts to get audience with the gentleman mentioned. Hope I have more luck this time. Thanks for all the work that you do on the ground! My political and economic views are tangential to yours but respect the work you do. Sometimes it is good to look for commonalities than differences! 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽
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    • Aparna Krishnan
      Venkatesh Srinivasan I hold no brief for Jagan. I am just describing what I see.
      As for the intersection of state and individual responsibilities, there is much. The state support for alcohol in TN being a case in point. Anyway my context here was the complete erosion of rural opportunities, which has left the youth directionless.
      My engagement with you has been most meaningful. The glowing health if the children of Varadappanaidupeta overrides all differences imo. Yes, do connect with those who can help take JeevaniMilk further.
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    • Naveen Manikandan Periasamy
      @Kannan Thandapani Would the peoples’ choice been deemed right had they vote enmasse for congress and the left and given them the mandate?
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    • Kannan T
      And Aparna, going by your rationale too, when you talk about people, which people are you talking about? When people in my locality and state have rejected BJP, but when a good part of their future is in the hands of BJP, how can we ever accept that this is the people's mandate or democracy has won? Doesn't this go against everything you stand for?
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    • Kannan T
      Naveen, in the present circumstances, yes.
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    • Aparna Krishnan
      A large majority has voted in their faviour. What I see is a disintegrating rural economy. I am trying to understand the reason behind the seemingly contrary vote. One reason that is straight is that there is no credible opposition. But there is more than that I feel. If we choose to, we can try to understand. I am trying.
      As to your point that if people of TN or AP have rejected BJP, why should they be ruled by BJP. That is the electoral game. The way out is only to try for deeper and deeper federalism I feel.
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    • Aparna Krishnan
      I am not sure what i 'stand for'. Modernity rules. Left or right or centre. Hind Swaraj is in deep hibernation. Sans that, I have little faith that anything will work. They are all different shades of the same failed recipie.
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    • Kannan T
      Kanhaiya Kumar lost. Atishi lost. Medha Patkar and so many others like her lost last time. And we talk about lack of credible alternatives. Like all of us individually, People collectively can be manipulated into making wrong choices by strong leaders, and they have made a wrong choice. There's nothing wrong in saying that. I don't know if it makes me irrelevant but it doesn't make me anti-people.
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    • Aparna Krishnan
      A solid front is needed. Not stray individuals, even if they are gold.
      RSS did decades of groundwork across the land. They are reaping the dividends now. It is wise to suspend our judgements and listen. To learn.
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    • Kannan T
      Yes we should learn but why should we suspend our judgement? You think they are mutually exclusive? I don't. Let's not suppress our voices when we know something is wrong.
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    • Aparna Krishnan
      Yes, suspend thinking. And listen, just listen. To understand what thread we have missed. What perspective itself we may have missed.
      First listen, then strategize. Then act.
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    • Gangadharan Kumar
      Kannan Thandapani Serious question : Exactly what qualifies Kanniah, Atishi etc. to be a credible alternative (leader)? (I know the same can be asked of various other leaders... but interested in knowing why you called these out).
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    • Kannan T
      I just cited two names. Surely there are more. Atishi for her role in Delhi's government schools, and Kanhaiya Kumar for his courage, clarity and ability to inspire youth. Both of them are good enough to be MPs and contribute to/challenge policy making, ahead of Gambhir and Giriraj Singh. Neither belong to any dynasty. Neither have blood of their people on their hands.
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    • Gangadharan Kumar
      Kannan Thandapani Thanks for the response. And why would Gambhir not qualify to be an MP?
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    • Gangadharan Kumar
      Kannan Thandapani Anyway.. the primary point that I wanted to share was that there is a world of difference between being an activist and being a leader. A great activist doesn't necessarily translate into somebody who can inspire the "masses". Whether we like it or not, it's an essential trait in politics. Especially in a democracy. Back to the original point that Aparna mentioned. One can always dismiss the votes by such a large chunk of India as a "wrong vote". Another is it step back and try to understand what drove that and why did they vote the way they voted. Some interesting (and important) lessons may be present in it.
      And to do that, one must suspend judgement and be open to another point of view (and may be embrace / acknowledge it). After all isn't that what being a liberal all about (and it's exactly what being a "liberal" is not - which is what most self-proclaimed "liberals" are).
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    • Kannan T
      Thanks for all the judgemental lessons on suspending judgement. For now, I can only suspend lengthening this thread.
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    • Gangadharan Kumar
      Kannan Thandapani All power to you bro.
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    • Aparna Krishnan
      Kannan Thandapani till one allows for a tiny doubt, that others may have understood something that one has missed. Till one suspends opinions, or at least tries hard to hold them at bay, one can never listen. To the other. And maybe learn. Something very important.
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    • Kannan T
      See, again, suspending opinions is not all that easy 🙂 There are many ways to listen and learn.
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    • Aparna Krishnan
      Kannan Thandapani yes, it's not easy. But with the understanding that we may have always missed something, it's possible.
      My own experiences from my village has ensured that I will never dismiss people and their choices without seeking to understand. I have always, sooner or later, found a valid point.
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    • Prasanna Gandhi
      If Gandhi had only listen to people, I wonder what he would have become.
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    • Aparna Krishnan
      Where had 'only listen' been advised ?
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    • Prasanna Gandhi
      How do you think he would have responded to this victory?. I am sure he would have it was wrong. Ofcourse he would judge or hate those who have voted. But would have in strong words opposed
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    • Prasanna Gandhi
      There is a fair chance he would fasted in penance.
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    • Aparna Krishnan
      My point is simple. You can try to seek to understand why the people acted the way they did. Or you can call them misguided fools. And fast without understanding. Your choice.
      Namaskaram, I am stopping here.
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  • Three things Indian liberals held dear were tested this Lok Sabha election
    THEPRINT.IN
    Three things Indian liberals held dear were tested this Lok Sabha election
    Three things Indian liberals held dear were tested this Lok Sabha election
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    • 2y
  • Alwar Narayanan
    The success of this government is based on hate. Since it is yielding them results, this will continue untill they split themselves into pieces.
    Sit back relax and watch the fun. People deserve it.
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    • Aparna Krishnan
      Alwar Narayanan where was the alternate viable choice that people could see ?
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    • Alwar Narayanan
      It is wrong to think there is none. That is what BJP want us to think and fear.
      We are 130 crore of us. Leaders are hidden. It is up to us to bring them out.
      Iromi Sharmila and Kannaiah are case studies for introspection. People need education. Not free meals from gorakpur mutt.
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  • Opinion | Why 'liberals' fully deserved to lose this battle
    LIVEMINT.COM
    Opinion | Why 'liberals' fully





MteaeSoyofp oln2ofsaa5,e oh2rled01d9 
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My learning.
I can engage with the supporters of BJP. I can engage with the detractors of BJP. I seek engagement. To work collectively.
The ones I fail to be able to engage with. Are those spewing disdain. On the people. For having voted as they did.
Those who can never have the sense or humility to seek their learnings from the people. To seek to understand why the ground reality is different from their theory.
There, with that crowd, I fail. In my communication efforts. Totally.



MatSphtyoaiSg 2em7g,ng s20huorde1d9 
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This time the division is not between those who voted for and again BJP. BJPs come and go. In the relentless cycle of time
The real division is between those who dismiss the people as sheeple and as fools for not voting the way they thought they should.
And those who believed in the essential sense of the people. In that they understand the realities, priorities and compulsions of their own situation best.
And stopped to listen. To understand. When the pattern went contrary to their own choice.
To understand, and in that understanding strategize. With the people. On the next step.
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