Dance of Democracy

After being an 'observer' and 'arm chair analyst' and 'political news junkie' and many other things, I finally got to experience the action, i.e election. first hand.  I had more than the usual share of curiosity and inclination to participate in electoral politics for a long time and when the rare opportunity  presented itself in the form of Lok Satta, I jumped all over it and packed my bags to volunteer for the election.

I'm part of the LokSatta team that is responsible for one of the 7 divisions in Kukatpally constituency. The last few days have been very hectic, to put it mildly; but these few days will be forever etched in my memory; the acquaintances  made, the camaraderie of the volunteers, the intricacies of election day procedures, the last minute surprises, the mid-flight course corrections during the day, meeting the candidate that has potential to CHANGE our society in our lifetime, calling for help when things got tense and folks got threatened...

I saw people wait in line on a hot summer day for more than 3 hours to vote

I saw senior citizens (over 80!) anxious to figure out why their name is not in the list

I met people who are bounced around from one booth and still kept searching for their booth

I noticed lot of mothers bringing their kids with them

I observed the cops as they went about their business quietly and efficiently. with respect.

I was proud of our EC.  The scale of the operation is probably equivalent to a google search and they pulled it off.  Hats off!

there is so much to write and so little time. 

later.