Prime Duty - A misunderstood concept

Many a times, we talk about our rights & duties as citizens of our beloved nation India. Our constitution has also laid down certain rights & duties for the citizens. But have we pondered & ever asked ourselves: what is our Prime Duty?

The functioning of India, & as a matter of fact any nation is based on the national policy adopted. These policies, according to which the administrative setup functions, are sketched out by politicians. These policies affect the life of each & every citizen. Now, if any policy goes wrong, or has an undesired effect on our life, we resort to blaming the politicians. But then, the basic question arises: Who are the politicians? We are the ones who choose them. Politicians are the representatives of the common masses.

If we go to the root of the political setup of our country, we find that at the grass-root level, it is the individual who forms the basic structure of the setup. Let us take an example of a tree… if the root of the tree is strong, exploiting the best of its environment, the tree is sure to grow the right way, developing into a healthy tree beautifying its surroundings. Similarly, we, the people are the roots of the political system in which we live. If we are strong, strengthened with political awareness & know-how, having knowledge of policies which are beneficial to the system, surely the political tree will grow the right way. The root supplies only the beneficial nutrients to the tree while filtering away the rest of the materials. Similarly, it is the individual who has the power to supply the political system with politicians who chalk out proper policies for our nation. To nurture & strengthen the political system is our prime duty as responsible citizens.

India is typically an agrarian country. After the huge success of the Green Revolution, a good amount of crops are harvested every year in our fields. However, sometimes the situation can be seen that huge quantities of food grains rot in the godowns while some people starve to death. Food is not properly distributed. What is the cause of this?

India is one of the main producers of sugarcane in the world. Due to proper cultivation techniques, we are able to have a prosperous crop of sugarcane every year. Still, much of the sugar we consume is imported from other countries. What is the reason behind this?

As we all know, the sensex is making a slow & steady climb upwards. Multinational companies have recognized the potential of the Indian market & are readily investing in India. There is also a substantial dollar flow in the economy. Inspite of all this economic progress, prices of commodities continue to soar everyday. The cost of living especially in the Indian cities is much high. What may be the possible explanation for this?

The reason for all these malfunctions taking place is a deficiency in policies. The deficiency may exist at the planning, development or the implementation stage, but definitely, there prevails a shortcoming somewhere. The responsibility for this shortcoming lies with the policymakers & the responsibility for choosing & electing the policymakers lies on our head. And over the years I believe, we have been addicted to blaming & cursing the politicians for the ill-effects faced by us. By putting the blame on their heads, we try to turn a blind eye to our faults. Ultimately, WE are to be blamed for this. The duty of finding solutions to the problems lies with the educated class.

So how long are we going to escape from our duties? Should we continue to live the way we live or should we give it a little more thought? Are we ever going to see light at the end of the long, dark tunnel? It is up to us to think & find a solution to this. IT IS DUE TO THESE REASONS THAT OUR PRIME DUTY REMAINS A MISUNDERSTOOD CONCEPT…