Democracy and the Civil Society

Since middle school I have known democracy as a form of government “by the people, for the people and of the people”. And I believe everyone else more or else define democracy by quoting those very words of Abraham Lincoln as well. Essentially it means a form of governance where the main power is given to the people and every decision is taken keeping in mind the welfare of the people more than anything else.

However, democracy as Lincoln saw it is hardly practiced in India. The largest democracy of the world still ranks 95^th in the Corruption Percentage Index out of 182 countries with a 10% unemployment rate (in 2010) even after 65 years of independence. I would not ramble about the failures of Indian democracy. Every Indian who reads the newspaper would know how the country is faring. And I seriously don’t believe badmouthing my motherland is going to do anyone any good.

I am here to express my views about the growing civil society in India; the new hope of the nation, which is fast helping to change the dynamics of the country.

For those who are just vaguely aware of what I am talking about, being a student of economics, given below is the definition of civil society adopted by the World Bank: “the term civil society to refer to the wide array of non-governmental and not-for-profit organizations that have a presence in public life, expressing the interests and values of their members or others, based on ethical, cultural, political, scientific, religious or philanthropic considerations. Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) therefore refer to a wide of array of organizations: community groups, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), labor unions, indigenous groups, charitable organizations, faith-based organizations, professional associations, and foundations”.

Now, one can easily exclaim that NGOs have been in the country for a considerable amount of time. What is so new about it? Well, what is new is that in the last decade or so, many, many young social entrepreneurs have come with effective ways to help the country be a better nation. I don’t have to go too far to look for examples either! Youth Ki Awaaz is a perfect example of an online platform started to voice the important issues in our country by the youngsters of the nations.

Let me try to elucidate how civil society is aiding democracy with an example.

The Right to Education Act was finally passed in 2009 after much debate on the bill. This act ensures free and compulsory primary education to all children till the age of 14 years. The work of democracy near about finishes with the act being passed. The civil society’s work is the actual work now. CSOs strive to ensure that this act is implemented by the government schools. Organizations like CRY and UNICEF have launched campaigns to educate the poor people about RTE Act, visiting schools to ensure they do not ask for fees, classrooms and toilets are in proper condition, mid-day meals provided to the children are edible, so on and so forth. They conduct surveys and polls with the help on diligent volunteers and finally file complaints to government if the Act is not followed by government schools. Many other NGOs like Make a Difference and Teach for India have taken it upon themselves to impart primary education to children who cannot afford to pay for it.

This was just a small example to show how civil society makes the government tick and ensures that the laws and acts passed for the needy and poor are actually executed and the people are benefitted from it.

Thankfully, recent years have seen an unprecedented enthusiasm by the youth of the country to make every effort to change the face of the country. Democracy is truly a government by the people and if the privileged class do their bit to help the ones who need it, the world’s largest democracy will surely turn into something worth its name.

I  remember, back in middle schools, I would always end the essays in my English examination papers with “drops and drops of water, make the mighty ocean.” I say that here, because we are the civil society-the educated few in a country where 8 million children do not attend schools and our little contribution is all that is needed to make the democracy tick.

Failure Unveiled

I have failed. And I say this with no inhibition, no shame and no self loathing, but I would rather not write about my encounters with failure here. I would like to remind myself and all those who chance upon this post about the real implications of failure.

It is all too well to succeed in everything one has ever attempted; all too well to never have to see the ugly face of failure, but those who have encountered failure from a close proximity know that it isn’t as bad as it is made to be believed.

For one, it is only after you have failed, and failed big for that matter, that you find closure. If you failed at something you loved, you would realize how much it meant to you, and would get back at it with much more vigor and zeal. On the other hand, if you failed at something that did not have your heart, the failure would only encourage you to take a different course of action, most probably the one that takes you to your dreams. As Henry Ford had quoted, “Failure is the only opportunity to begin again, this time more wisely.”

Secondly, failure also tests you in the most basic way. It puts a road block in your journey and you are forced to find a way to remove it and continue walking towards your destination. Imagine a place that has the most breath taking view on earth and there are two routes to it. One is a motorable road and you will be given a vehicle to reach the destination; the other is a trek route with boulders and waterfalls and you will have to hike through the unchartered terrain to reach the spot. Sure the sensible choice would be the former option, but if you are made to take the road laced with hardships, you would get to see and learn so much more on your way to the destination. You will learn to analyze what went wrong and try new and improved methods to succeed, which in itself would be an achievement. You will learn your strengths and weaknesses, and more importantly your true passions and dreams.


Failure also teaches you to be a better human being. As Sir Winston Churchill once quoted, “Success is the ability to go from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm.” It takes a lot of courage to pick up the pieces after a failure, and be optimistic that life will turn around. It takes a lot of will power to either restore or make something totally new of what the rest think is broken beyond repair. It takes a lot of character to listen to the sneers and comment of your worthlessness and failure at achieving what everyone else conquered, and yet wake up each morning with the conviction that all is not lost and that you will find a way to fix things, no matter how many times you fall down. It takes a lot of strength to believe that just because you fell down once, twice or maybe even more does not mean that is where you belong and to trust in your abilities to make it big someday. In a nutshell, failure imbibes self conviction, optimism, determination and strength of character.


Someone who has encountered enormous failure and come out of it with flying colors has the ability to turn any situation in his favor. History is a testament to the fact that every great leader and every eminent personality of the past had, at one point or the other, encountered failure and had emerged from it as a winner. Be it Spartacus, Thomas Alva Edison, Mahatma Gandhi, Albert Einstein, Bill Gates or Steve Jobs, the common link between all of them is that in the face of adversity they have never given up on their faith and have emerged victorious.
I am, in no way, advocating failure. Every attempt should be made with a view to succeed. However, at the same time, if you do lose some fights, you should not run away from the battle. Many a times you lose because your good wasn’t good enough, many a times you lose because you put your faith in the wrong factors, many a times you lose because your heart wasn’t in what you were doing. No matter what the reason be, failure should always be viewed as stepping stones to success, as an integral part of the learning process, an essential part of life.


The real implication of failure is very beautifully captured by the words of the ace basketball player and an active entrepreneur, Michael Jordan, "I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."


Failure is not losing a fight, failure is the loss of the will to fight. Falling down only strengthens you more and teaches you lessons in faith and optimism. Concluding with the words of Confucius, "Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising every time we fail."

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