In search of democracy

Exploring the idea of democracy and governance in the backdrop of 2014 Lok Sabha elections in India

The Lok Sabha elections of 2014 in India were first of its kind on many different levels, be it the use of 3-D holograms, the 2-month long scheduling or the heavy amount of money spent on advertising. But the most important change was the participation of youth in politics. The elections streamlined the atmosphere of revolution building up in the country for the last 4-5 years. It was too often the case that people occupied streets to show their displeasure such as the agitation against corruption led by Anna Hazare, the movement against black money led by Baba Ramdev, or the protests over the Delhi Nirbhaya Rape case in capital of country – New Delhi to mention a few. The feeling for change was in the air. Everybody had this urgency of ‘Now or Never’.

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The atmosphere which was created for this new kind of political discourse, inspired me to explore the ideology of democracy as a system of governance which came forth as a short documentary titled – In Search of Democracy and a photography essay- The Last battle