Now Reading: Devy and Nehru on democracy: fearlessness needed against personality cults
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Devy and Nehru on democracy: fearlessness needed against personality cults
Devy and Nehru on democracy: fearlessness needed against personality cults
In a National Herald India opinion piece, G.N. Devy argues that democracy in India is being hollowed out by state domination and empty rituals. He calls on citizens to re-articulate the democratic…
The Story in Brief
In a National Herald India opinion piece, G.N. Devy argues that democracy in India is being hollowed out by state domination and empty rituals. He calls on citizens to re-articulate the democratic ideal with moral courage and fearlessness, even to the point of risking jail. Devy also urges a wider vision, 'cosmo-democracy', that includes rights for minorities, children, and non-human life.
The Hindu, in a separate essay, recalls Jawaharlal Nehru's 1937 anonymous warning against 'Caesarism' and B.R. Ambedkar's 1949 caution that 'bhakti in politics is a sure road to dictatorship'. Both figures, the article argues, feared that hero-worship would stunt India's republican habits, scepticism, argument, participation, and lead to a slow erosion of democratic culture.
The Indian Opinion
Both pieces rightly warn against personality cults, but the real test in India today is not just intellectual, it is institutional. Courts, the Election Commission, and the media are the actual check on executive overreach, not merely citizens' courage. Until these bodies demonstrate real independence, calls for individual fearlessness risk being a substitute for systemic accountability. Will the Opposition parties name a single leader they would sacrifice for democratic norms? That would be a concrete test of Nehru and Ambedkar's vision.
Sources (2): nationalheraldindia.com, thehindu.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above.
Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources.
