On 6/11/07, Siddhesh Poyarekar wrote:
Ask those cyber-cafe owners who's cafes were destroyed because they were showing orkut. Or the recent case of all blog sites being blocked because the government ordered them. Or Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute being vandalized since they shared manuscripts and historical documents for the book "Shivaji: Hindu King in Islamic India".
There are few in this country who use their freedom. Most of those who do, use it to curtail other people's freedoms (censorship on internet, TV, books, etc.).
I fail to understand how these instances show that democracy is not alive? It is because democracy and freedom is alive that such people were allowed to do the things that they did. I see it more as a failure for the law being enforced than democracy being dead in our country.
Take instances such as change of government ( Cong -> BJP -> Cong again ). The change of government in Kashmir in the recent times.
It is because we have democracy and it is working that the governments change. People are allowed to voice their concerns.
Yes, I'm dead against censorship but nobodys stopping you from filing a PIL in court, right? :)