IS Voting == Responsible Citizen ??

I am writing this post on the day of Phase II of the General Elections in the largest democracy in the world. I have just come home after Voting for the first time in my life and there is a sense of achievement which I am feeling right now :)

The voting process for me I would say was not at all smooth. To be frank I am not an avid follower of politics. I try my best to keep abreast of all the happenings through print media, NDTV 24x7 and other knowledgeable people but if I do get an option I choose Sports over politics. But I am aware of the importance of voting and hence was keen to cast my first vote. I was awaken from my slumber by my friend on a day which was supposedly the last day for registration (though there were many like this !!) We took our documents, attested photo copies and registered ourselves. But that unfortunately was just the beginning. The EC people came to our house on a Sunday with a list but only my name from my family was absent from it.

After that I went through a host of search engines but my name was never found. I also went through a manual list where I found my parent's names but mine wasn't there. I resigned to the fact that maybe I won't be able to vote this time until my friend confirmed that my name is present. On voting day I went in with my parents but as expected my name was not in the list. However a different list of ALL the parts which was thankfully arranged alphabetically and in English :) was available where in I found my name. Though it was spelled as "Vinit" the rest of the details were correct. Also the name in devnagri was correctly spelled. I went inside, pressed the button on the EVM and came out feeling extremely happy. The only damper was that this time there was not black dot on my finger as expected but a blue line :)

In all this voting process which started with campaigns by jaagore.com, Aamir Khan's advertisements, different groups urging everyone to vote one thing which I always heard was "If you are a responsible citizen you should vote". I am completely in agreement with all this. I believe that every citizen eligible for voting should vote and excuses like "What's the use", "I don't know how to register", "Everyone is the same" are not at all valid. Especially in a city like Pune where everything is smooth and we don't face any violence as seen in other places it's a crime to give excuses. When people can vote in sensitive areas like Kashmir where their lives are in danger then we have NO right to stay at home on Election day.

However I feel that just casting your vote does not at all make one a responsible citizen. According to me there are many other duties or responsibilities or qualities which one must have and perform to be a responsible citizen. To name a few I would say following traffic rules, not throwing garbage on the streets, not spreading rumors during tense situations, cooperating with law enforcement officials, not indulging in bribing and even maintaining the secular nature of our country are some of the qualities which I see in a responsible citizen of India. If you do all this or at least try your level best for it then you have a right to admonish others for not being a responsible citizen. But if you are breaking rules and throwing garbage and thinking that pressing a button on a machine is making you a responsible citizen then think again. It will be of no use if we vote for the right person but we as an individual and a nation don't do anything to maintain the law, cleanliness and order in the country.

Now that so many people are being made aware of their duty to vote I hope that this awareness drive continues to other aspects as well. When we are telling people who are going to turn 18 or anyone else about casting vote it's important we don't neglect the other things which constitute a responsible citizen. Voting is just one of the many things. After all the whole is always greater than the sum of the parts !!