100 Things to Know and Debate Before You Vote

by Hindol Sengupta

One of the biggest elections in the history of independent India is upon us. An election that could transform India and set the bedrock for the future. Unfortunately, from Feku to Pappu, our political debate is mired in, at best, irrelevancies, at worst, utter nonsense.This book is a shout-out, a call to action to talk about the things that matter—or should matter—to most of us as citizens, from financial scams to climate change, women’s rights to parliamentary spends. After all, if a democracy has to work, the agenda needs to be set by voters as much as by political parties.Here are some of the people who told us what we should be talking to create jobsKiran Mazumdar-ShawThe debt situationLord Meghnad DesaiWhat Dalits really want Chandra Bhan PrasadA different kind of economicsDevinder SharmaAbout Article 370Haseeb DrabuAIDS and gay rightsAnjali GopalanSquandered heritage and harassed touristsAman Nath

Genres: India

224 pages, Paperback

First published February 13, 2014

About the author

Hindol Sengupta (born 1979) is an Indian journalist and entrepreneur, who is the award-winning author of eight books.
In 2017, he was selected as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum. His three new upcoming books are a narrative non-fiction, a historical fiction and a history of the free markets in India to be published by Penguin and Simon & Schuster. Among his recent books is the bestselling Being Hindu: Old Faith, New World and You, The Modern Monk: What Vivekananda Means To Us Today, and The Sacred Sword: The Legend of Guru Gobind Singh. He is the youngest winner of the PSF prize for public service, an award won by, among others, the late Indian scientist and President A. P. J. Abdul Kalam.

Reviews

[Dr. Appu Sasidharan (Dasfill) · Rating 4 out of 5]

An election is something that plays a major role in deciding the fate of a nation. It is one of the most responsible duties we should do as citizens. What are all the things we should think about before going for voting? How can you finalize your decision to vote for somebody? Should you vote on the basis of the party the candidate is representing or on the basis of the qualities that the candidate possesses? These are some of the questions you should answer before voting. This book discusses all these topics and will help you cast your vote more judiciously.

What I learned from this book
1) Why is it said that elections decide the fate of a country?
If we look at world history, we can see that countries where people can be easily manipulated by monetary or emotional means, have always gone into abysmal despair. It is the countries where the citizens know the value of their vote and the importance of the election process that have a brighter future.

"All elections, then, are exercises in sociological Seances where the spirits of the past cast long shadows on our present, even future."

2) What is the most dangerous situation a democratic country can face?
We can see people with criminal records winning the elections through scrupulous activities more often than their clean colleagues. This is a hazardous situation, as everyone will lose their faith in democracy if it continues to happen. After the advent of social media and mass education programs, this trend is luckily decreasing in many countries.

"About 30% of MPs have criminal cases according to one survey. Some MPs have criminal cases (like theft, forgery, embezzlement, bribe)-and others have grave criminal cases (rape, murder, inciting riots)."

3)Why are no leading politicians willing to discuss critical economic issues even before a big poll?
This is a portion of the book that is raising so many serious questions. The author asks whether inflation is a scandal used for income redistribution. Some politicians are more interested in increasing their bank balance instead of improving the country's financial situation. Some good politicians are genuinely working for the upliftment of the country. It is on their shoulders that many countries are still surviving.

"The point about debt is not so much the money owed but what it is being spent on"

My favourite three lines from this book

"The people who can actually, do something. for the poor have at best, a fractured and, hazy knowledge about who the poor are and, what they need"

"A lady friend wrote the other day on social media, Luxury car ownership should also require a license like a gun license-Mercedes, BMW, Lamborghini all becoming the weapons on Delhi roads!'"

"If the Maoist problem is only seen as a law and order problem, then that is completely flawed."

What could have been better?
This book was written before the pandemic. Viewing it from the post-pandemic era, we can see that the author missed a few vital points. Still, whatever he is mentioning is very important in our everyday life. We will be surprised when we look at the number of people who have read and reviewed it. I think books like these should be given much more publicity and should be widely read by the public.

Rating
4/5 This book discusses many other important contemporary topics like dowry deaths, addiction, maternal mortality, infant mortality, HIV infection, hospital infrastructure, shortage of teachers, poor airline service, tax evasion and smuggling. Even though the author is trying to discuss the political situation in India, it applies to almost all the countries around the world, as we can see a similarity in the problems that every country faces right now.

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[E.T. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my fourth book by the author and I picked up this book as an easy-read during a recent trip. While this book was written with the 2014 general elections in mind, it was relevant as problems have more or less remained the same in the 3 years. Secondly, it was good to read a book that lists problems with our country in one place.
But, unfortunately, many of the 100 points were very hastily written, with no depth or suggestions at all. Also, the author didnt offer any solutions.
A better book perhaps on the Indian economy and its problems+solutions is Restart: The Last Chance for the Indian Economy by Mihir Sharma. Ironically, going by his twitter feed, Mihir Sharma seems a loony, but the book was great. Also, u can read India Grows At Night by Gurcharan Das ; the man from whom I had my first lessons (thru books) in economic liberalism.