Editorial

With the polls just around the corner, the usual queries begin. Who are you supporting? Who will you vote? Who should come into power ? etc etc

Along with them comes, various answers, some short –just mentioning names , some more elaborate ones , with pros and cons strongly and vociferously put forward, which could give even the top columnists of the country a run for their money .

But among them we frequently hear some which goes like this-

I am not voting for anyone. All of them are useless

I am neutral. I am not taking sides.

I haven’t thought about it. I will just toss a coin and vote…

Wait! but what are you doing exactly? Is this even right? I know it feels best to remain neutral during conflicts, but this is different. This is for your future. Your country. It is imperative you take sides.

Do you say “I won’t go for any choice of career. I will act safe. I won’t exercise my choice” while choosing a job or your profession?

You choose your life partners with care.  So why not choose with care a leader for your own country? Do you toss a coin and choose your life partner?

No , you don’t . You choose. It’s another matter that the choice might not work, but you still choose. If not anything, you learn that your choice was wrong and try to make amends. You will probably say that a case of elections and job are different from each other. Is it? I would say both were your choice and it was your moral and essential duty to choose- one probably for your future life, the other for your future of your homeland, but both future indeed.

So to put a long story short, I just want to say what every sane voice has been trying to say. Choose a side. It is the need of the hour. It can be the congress. It can be BJP or even the fledgling AAP. The morality and the right or wrong comes later, but before that first you have to decide to take a side- to choose. You may be proven wrong with time, but no worries. You learn with time too. And the best thing is that with involvement comes a wish to make things better within and to bring about change. So first choose and belief in yourself to exercise your choice.

Here is wishing you good luck for the coming polls, because it is a test for you too.

Till then hope you enjoy our current issue where we have some very interesting articles on

-Teer which is a gambling game, played in Meghalaya , which has a strong association with dreams

-Wazwan , the cuisine from Kashmir- A fine dining experience!

-Mom on tenterhooks is back with her poignant experiences

-And we have as a cover story, a noble initiative by some young people , which is truly inspiring and commendable.

And of course many a spicy mix which will keep your fortnight entertained.

Keep reading!

Manipadma

Editor , Fried Eye

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