I was hooked onto the T.V. on 6th  September, 2018. I was texting my friend on whether the article 377 will be scrapped or not.

IT FINALLY HAPPENED! We were all watching it live on social media and news channels.

Amidst all the happiness, it occurred to me, “I don’t think everyone is happy. Turns out, I was right. So many people didn’t like the SC decision. I was wondering why? They are born this way, they can’t help it. Why won’t one be happy, we just granted someone the freedom to love a human being? All these thoughts and questions were flooding my mind. I am not a member  of the LGBTQ+ community but I felt so happy! Their fear of being illegal in their very existence, of being hounded by the authorities because of their affiliation, being excluded from the public and other opportunities just broke my heart. One had to face that just because they love someone? Or because they don’t feel comfortable in their skin? It was sad and heartbreaking. I decided that I wouldn’t be friends with anyone who doesn’t agree with the SC judgment and me. I decided to fight for them. Turns out, I was wrong, again. I was fighting for the wrong cause. I realised that everyone had different mindsets and experiences. They have the right to their thoughts and the freedom to express them. But do they have the right to judge others and exclude them from public schemes or opportunities? No. So, I decided to encourage people, along with my friends, to accept the SC judgment; instead of agreeing with it. I decided to try and explain to people that LGBT are the way they are not by choice but nature or God’s will. I think we all should do that. Let’s accept and love each other for who we are, even if we don’t necessarily agree. I understand you disagree with the homosexuals, but at least you can try to make an effort to accept them with open arms. Democracy is all about respecting and accepting opposing opinions and different people. But while being given the freedom to believe in what you think is right, exclusion shall not be granted.

Why should an atheist like me worry about Sabarimala? For three reasons. The first is moral and human. If I had been stopped at the entrance of a temple because of my menstruating age, I would have felt outraged. I would have felt reduced to an object judged on the basis of a low common denominator. This is no different from discrimination on the basis of colour of one’s skin, one’s language, old age, or religious belief. Incidentally, atheists are also discriminated against. But that is not my point here. Attitude of Sabarimala management is offensive to me as a human being. My second reason for condemning the discrimination is my upbringing in a democratic India. After prolonged debate, we decided to be a pluralistic, inclusive, equal society. These ideals we enshrined in our Constitution. Generations of young teenagers like me in Kerala have been fighting for their right to enter Sabarimala. Women of Pathanamthitta, who should know better, also point out than not allowing females, in their menstruating age, to enter a public place of worship is a form of untouchability, which has been made illegal in India decades ago. They argue that the Constitution of India grants them the right to equality and the freedom to practice religion. In denying entrance to menstruating women, these values are being subverted. The Supreme Court of India, as custodian of these values, has granted women the freedom to enter Sabarimala. However, orders of the Supreme Court are not being allowed to be implemented. Our hard-won freedoms and values have been held ransom by a small group of male chauvinists hiding in plain sight as protectors of tradition. But the questions that now lie in front of us, as a society, include; does the fight for equality of menstruating women end here? Is this issue only confined to the walls of Sabarimala? Is it important to go to a temple which doesn’t welcome you for who you are? Should we worship Lord Ayyappan even after he has these, so-called, rituals and traditions? According to me, the answer to all these questions is a NO. Even now in India’s millions of households’ young teenage girls aren’t allowed to enter the kitchen or the mandir (temple) of the house just because of an uncontrollable biological factor. The judgment of SC, although much appreciated, will not change the mindsets of people. To do that, it will not only take time but also a lot of effort and the government’s coordination, which isn’t seen at all. Only with the coordination of the government can awareness camps, etc. can be effectively carried out. This is a serious issue, which is certainly not confined to the Sabarimala case, but goes much beyond. The failure of society in accepting the young girls of this country, is leading to today’s youth to lose faith in themselves. All this also leads to a bigger issue, which is, the future of the country will be put in danger. Even if one out of ten girls are treated like outcasts, they may grow up to believe that they are useless. Women should not look at the issue at hand but should also look at the deeper issue.The idea is to not only change the law but change the mindset. Youngsters, today, shouldn’t confine themselves to fight for Sabarimala but also confront the dark side of almost every Indian household with a girl child, perhaps, the future of our nation.

Before I knew it, there I was giving a speech on the importance of democracy, without being free myself. This is the irony of the word democracy. Everyone, free or fettered, talks about it. Little do we know how many actually experience it.

Some may disagree, but democracy is directly linked to our lives. Although, it may have a different meaning for a twelve year old (who has experienced too little of it) and for a fifty year old (who has experienced too much of it).

I remember being in the fourth class, and being asked to either contest for the, then prestigious, post of a monitor; or to vote for our favourite candidate. Before doing the procedure, our teacher told us to deliver a sixty-second speech on how we plan to carry out the duties of a monitor. We did as asked. To my surprise, absolutely no one voted for me. Now I know why. It was because I promised that I’d make sure the class is quiet, whereas my opponent suggested that he’d give everyone the freedom of speech, but, in a systematic way. That was my first experience with the, so-called, procedure of voting and contesting elections.

I also learnt a very important lesson that day. The lesson being; never sacrifice one’s constitutional rights while trying to make one’s life better. This is because people, from very early on, fall in love with the concept of freedom and democracy. Even if they do not know the responsibilities and duties that come with them. I saw many such proceedings, then on. Be it voting for class representatives, grade representatives or, perhaps, the school representatives.

When the time came, for them to allow me to vote for the head girl and the head boy, I felt a responsibility I’d never felt before. That being, I was one of the nine-hundred students, deciding the course of the next one year of our school’s improvement and growth. Little did I know that that pressure I felt upon myself, while being one of the nine hundred voters, is going to get multiplied by a billion while voting for the future ruling party of our nation.

Every student growing up to be a national voter, should keep this responsibility in mind every time they approach the polling booth.

Another thing to remember is that promising to make a difference is different from, actually, making a difference. One should sit and analyse, how realistic the promises are and how achievable they are. It is only then, one should vote.

Throughout the term of the elected representative, the people should keep an eye on their governance. To know whether they made the right decision and if they should change their leader in the upcoming elections.

The bottom line is that democracy, elections and voting are inherited traits and wants in an individual; and it is important that we treat it with the same respect, importance and honesty, as our founding fathers treated it with.