Democracy, India and Panchayat

There is an India that lives in towns and cities, and we see them on platforms like LinkedIn. Then there is an India of Binod, Banrakas and Manju Devi, and series like Panchayat bring them to the fore. 

By now, most of us would have seen Panchayat. Apart from the ‘Dekh Raha Hai Binod’ it has hit a right chord at multiple places. For people like me who belonged to urban India, yet had a taste of the latter by working there, it brought back many memories.

It is said that whatever we say about India, the opposite is also true. We are like a long snake with its head at a different place and its tail being somewhere else. While watching Panchayat, I got reminded of many debates/discussions and how the web series addresses those:

1. The first debate has been if elected representatives are good enough and needed. Being a member of the IAS, it was often mentioned that well-meaning educated bureaucrats/technocrats should run the country instead of uneducated politicians. Many feel that development gets hampered in a democracy.  Now imagine Sachiv Ji, who has no idea of the intricacies, deciding everything for Phulera village. He would be too naive to understand the complex realities of village life. As a Panchayat needs a Sachiv to undertake bureaucratic functioning, it also needs elected representatives like Brij Bhushan and Manju Dehi to steer the direction and navigate complexities.
2. And then about seat reservation. Reservation has always been a sensitive topic with many having strong opinions against it. There is always a merit argument and unfairness that comes with affirmative action. But imagine a system where seats were not reserved for women in Panchayats. Manju Devi would never become Pradhan. As her character progresses, we see her growth in political acumen and despite Pradhan Pati virtually running the Panchayat, she has a voice often saner than her husband.
3. Partisanship in democracy: There will be threads of partisanship in any establishment. In Panchayat, Pradhan tries to favour his supporters with government freebies like PM Awas Yojana, but he has opponents like Banrakas who keep a check on decisions. It is a thin line between keeping supporters happy and maintaining that fine balance to not alienate everybody else. There is always a pressure of impending elections and that of people watching.
4. Power and wealth: Both drivers of politics in the village, Brij Bhushan and Banrakas are economically stronger than others. Democracy still needs financial wealth and people like Binod or Bam Bahadur need others to help them participate in the political process. It also appears that Brij Bhushan or Banrakas's wealth emanates from agricultural land, most of which would have been generational.
5. The Romanticism of the Rural World: In a bureaucracy, a person learns very fast that anyone can lie, even the most innocent faces. Daadi, seeking PM Awas lies to the Sachiv but she can't easily deceive the Pradhan. One always needs to hear both sides of the story. The major issues of the village revolve around road construction, PM Awas or the allocation of free toilets. There is a rush to get government benefits and people who still cannot afford a toilet. Aspirations and challenges in a village may be different from what exists in cities
6. There is separation in the roles of bureaucracy and elected representatives but it is difficult to maintain balance. In the real world, Sachiv needs Pradhan more than vice versa and although he can plead with rationale and logic, he cannot survive in the village if Pradhan doesn't support him. We can only hope that the system has sufficient checks and balances but my personal experience says that we are not moving in that direction. Politicians are more and more assertive and power structure allows them to do the same. The bitterness in politics has hardened stands on all sides and elected representatives do not shy in openly taking partisan decisions.
7. DM Madam appears to be a distant figure with a minimal role in Panchayat's functioning. She also appears helpless in controlling the MLA. For me, a great scene was where a Magistrate and a Police Inspector try to pacify the armed warring crowd of villagers and that led by MLA at immense personal risk. These officers play a big role in running day-to-day administration with minimal resources and huge challenges.

There are various other subtexts, love is still not easy and it is difficult for Rinki and Sachiv ji to openly meet. Community events like Jan Kirtan take place with forced contributions and Buses that pass through that road are forced to pay. Jawans who form the bulk of common soldiers still primarily come from villages indicating lack of other opportunities. There are transfers of government functionaries like Sachiv ji, that can take place at the whims of powerful MLAs. We can continue to talk about these

If I think about it, Sachiv ji is the only person out of place in a village like Phulera but both cannot exist independently. Who said the road to development is not full of stories; A series like Panchayat proves it.

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