Participation in democracy should go beyond voting, says T.M. Krishna

Participation in democracy should not be limited to just voting day, but it has to be an everyday engagement with politics and issues, Carnatic singer and author T.M. Krishna said in Kochi on Friday.

He was speaking at a bimonthly cultural event at Chavara Cultural Centre. He said that without “a cultural habit of democracy” people tend to have a “disassociated relationship with the State” with an element of underlying fear in it.

He said schools should be teaching how to frame a question because it is a thoughtful thing. “The State, irrespective of political parties, is more convenient if you don’t question. Every political party doesn’t want you and me to ask a question. They all have already designed the questions that we should ask, and we train to ask only those questions,” he said.

Sharing insights from his latest book, We, the People of India: Decoding a Nation’s Symbols, Mr. Krishna said much of the history being circulated about the national flag, national anthem, and the national symbol was wrong. The history of the national symbols is such that they can represent independent people as well as sensitise them about their individuality as citizens, he said.