Every moment of every day, we are bathed in the glow of a never-ending starburst of ideas. Like their stellar counterparts, some of these ideas are closer to us, while others are barely visible. Sometimes, the most extraordinary ideas can only be noticed when we are in the right position to observe them. Some of the grand ones die like a supernova, with a bang; others implode more quietly. Often, ideas come together in a cluster, embellishing one another like siblings in a constellation. Over the past few years, I have been a student of the ideas related to democracy. I had always believed that there had been a grand tradition of democratic functioning, reinforced by the hazy learning about Athens as the city where every citizen was involved in matters of state. 

As I explored more, what I had imagined as a continuous line of democratic tradition began to fragment; I saw the gaps of hundreds of years where democracy took a back seat. I also learnt about the differences in the ideas of democracy, sometimes presented merely as an argument for more efficient government, other times as the basis for the development of the individual and society. 

As my knowledge of these issues grew, so did the awareness of my ignorance. In these travels through the evolution of democracy, I also noticed that I was coming up quite close to our own times before there was really significant progress. This is an idea that has matured merely over the past few hundred years. 

The great thinkers also wrestled with the balance between the elegance of the “idea” of democracy, and the difficulties inherent in the “doing” of it. How does one practice it, on an ongoing basis, knowing that it is physically impossible for every citizen to be actually involved in the day-to-day functioning of government? What does this mean for the distribution of power? 

In our corner of the world, we have embarked on the seas of democracy with the Janaagraha endeavour, equipped with little more than a raft of passion and pragmatism. We set out with what was a matter of simple logic. Citizens need to be involved in matters of public governance, and we can do this in a manner where people can participate without giving up their lives. Not only is this the more efficient way of decentralisation, it also fosters better values in each of us and enriches the sense of community. It works at every level. 

What I am discovering is that this is indeed the only way to set sail, on a raft that gets reinforced by our own experiences, and guided by the ideas that we keep spotting in the skies. Democracy is an idea that is much better lived than talked about. 

A great idea is one that becomes so well-entrenched that people cannot imagine a time before it. I believe that we are living in a time where we will see a dramatic acceleration in the idea of participatory democracy. I see this in the confluence of a variety of critical factors: the increasing vocalism of citizens, the emergence of truly decentralising technology, and a few cauldrons of catalysis that can together tip the dominoes to create history. 

The constellation of democracy is bursting with activity.