Bikehikebabe, one of my regular readers and commentators, who has become a personal friend too thanks to Skype, sent me a quiz to determine where I would stand in the political and economic map.
Though the quiz was addressed to the American public, I took the quiz and was classified as a libertarian. The definition for a libertarian being – “Libertarians support maximum liberty in both personal and economic matters. They advocate a much smaller government; one that is limited to protecting individuals from coercion and violence. Libertarians tend to embrace individual responsibility, oppose government bureaucracy and taxes, promote private charity, tolerate diverse lifestyles, support the free market, and defend civil liberties.”
India has all the possible shades of political/economic posturing and many labels too. The most popular being, Far Left, Far Right, Left, Right, Center, Socialist, Casteist, Chauvinist, Secular, Local, National, Regional, Religious and so on and so forth, but most of us know that it all boils down to one single entity – Convenientism. Within that single definition, we now have the great Indian tradition of dynasty showing its face too. The heartening aspect of the whole circus however is that by and large free and fair elections are held and democracy is alive and flourishing.
The term Libertarian has so far not gained any recognition in the Indian scene, but the definition certainly explains my beliefs as does it of many of my friends and relatives. I hope to be able to convince many others to join my bandwagon.
For my readers who would like to slot themselves, I would strongly recommend taking the quiz.
Thank you Bikehikebabe.