Voterfiles: A Political Travelogue

As the hours ticked by on May 16, 2009, the picture became clear. India's ruling UPA coalition had won an unexpected majority. Soon the pundits on TV screens called it the 'collective wisdom' of the electorate in favour of stability, socio- economic development and secularism and a rejection of identity politics based on caste, region and religion. But amidst the live tapings and constructs of the mandate, the real motivations of the people were seemingly forgotten. Voterfiles is one such attempt to track these ugly truths that lay concealed under the facade of democracy. A travelogue with political tinge and an intensely personal experience of a journalist in search in search of meaning to everyday terms like development, growth, farmer suicides, religion and democracy within the Indian context. Forty-five days along the long, winding road during election season, this collection of articles is a ground-zero assessment of the socio- political attitudes of Indians and their relationship with those rule them.