On Governance and Democracy [Being Indian & Christian #8]

Rahul Gandhi's disqualification, the idea of democracy, and whether surveillance reduces crime

Hi friends,

Welcome to another issue of Being Indian & Christian. This was a rather hectic week for me. However, from a work point of view, I will not be having intensely hectic weeks for the next couple of months. So, yayyyy! :D

Blog Post — On the disqualification of Rahul Gandhi as an MP and why democracy matters

It’s been a rather happening two weeks for Indian politics. The conviction of Rahul Gandhi in a defamation case, and his subsequent expulsion from the Parliament have been causing a lot of discussions. In this context, I reflect on why, as a Christian, democracy matters to me. I believe that democracy, is so far the best form of governance we have that takes into account both the fact that we have been created in the image of God, and that we are unfit to rule due to our sin.

Read the full article

Article from Rest of World — More CCTV, more crime: India’s most-surveilled cities are the least safe

Here is an interesting reminder that increased surveillance does not reduce crime. As Christians, we must remember that when our hearts are rotten from within, no amount of surveillance and no amount of punishments can act as deterrent to prevent crime. Here is a paragraph from the article:

Facial recognition using CCTV footage is often touted as a solution to counter crime. According to a 2022 data report by U.K.-based technology research firm Comparitech, a handful of Indian cities are among the most surveilled cities globally. But these cities also have some of the highest crime rates.

For every 1,000 people, Indore — the most surveilled city in India — has  62.52 cameras. Indore stands second to Chinese cities like Shanghai, Beijing, and Chongqing, which have 372.8 cameras per 1,000 persons. Yet, during the first five months of 2022, crimes such as rape and house-breaking rose by 14% in Indore.

Read the full article

Soch by Mohak Mangal

Here is a YouTube channel I have been enjoying quite a bit. Mohak makes fact-based videos on a number of issues that affect India — from politics to the issues faced by the youth. Here is a video to get started with.

That’s it for this edition, folks! See you next week!

Cheers,
Caleb