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India's Democratic Princes|The recent death of the Andhra Pradesh chief minister was indeed a tragic event. To

lose a leader is a loss to the nation. However, what is striking is the immediate

succession drama that ensued. The top choice for the new CM's job was, in what will

be no surprise to Indians, the CM's son. Somehow, we have almost accepted the

hereditary entitlement of the children of Bollywood superstars and politicians. I have

no view on the choice of CM; nor am i an expert on Andhra politics. However, i am

intrigued by this general phenomenon on how some of the most important jobs in the

country are handed over based on lineage more than calibre.

We simply don't have a mechanism to get the best person for the most responsible

jobs in the country. So, why are we like this? Why do we think it is almost alright for a

politician's son to become the next leader? I think there are three main reasons. First

up is emotional decision-making. Apologies for stereotyping, but Indians are

emotional people. The content of our films and TV programming is ample evidence

of this. When it comes to choosing a public figure, the decision is almost never

completely rational. We are fond of Big B, so we also give Junior B a chance. It

doesn't matter as much when it is about choosing the star you want to watch on

screen. It has huge repercussions when you use emotional criteria for positions that

involve running the country.

There is no doubt that the deceased CM's family is in

deep grief, but to hand over the reins of the state only for that reason may not be thebest idea. Political choices by voters must be rational. I am not suggesting that all

people with lineage will not be able to do a good job. Rahul Gandhi has resurrected

the Congress; he speaks well and has kept his patience and not jumped to take the

top post. Maybe that should be the reason to elect him, but not because he reminds

you of his father. Similarly, if some of his subsidy policies are damaging the country's

finances, you can consider switching your vote. Your vote is an important choice for

your country, not an expression of love.

Second, there is a lack of institutions to groom political talent. We make great

engineers and doctors but we don't take our liberal arts courses seriously. A handfulof colleges are good, but most places are poorly run and we don't have any

institutions like Georgetown University in the US, for example, which actually trains

students for political careers. The content of existing courses is outdated. I have met

few political science graduates who can give an insightful view on the current state of

Indian politics and how to bring about change in the present times. Even apart from

education, the political parties have no induction methods of taking in bright young

Indians, conducting training programmes, or a meritocratic evaluation system in

place to make sure the best talent gets a chance to shine.

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In absence of all this, parties depend on a few charismatic personalities to run the

show and their sudden absence creates a void, which needs to be filled by a

personality clone rather than the best leader available. This further acts as a

demotivator for capable people to make a career in politics who know they'll never

make it to the top. This worsens the supply of good people in times of need.

And then there is the lack of political awareness. While we do study the

oversimplified definition of a democracy in school by the people, for the people

millions of Indians, particularly in the economically weaker sections of society, still do

not understand the full power of a democracy. Our history of monarchy is difficult to

shake off, as democracy is a recent arrival in India's story. The established lines

created by the caste system over centuries make it difficult to grasp the concept that

anyone with talent can and, importantly, should rise to the highest levels in society.

In this scenario, we see political leaders as kings, and their little princes are

automatically next in line.

If we do pay attention to these issues, we can make the beginning towards a robust

political system that elects strong leaders who can take India to the next level.

Meanwhile, the little princes should learn a lesson from Bollywood. Your pedigree

may have given you a break, but you still need to perform. There are only so many

flops daddy's name can support. Somebody may have made you a prince, but to

stay there and become a real hero, you need to become a leader. The lights and

cameras are on you now, so let's see if you can deliver. Action!