The Indian experience of Democracy is going through its toughest test till date. There have been many times in the past where Indian Democracy was tested. Problems with the Princely states, Hindi as a national language, regional succession campaigns - Tamil Nadu (oh yes... note the name Tamil Nation), Punjab, Assam, Kashmir (still going), life after Nehru's death, the Emergency, etc. All of these were limited to government, governance and politicians and were limited in their reach.
Today, our democracy faces :-
1. Radicalization of Hinduism (.. who could of thought that could ever happen), Islam and imported evangelists (it begins at your doorstep with "we want to talk to you about world peace") etc. The last time communal tension was this high was when Hari Prasad and Mohammed Ali insulted each other at the border at the time of independence. Today the Bajrang Dal and RSS have a national movement with no one to question them. Many Indian Muslims have found it easier to identify with Arabs and their causes than their own countrymen.
2. Rampant corruption in bureaucracy, politics and judiciary - in the order of origin (no! politicians did not start it). Check your history.
3. Trampling of the right to freedom of expression. The great justices of Madurai High Court loose no time in registering cases against those who exercise freedom of expression. Right to freedom is the backbone on which democracies are built. It is wonder that these justices are not aware of this.
These above problems are not limited to government / politicians, a particular section of the population, region etc. It is all around us now.
This is make or break moment for our nation. In the next few years, we will know if our nation stands united or disintegrates entirely.
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