Thursday, November 06, 2008

Matadaana ...err ... Voting

And so Barrack Obama is the 44th President of USA. The votes were cast on the 4th Nov 08 and result announced the very same night !
This day brought back memories of my voting experiences when in India. I got to vote the first time as soon as I turned 18 ... I think it was for Corporation election. The enthusiasm of voting for the first time, the pride of feeling a responsible adult, strong belief of making a difference to the country ... and many more emotions were experienced by me at that point. My great grandma, (muttajji) who was a vociferous reader and a great enthusiast in politics was my motivator. She must have been around 85+ at that time and still was very keen on casting her vote. She was a retired head mistress who stayed in my grandma's house (her only daughter) After following the local newspapers and learning about the election contestants and the political party they represented I cast my all important vote at a near by college.
I remember showing the "Black Ink" mark (an indication of having voted) on my nail to my friends and debating with them what the outcome of the election would be ...

I got to vote the second time when Lok Sabha elections were held ... again I ensured my id was right .. went early to the booth and cast my vote. And that was the last time I cast my vote ... I moved to a different city and then to a different country, so have been unable to experience the sheer satisfaction of casting my precious vote.

Do you remember your first voting experience?

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