"We are free," they said in 1947.

But are we really?

Or did the crown just change hands—once worn by kings, now worn by politicians?

India is called the world’s largest democracy. We are told we rule ourselves. We vote. We decide. We govern.

But ask a farmer whose land was taken for a development project he never wanted.                                                                                                      Ask a daily wage laborer who still earns ₹300 after 14 hours of work.      Ask a girl walking miles for school while her MP’s daughter studies abroad.                                                                                                                Ask the youth—millions of them—graduating each year with degrees but no jobs.

Is this what freedom looks like? Is this what democracy promised?

From Kings to Candidates: A History of Power That Never Left the Top

Once, kings ruled India with swords and silence. Their rule was based on birth, not merit. Their decisions were law. Some kings were generous, some cruel—but none were accountable to the people.

After independence, India embraced democracy. The vote became our voice. For the first time, the poor, the tribal, the woman, the common man—everyone had the power to choose their leader.

It was historic.

It was revolutionary.

It was hopeful.

But as decades passed, something changed.                                                Politics stopped being about service and started becoming about survival.                                                                                                             Elections became spectacles. Campaigns became wars.

And the people—the very ones democracy was built for—were reduced to numbers, votes, headcounts.

Is Modi a King or a Leader? Or Just a Mirror of a Larger Truth?

Take Prime Minister Narendra Modi—not to target, but to question, as every citizen should.

He is one of the most powerful leaders India has seen in recent history. He connects deeply with a large base. He speaks of nationalism, development, and pride.

But under his watch:

• Over 20 crore Indians are still living below the poverty line (NITI Aayog Multidimensional Poverty Index, 2023).
• India ranks 111 out of 125 in the Global Hunger Index 2023.
• Over 30 lakh government posts remain vacant while unemployment rises.
• The Freedom House Index downgraded India’s democracy from “Free” to “Partly Free” in 2021, citing suppression of dissent, media control, and religious intolerance.

We are told we are progressing. But who is progressing?                          Does the average Indian feel it? Or is progress reserved for a few—while the rest are made to chant slogans in exchange for hope?

From Vote Banks to Pawn Banks: The Politics of Manipulation

In monarchies, kings used fear to stay in power. Today’s politics does the same—just with new packaging.

• Fear of religion.
• Fear of the other community.
• Fear of the border.
• Fear of questioning the government.

Why is asking for better roads, schools, or hospitals seen as “ungrateful”? 

Why are student protesters called “anti-national”?              

Why are journalists jailed for reporting truths that make the powerful uncomfortable?

Just as kings silenced their critics, politicians today cancel, arrest, discredit, and erase those who speak up.

And we, the people, watch in silence.                                                            Or worse—we defend those in power, forgetting they were meant to defend us.

Real Questions We Must Dare to Ask

• Why are so many public schools falling apart while politicians’ children study in foreign universities?
• Why do lakhs sleep hungry while thousands of crores are spent on statues and stadiums?
• Why do soldiers die at the border, while some ministers deliver hate speeches with impunity?
• Why do we get water once a day, electricity for half the night, and no healthcare—yet are told to feel “proud to be Indian”?

Pride without justice is propaganda. 

Progress without equality is performance. 

Power without accountability is monarchy.

The Reality on the Ground

Let’s look beyond Twitter trends and headlines. Real India tells a different story:

• In rural Uttar Pradesh, Lakshmi Devi walks 3 km for water every day, even though her district received ₹13 crore under the Jal Jeevan Mission. Where did the money go?
• In Rajasthan, teacher Sohan Lal, who served for 22 years, died by suicide when he wasn’t paid for 8 months. His widow still waits for compensation.
• In Kerala, educated girls are denied jobs because they are “of marriageable age,” no matter how talented they are.
• In Manipur, entire communities were burnt, displaced, and killed—while the Prime Minister remained silent for over 70 days.

Is this what democracy looks like?

When Leaders Become Above the Law

The beauty of democracy is that no one is above the law.

But today, politicians accused of corruption, communal hate, violence, or sexual harassment often continue in office—or even get promoted.

We see activists, environmentalists, and student leaders arrested for "disturbing harmony"—while hate-mongers roam free.

Back in the times of kings, justice was whatever pleased the ruler.

Today, justice often bends to whoever holds power.

We were supposed to leave that behind.

Where Is the Human in Our Politics?

Politics today is about control, not care.

Where is the empathy? 

Where is the leader who sits with a grieving mother without cameras?  Where is the minister who admits failure instead of blaming the past or the opposition?

Where is the party that speaks to a slum child with the same respect as a billionaire donor?

People are not vote banks. They are lives. 

They bleed, cry, hunger, and hope. 

They don’t need grand promises—they need dignity, bread, medicine, and honest governance.

People don’t want rulers. They want representatives.

We, the People, Also Need to Wake Up

This isn’t just the politicians’ failure—it’s ours too.

• Are we voting based on facts or emotions?
• Are we demanding policies or falling for freebies?
• Are we reading manifestos or just watching speeches?
• Are we treating politicians like gods or like public servants?

If we expect nothing, we get nothing.

Democracy is not inherited—it is maintained with effort, education, and courage.

A New Kind of Power

India doesn’t need kings again.

It needs teachers paid on time.

Doctors who aren’t overworked.

Farmers who don’t die in silence.

Women who walk freely, not fearfully.

Youth who create, innovate, question, and lead.

India doesn’t need rulers.

It needs leaders who listen.

Conclusion: The Throne Is Still There—but We Hold the Key

Power has always lived at the top. But change always begins at the bottom.

The throne never left. It just changed names.                                         The question is—will we continue to kneel before it, or finally rise and reclaim what democracy truly means?

Not just votes.

But voice.

Not just freedom.

But fairness. 

Not just elections.

But everyday accountability.

Because the day we remember that we are the real rulers is the day India will finally be free.

.     .     .