Where Asking Questions Should Begin
Aditya Shukla, Head Boy, Laurels International School
According to IQAir’s World Air Quality Report 2024, 13 of the 20 most polluted cities in the world are in India. This is a shocking fact, and it affects the health and future of millions of people. Yet, instead of demanding urgent solutions, most people stay silent. Such a huge national problem should be a burning question asked by everyone, but it is often ignored. This silence shows how democracy becomes weak when citizens do not raise their voices.
India, the world’s largest democracy and the most populous nation, is built on the principle that every citizen has the right to speak, question, and participate. Yet in practice, asking questions is not always given the importance it deserves. Sometimes people hesitate out of fear, sometimes due to indifference, and sometimes because they believe nothing will change. Whatever the reason, the absence of questioning weakens the foundation of responsible governance and the very spirit of democracy—accountability.
Democracy is not only about casting votes once in a few years; it is about holding leaders accountable and keeping institutions answerable every day. H. L. Mencken once observed, “The cure for the evils of democracy is more democracy” (Notes on Democracy, 1926). More democracy begins with asking questions.
But this culture of questioning must not be limited to politics or government. It has to start from home. Parents should encourage their children to voice their opinions, listen to them when they are right, and guide them when they are not. In schools and colleges too, students should feel free to ask “why” and “why not,” instead of being silent or passive. Local bodies, communities, and every small institution should nurture this habit of questioning—because it is through small spaces of accountability that a larger democracy flourishes.
At the same time, authorities must remember that they are custodians of society, not bosses sitting above it. Their responsibility is to serve, guide, and protect the people, not to rule over them. Unfortunately, when questions are not raised, many in power begin to act as though they are beyond accountability. A healthy culture of questioning and answering ensures that those in authority never forget their true role—as caretakers of public trust.
When citizens stop asking, governance becomes weak, and problems remain unsolved. At the same time, when people dare to question with sincerity and persistence, change does come. Asking may not always be easy—it may invite criticism or consequences—but without it, society risks sliding into silence.
History shows us that when questions are ignored too long, protests and unrest often become the only remaining voice, as seen recently in Nepal’s “ZenZ protests.” India must not wait for such breaking points. Instead, we should build a culture where questioning is natural, welcomed, and answered with responsibility.
The new generation, unlike the past, is unlikely to accept wrong practices simply because “it has always been so.” They will ask, and they should ask. This spirit of questioning is more powerful than any law written in the Constitution, for it ensures that democracy remains alive in the hearts of its people.
So let us remember: democracy thrives not in silence but in dialogue. By asking fair, honest, and necessary questions, each one of us—at home, in school, in society, and in government—can keep India’s democracy strong and accountable.