It all started with a concept called Democracy. Everyone in the country would have a Vote. And every vote had the same value.

No preferential votes. No weighted votes. One vote each. Simple.

It was alright when the masses did not know enough about the elections or frankly didn’t care enough about the Democratic Process. The candidates focused on a specific segment and won the game of numbers with ease.

This led to the discovery of the minority vote. And over the years the minorities became priorities only because they represented easier reachable masses and numbers. And damned the Majorities to a lifetime of conflicts, mostly unresolved.

Now that is a chapter of history that we are living and I guess there is no logic there. And no point complaining about the riff raff that’s taking advantage of the statistics and unleashing a rule of milkmen and dancing girls.

Of course the three idiots of national stature did nothing to help the public beat the math.

But that is not what I am interested in. I am interested in the power of the Internet. Especially an Internet that seems to have discovered the charm of polling.

Who is the greatest Leader? Which is the best Song? Which is the finest Movie ever made? Who is the best looking girl in the world? Questions like these are being asked by way of polls. And therein lies an opportunity.

Now here is a chance to rewrite history and define the future of perceptions.

All we need to do, by hook or crook…is to ensure that in every relevant poll, or every poll worth the effort, we should have an Indian Entry.

Best Song? Let’s propose Jana Gana Mana…doesn’t matter if it’s really the best that music has to offer. It’s a national song and we are proud of it. So let us put our muscle, our netizen muscle behind it and make the charts register a clear win.

Do you get the idea?

Take a Movie. Slumdog Billionaire. Hell, if we plan it right, this movie can get an Oscar even before it is actually made. That is the power of our Indian Population. And the fraternity that has been trained to log in and vote.

Don’t forget. India is perhaps the only country where Revenue Models for Television Shows begin with a SMS Contest.

Just to test the waters, try this yourself. Make a list of five women. Five beautiful women. From Sophia Loren to Marilyn Monroe. The names do not matter, neither does your taste.

Then add one Indian lady. Say Deepika Padukone. Or even the late Nirupa Roy. Like I said, the name doesn’t matter. It is the strategy. It is the planning. And the promotion. And our presence across the world.

I promise you we have the muscle today to vote Nirupa Roy as the best looking woman in the century. We do.

It’s a different thing altogether that no one has nominated her for the contest.

It’s a different thing too that some people are being nominated. Some Chief Ministers for example. Some actors too.

Maybe someone else has realised the power of the online poll.

My God. Soon we’ll have two realms. An Online Polity. And an offline Leader.

And may the twain never meet.