The people of the country of Egypt take to the streets en masse to demand democratic elections among other rights. The world’s largest English news daily, published from the world’s largest democracy, runs an article on how corporate spouses’ vacation plans in Egypt have been ruined by the protests.

The two statements put together paint an absurd picture of ‘democracy’. On the one hand – democracy is still that ideal of the purest expression of the people’s will. The Egyptian people have endured a 30 year long regime that has subjected them to surveillance and curtailment of freedom of expression and sham elections, among other injustices; the situation is worsened by the global financial crisis that has slowed down their economy since 2009. Demands for change can be made only with the language of rights, justice and freedom, and only a democratic form of government can speak this language.

On the other hand, look where 61 years of democracy in India have led us – a point in time where we are poised to be the Future World Superpower having finally assumed its ‘rightful place’ in the international arena by becoming the world’s largest market. India is palatable compared to that other third world future superpower by virtue of being democratic; as decided by that most freedom-loving country of them all, the USA. ‘India Shining’ – let’s not even mention the dull, tarnished Bharat thoughtlessly pushed into the shadows – is building its international reputation with the Tatas buying Jaguar, the Mallyas bringing F1 racing to Indian roads and the Vikram Pandits rising to become CEOs of leading MNCs. India even has a free and vibrant press, which is, among other things, one of the foundations and verification marks for a thriving democracy.

Which brings us to the article in question. In this day and age of consumer-driven news, articles are not published only for their news-worthiness but also with the consideration of what the readership wants – the most ostentatious example being the ‘My News’ segment that a popular English news channel runs, where viewers decide what news segment they would rather watch. And this is what our free press chooses for us to read; that a country’s outburst for democracy proved to be a hindrance for the shopping plans of Indian corporates’ wives. An outrageously apathetic piece describing the boredom of people who are safely holed up in a hotel and whose fond memories of the Egypt trip consist of nothing less than ‘tanks on the streets’, to make up for the lack of pyramids and mummies. This is what the sizable Indian middle class – birthed and sustained by democracy and possessing global aspirations and exploding purchasing power today – supposedly wants to read. (The comments on the article, thankfully, prove this wrong).

This is the reality of democracy today – the global standard is a framework of liberal democratic rights and provisions championed by none other than the WTO and World Bank/IMF themselves, which comes hand in hand with the inescapable consumerist society-driven capitalist economy that countries must partake in or perish. All we can hope for is that English newspapers in India stop considering ad revenues as indicators of what readers want; and that democracy in Egypt can, somehow, prove an exception to this rule.