Democracy

What began as a usual Wednesday morning turned into an extraordinary, unbelievable day.

I turned on the TV to watch the live joint session of Congress to certify Joe Biden’s electoral victory. The final procedural step in the election process by counting each state’s electoral votes. These televised proceedings have always fascinated me.

But soon the focus turned to the protesters outside the US Capitol. Rioters breached the US Capitol building for the first time since 1814. Violent scenes flashed on our TV screens as people all around the country watched in disbelief. This couldn’t be happening in America.

My mind drifted back to another unforgettable day. It was Friday, November 22, 1963, when President John F. Kennedy was shot in Dallas, Texas. The time was 12:30 p.m. The President was pronounced dead at 1:00 p.m.

Thousands of miles away in Hyderabad, India, we had just heard the news of the shooting in Dallas, Texas. My parents, my uncle, other family members, and I huddled near the radio to hear every word of the news bulletin. It was Saturday, November 23, in India. We didn't know if the shooting was fatal or if the President had survived the assassination attempt.

The house was quiet. We spoke in hushed voices. Images of the young president came to mind. Then came the terrible news that President Kennedy had died. It was as if someone in the family had been struck. The feeling stayed throughout the day.

I went to college, the atmosphere was somber. My Political Science professor couldn’t hide her emotions. She talked about the democratic process in the United States that had enabled a new president to be sworn in within hours of President Kennedy’s death. President Kennedy had died at 1:00 p.m. Central Standard Time and Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn in as the new president at 2:38 p.m. The inauguration took place aboard Air Force One.

We saw pictures of the grief-stricken Mrs. Kennedy in her blood-stained pink suit standing next to the new president as he took the oath of office. It was as though nothing could delay the democratic process of the swearing-in of the next president.

For the next few days, there was a feeling of grief and loss, as if someone we knew personally had died.

We wanted to get all the news we could but newspapers and magazines were sold out. People marveled at the smoothness and decent manner in which power was transferred to a new president. There were long discussions in my family on the enduring strength of democracy in the United States of America.

Remembering that day in November 1963, somehow dissipated my feelings of shock and dismay at today’s events.