An old joke goes that the word “politics” comes from two root words: “Poly” or many, and “ticks” or blood-sucking creatures.

The word’s actual origins can be traced to “polis”, or the Greek word for the city-state. It was the civic unit under which citizens and those holding power engaged with one another for creating a better quality of life. But over 2,000 years later, “politics” evokes a much more adverse reaction — a feeling of being compromised, of something dirty.

The disgust is not limited to our nation state or political parties. One only needs to tune into the latest episode of Bigg Boss to hear shrieky accusations of politics and games being played within their own islands of administration.

So much so that a protest demanding the resignation of a political leader, organised by activists and former political communications professionals, has at times been comically described as a non-political event. And it’s not just coming from fluff social media statements from celebrities, who are nowadays generally uninterested in sticking their necks out.

Many attendees have been reported as saying that they support specific demands for resignation and systemic reform, but they don’t........

© Indian Express