Dance of Democracy

The Model United Nations Society of Department of International Studies, Political Science and History organized an event called Dance of Democracy on 17th September 2021 on the occasion of International Day of Democracy. The event was divided into two parts: the prelims in which the participants were supposed to submit their ideas in the form of a PowerPoint presentation, and the final round in which six teams were shortlisted to present their ideas. Teams of two were allotted with countries situated in an era with no democracy in the country and the teams were then required to build a path to establish a democratic system in their respective countries. The six finalist teams represented Lebanon, Thailand, Haiti, and Afghanistan. The emcees for the final round were Neenu Stanly and Aditya, both from 1MAIS, who also briefed the gathering with the concept of the event and the rules to be followed. The event was graced by the presence of two judges, Ms Arushi Ganguly who is currently specializing in feminist International Relations with a focus on critical terrorism studies and Ms Nishtha Chhabra who is pursuing Tactile Mathematics and Knot Theory. The judges gave very insightful suggestions and feedback on the performance of participants in both rounds. Ms Nishtha appreciated all the presentations and also gave a few crucial suggestions by stating the importance of giving very specific solutions instead of generic solutions to issues concerning different countries and also mentioning those things in the presentation that the presenters are very sure of and well versed with. Ms Arushi appreciated the efforts taken by the participants and gave an important suggestion of reading up pacts signed by a country with other countries that is being represented. She also mentioned that systems vary from country to country and hence the system of one country cannot be applicable to all countries; that is why solutions specific to countries are necessary. The first position was bagged by Team Vanguard followed by second position bagged by Pioneers of Thai-cracy and third position by Team Wala-dat Amani. The winners, Wonchibeni and Sneha, presented about the Democratic Rejuvenation of Haiti, and suggested a parliamentary system along with ways of ensuring people’s support and keeping the chaos away. They also provided a roadmap with six steps including establishment of provisional government, parliamentary system of governance, decentralisation of power, establishment of independent institutions, anti-corruption measures, and promotion of accountability and good governance. Dr Madhumati Deshpande, Co-ordinator, Department of International Studies, Political Science and History, when asked to share her experience, appreciated the efforts of the team and stated how it was a great learning experience for everyone. She even emphasized on the event to be continued every year as a legacy. The event came to an end with the vote of thanks delivered by Samiksha Aind.