Politics is not only a profession and career but also an interesting game for many. We all know that for pursuing any profession, career or game, one needs to have graduated or taken a specialized training with a minimum period and standards prescribed but in politics one doesn’t need any formal course or training. Of course, right contacts and/or opportunity are pre-requisites and one needs to constantly repeat time and again about his mission for upholding constitution, and intent and devotion for public service.

Though ‘Political Science’ as a prescribed subject exists and offers a lot of routine knowledge and skills for aspiring undergraduate and graduate students. Those who intentionally opt politics as subject study through a curriculum and lead a mediocre life picking up a job in the government or elsewhere after passing through a college or university. And those who, instead of wasting time in such studies, prefer to graduate in learning art of capturing public pulse and mood march ahead to join politics and make a career out of it. Recalling from my own experience from university days, I find many who were serious in studies, later picked up jobs as government servant, scientist, teacher, doctor, clerks etc, and those who were often associated with troubles and anarchy in campus, some of them are holding even responsible posts in state and national politics now.

For many, politics is indeed and addiction or obsession, so to say. One may enter in politics with whatever stated sacred intentions or sense of sacrifice for the public cause, but soon he (or she) starts enjoying the game and immense power (and privilege too)  it offers, and the rule of game changes to furtherance of own cause, in terms of status, wealth, and mass and media attention. For majority, focus remains on achieving personal ambitions, setting a long term goal and strategy on how to succeed and forge ahead in the game, and how to check and mate the potential adversaries like what we do in a chess game.

In politics, I have often seen when the precariously placed politicians or legislative group on the floor of Assembly try to avoid a show down with potential opponents in terms of division of votes for a cause (a bill or motion!) with a view to sail through and stay longer in power. But it is altogether a new experience to see a player deliberately precipitating a situation in the national capital assembly for a willful division of votes knowing well the outcome of such eventuality, his side already being in minority. So you provoke your opponents to a point, achieve intended outcome, brand it to a martyrdom and make use of the opportunity to move ahead for a larger ambition or goal.

Should we call it a politics based on principles with right ethics and values or a calculated move of opportunism and strategy with eyes cleverly set for a much larger political gain in the future ahead. Clearly new set of players with better education and mind power are joining the game, the rules of the game are changing accordingly and only time will establish the efficacy and ingenuity of players involved.

For a majority of the neutral onlookers or observers like us, this of course, for the present, is no more than a melodrama and entertainment for free. In any case, to serve the nation, you don't have to be only a political player, you can contribute your own little bit in the area of your work without publicity and even this will go a long way in the nation building.