We, the Hoi Polloi.

There was, once, the Bourgeoisie. They had all the money and all the lands.

And then there was the Proletariat. They had nothing but strength in their arms and a dogged willpower.

The bourgeoisie held all the means of production. They made all the rules; they hoarded all the capital and shelled out as little as they could.

The proletariat were nothing but hapless laborers, forced into menial labor to earn the petty wages that filled their bellies. They had little rights; no voice.

And then revolution happened, and the tables were turned.

But did the revolution take shape overnight? Did the people just wake up one fine day from a deep slumber, and rebel against decades and centuries of oppression? There's much more to every revolution than just that.

[Jump back to the present]

What kind of a world do we live in today? Does democracy, in its true essence, really exist or are we just being sold on the myth of the Indian democracy?

Isn't it more of a dynastic democratic government that is ruling us, siphoning off our hard-earned money, selling us peanuts in the form of over-hyped achievements and periodic reassurances? Who are we if not the proletariat, the Hoi Polloi of Indian society - the ones who have to choose between the corrupt and the more corrupt, the arrogant radicals and the ruling dynasty?

Revolution isn't just about gathering numbers, staging protests, fasting or showing might. It never has been and perhaps never shall be. Revolution stems from ideas - strong but informed opinions. Unless we ponder, unless we hold an informed opinion - who are we but the proletariat, a herd of animals driven by the herders according to their own sweet will?

Indian society is awakening. Slowly, but for sure, change is creeping in. We, the common people, the Hoi Polloi, need to jump in and give ourselves to the movement. We need to let our opinions be known; we need to make them count. It is after all we, who make them, and not the other way round.

Let the proletariat speak up.