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    Voters, enough of showing the finger

    Synopsis

    The practice of displaying inked fingers after voting has become a cliché, with social media flooded with similar poses. While it's understandable to want to share your participation in the democratic process, the excessive emphasis on this gesture can seem exaggerated. Instead of the usual finger-pointing photos, perhaps voters could find more creative ways to celebrate their civic duty, such as getting nail art or wearing unique gloves.

    Voters, Enough of Showing the Finger
    At one level, everyone showing the finger is cute. At another, it's truly maha eyeroll-worthy. Sure, you've voted, and you want everyone to know you voted. If you're not someone famous or worthy, then you can even post your own 'press photo' showing you flipping the bird, marked with the sacral blue dye on social media and wait till the 'likes' come home. But seriously? Showing your index inked finger with a beaming smile as if you've saved democracy from the clutches of impending dictatorship - and from the insidiously-suspicious-of-the-non-West Western media? Puh-lease.

    Come voting day, all social feeds feed this frenzy. There are just variations of that one pose: a democratic smile, a 'I have decided the future of the nation' finger pointing to the sky, with the caption or its variants, 'Been there, done that' - with the unsaid line: now, mere saat khoon maaf. Enough of this finger-wagging, peeps. Which doesn't mean that we're suggesting that voters should get all coy after voting. Why can't you, upright citizens at least for a day, be a little more imaginative? Get some nail paint done on those cuticles while you're at it - 'it' being your date with the EVM. Mehendi your hands. Wear branded gloves snipped at the fingers. Just not the same old, same old blue dye day faux-Cannes parade of your phalange, please.

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