A bigger picture emerges from the IIPM-gate affair. My reading may be overtly optimistic, but I want to get it off my chest.

IIPM-gate - and I use that cliched suffix carefully - is an important landmark in Indian democracy. The voluntary efforts of unaffected individuals to better the lives of their fellow citizens is creditable. Even if one student drops IIPM from his/her list of prospective colleges, it will have bettered his/her life.

The spoken word has been quite powerful in India. But never has the power of the written word been utilised more effectively, so rapidly, and with such little effort.

This movement symbolizes a change in perspective with regard to how complete strangers bound by similar moral antennae can collude without a central coordinating authority to affect change. It also continues to bring to attention two glaring facts, viz; news related to urban areas get more prominence primarily due to the ease of access. Ergo, change will occur principally in those areas. Two, where change is not directed centrally, people will adapt.

I had exchanged a mail with Amit Varma after the Mumbai flood and labeled it 'Apres Deluge, Vox Populi'. I'm 38 years old, arguably one of the oldest-farts in the Indian blogosphere. One of the more pleasing aspects of the evolution of Indian blogdom has been the complete, unhindered, optimistic can-do attitude of younger members. For those of us who were raised in the 1970s on a baggage of apathy caused by central planning, nothing could be more wonderful to us than this ability to witness what I can only term a revolution.

Quite surprisingly, Indians have been leading the charge in some fields. Yes, we may not have had a Dan Rather like scandal, but we've had our victories in voluntary efforts, especially in post-disaster scenarios.

From people running marathons to raise funds in order to educate underprivileged children in India, to working actively during the Tsunami, or covering their neighbourhood during the floods, Indians have, without much fuss, without many slogans, without taking to the streets, succeeded in creating a quiet revolution.