Dr Ashwani Kumar
ashwinsociology@gmail.com
Democracy is often described in terms of constitutional rights, elections, and institutions. Yet most citizens encounter democracy in a far more ordinary way: through the tone of the state. The way an official speaks, listens, responds, or dismisses becomes the everyday language through which people judge whether the state respects them. Tone may appear like a small detail, but it quietly reflects the moral quality of governance. It signals whether the state sees citizens as equals or as people who must be guided, corrected, or managed.In our society, it is noticed that the communication style within administrative spaces is non democratic. Many citizens today experience a tone from officials that feels less like public service and more like patronage. Instead of interacting with citizens as rights-bearing individuals, some officials adopt a manner that suggests superiority or impatience. The result is a subtle transformation in how governance is felt. The bureaucratic voice begins to sound like that of a patron, someone who expects deference rather than an accountable public servant. This shift has clear social consequences. When an official’s tone is stern or corrective, the citizen is pushed into a lower moral position. The interaction no longer reflects equality but hierarchy. People start to frame their genuine concerns as requests, speak more softly than necessary, or avoid direct questions. Many learn to behave with excessive caution inside government offices, not because they lack confidence, but because the communicative setting signals that being assertive may invite disapproval. This dynamic quietly alters the relationship between the state and the citizen.
A key question emerges: Can a healthy democracy afford bureaucrats who behave like patrons? The answer must be no. Patronage-like communication weakens democratic culture because it transforms rights into favours. It encourages citizens to feel grateful for what they are entitled to. A democracy survives not by charity from above but by equality across society. When bureaucratic tone communicates charity instead of rights, the entire purpose of public service erodes.
What democracy needs is ethical citizenship. This expectation is not unfair; it is essential. May some citizens not be able to become ethical citizens due to a lack of resources, awareness, or access to education, and can fully practise ethical citizenship at all times. A person struggling with poverty, displacement, or limited literacy may not always know how to negotiate with the state with confidence. In such a situation, the burden of maintaining democratic ethics cannot rest equally on citizens. It must rest primarily on the state and its representatives.
Public servants must therefore act as beacons of ethical citizens. This involves more than following rules. It requires the ability to communicate with respect even when citizens are distressed or uncertain. It demands the discipline to separate personal emotion from public responsibility. And it calls for the awareness that a single interaction can shape a citizen’s trust in the entire state. Another important social dimension often overlooked is the space in which communication happens. Most interactions between citizens and officials occur within administrative buildings, spaces shaped by hierarchy, formality, and often intimidation. These are environments where citizens already feel at a disadvantage. A healthier democratic practice would encourage administrators to step out of these formal spaces and participate in discussions with citizens within community settings, local halls, school courtyards, village squares, neighbourhood centres, or other informal public spaces.
When officials meet citizens in community spaces, the interaction changes. The physical distance of power reduces. People feel more confident, more expressive, and more comfortable speaking openly. Administrators, too, gain a better understanding of local concerns, social pressures, and lived realities that cannot be captured in files or reports. This movement of the state into community settings strengthens the democratic relationship. It demonstrates that governance is not something performed inside inaccessible offices, but something experienced together with the public.
If administration remains confined to official spaces, the tone of communication will continue to mirror the hierarchy of the room. The desk, the files, the security guard, the caller system, all of these symbols reinforce the difference between state and citizen. Moving discussions into community spaces does not weaken authority; it makes it more legitimate. It signals humility, willingness to listen, and readiness to share the space of democracy with the people who sustain it.
The shift in tone and space is also tied to broader structural factors. Centralisation of decision-making, performance pressures, and the rise of surveillance-driven governance all push officials to project firmness rather than empathy. Administrative training tends to focus on procedure, compliance, and efficiency, often at the cost of communication ethics. But tone is not a small matter. It influences trust, cooperation, and participation-the very elements that keep democratic institutions alive.
If bureaucrats are encouraged to embrace an ethical communicative style, the effects are far-reaching. Citizens would become more willing as well comfortable to raise concerns. They feel free to bring problems forward without fear of judgment. They will experience that the state is not an intimidating force but a partner in their conversations. This practice would build sustainable trust in institutions, which is essential for democratic stability. Democracy is ultimately lived through encounters, not only through legislation, as democracy is not absolute; instead, it is a continuing, evolving project, and free speech always helps the representatives of democracy to understand the new expectations of their stakeholders. Every conversation in a government office, every consultation meeting, every response to a citizen’s question acts as a micro-experiment of democratic ethics. When tone is respectful, governance becomes participatory. When the state meets citizens in their own spaces, democracy becomes accessible.
For a democracy to remain healthy, it cannot rely on bureaucrats who act like patrons. It requires officials who practise ethical citizenship, communicate with humility, and understand that their tone represents the moral voice of the state. Citizens may come from varied social and educational backgrounds, but the state must remain consistent in dignity. When public servants speak with respect and when they step beyond administrative offices into community spaces, they strengthen not just the quality of governance but the very soul of democratic life.
(The author is an Assistant Professor at UILS, Chandigarh University, Punjab.)
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