Raising a toast to democracy in Athens

In the cradle of democracy, Geetanjali Krishna raises a toast to change and the power of time

This year, depressing news of beef bans, anti-Romeo squads and ‘seditious’ dissenters have made me wonder about democracy and what it means to people like us. I’m none the wiser for it, but find myself in august company. Even Bill Clinton said after the 2000 US presidential election, “The people have spoken: we’re just not sure what they’ve said!” That is why I approached an impending trip to Athens — the cradle of democracy where the notions of equality, free speech and civic liberty first took shape — as much as pilgrimage as a holiday.