"When men are most sure and arrogant they are commonly most mistaken, giving views to passion without that proper deliberation which alone can secure them from the grossest absurdities." Philosopher David Hume could just as well be writing about the results of the 2024 general election in India.

Arrogance, the leitmotif of this election, is twice cursed. Not only does it produce "ignorance by silencing others" but it also breeds "self-delusion in the arrogant themselves," as explained more recently by Alessandra Tanesini. In Greek tragedy, arrogance was seen as one of the essential flaws of the tragic hero. In our times, however, heroism itself is a casualty of arrogance. This election has been a moment of reckoning for everyone who wore arrogance as a second skin. It won't be hyperbolic to say that the humble, vulnerable, taken-for-granted voter had the last word, delivering a coup de grace.

One must remember, however, that arrogance was not the sole domain of one or more political parties in this election season. All stakeholders are guilty of displaying different signs and shades of it. Here are some lessons for those who badly need to relearn:

The voter in the world's largest democracy remains extremely vulnerable, putting her neck........

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