Why BJP losing Delhi is in National Interest?

Last year when general elections were about to happen and Modi wave was clearly riding over the country, the big worry for me was who will stop the communal people from RSS, VHP, BJP etc. once Modi becomes PM. I was sure that it would be beyond his control to stop the people who would use his name to spread communalism in the country. The best was that he did not speak once during his entire campaign last year about communalism but promised development(I have some questions on his development model as well) and promoted that agenda. He had a very positive narrative to share with the country and he tried to move away from his 2002 riot image.

Today after around 9 months of Modi government, the entire country has seen surge in communal forces trying to run campaigns like "Gharwapsi", love jihad, vandalizing churches in Delhi. We have seen Praveen Togadia spreading hatred, BJP MP's supporting such things and adding fuel. The worst is that our PM Modi did not come out to speak(read tweet) once about anything. He has been tweeting for everything, he tweeted for Charlie Hebdo the very same evening but we are yet to hear from him about one statement against such thing.

Next disastrous thing for me is accepting a person like Amit Shah and media channels heaping praise on him. SIT might have given him clean chit but we have a history of how CBI and SIT have been misused in this country. Same Amit Shah was stopped by court to enter Gujrat for two years when Modi was CM. It was Shah who was the incharge of UP elections in 2014 and his chosen MPs have been fueling hatred in the country. 

Modi observes all this and never utters a word, in a way he silently agrees and promotes what is happening. We as a country have to decide what we want, if we want development then on the cost of what? I would not like my generations to live in posh concrete colonies with hatred for each other.

It is important to stop the hegemony of Modi brand politics and teach a lesson to people like Amit Shah who breed in the idea of communalism. Arvind Kejriwal and his party AAP has been able to challenge him and we have seen how challenged Modi and his team have felt over last few weeks. They have resorted to all sorts of means to stop the Aam Admi but this time it seems it will be impossible for them.

These are defining moment in a democracy, these moments make history, these moments strengthen our belief in the rights of people.

Three Stories. One Hope. #5SaalKejriwal

The best way to understand the mood of public is to be with them, observe and talk to them. Election being the most buzzing topic around, I have been talking to people about it and responses this time are more consistent. I would like to share few stories that truly moved me and gave me hope.

I got a call today from the village which hosts Youth Alliance for Gramya Manthan. It is a village 80 km away from Kanpur with no electricity polls. It was 8:30am and 25 year old Pankaj from other side says,"Bhaiya do something to mobilize people for Arvind Kejriwal, if you want I can come to Delhi for campaigning. This time we need to make sure that he should win. You work with so many youngsters take everyone for campaigning." I was speechless about his excitement and the way he is hoping that something will change.

Second story is of a rickshaw puller. It was 10pm at night and I was standing near Jangpura crossing and talking to various rickshaw pullers with my vicks candy, that I usually keep with me in winters and offer to people I meet on road. I asked one of them, "Bhaiya kisko vote doge?" (Brother, whom will you vote?) He replied,"I am from West Bengal and vote Congress but if Kejriwal would go to Bengal I will surely vote him." I smiled and went ahead.

Third story is that of an auto-rickshaw driver. He has been driving auto rickshaw for many years. We started talking about socio-political situation of Delhi and then I asked which party are you going to vote and why. He replied, "Bhaiya, is baar to jhaadu chalegi. Meri auto mein jo log baithte hain unme 10 mein se 7 log jhaadu ko vote de rhe hain." ( Brother, this time broom(Aam Admi Party), 7 out of 10 people who sit in my auto are going to vote them.) He then narrates how he was free from police troubles during those 49 days. Auto rickshaw drivers have been rallying behind AAP since its inception and they are quite vocal about their support.

These are just three stories from bouquet of stories I have come across over last one month. I see a lot of hope in people specially those who come from economically weaker section. I am looking forward to see the change and witness it, just hoping that this time an honest politician remains honest with time.

Like happiness is contagious, so is hope!

Is Cleanliness even important to Indians ?

                                 "Indians are individually smart but collectively dumb"

Whenever I travel in a train my biggest worry is about the toilets. The condition of our toilets is so pathetic that it is sometimes impossible to even be there for 2 minutes. We often put the blame of dirt on the poor (read economically weak) section of our society. But as per my information in a reserved class coach of a train it is nearly impossible for a person BPL family person whose daily expenditure is around 32 Rs/day (Planning Commission of India, which is soon going to be dissolved by the new government) to travel. So, for me it is proven that it is not the poor but people who can afford are the major reason for the filth.

Now, if I really reflect, I do not find much shout or concern about this filth across the country. None of our political parties have this in their manifestos. None of the drawing room conversation are around this issue. We talk about filth only for a while when we encounter it directly and then add our part, make it more dirty and forget. We make sure that our homes are clean and throw the garbage right across the road. We are such lazy bunch of people that we cannot go to the nearby municipality garbage bin and throw it there.

Recently I was reading a book "Games Indian Play:" by Prof.  Raghunathan, he interestingly describes our behaviour.  He writes that we as Indians are individually smart but collectively dumb. We make sure that our house is clean but also make sure that our society is dirty. We just wait for a spot in our lane to get a little bit dirty and then within a week we make sure that the spot turns into a heap of garbage. We have become so lazy, that sometimes we wait for the entire day and throw our garbage late at night and that too in front of our neighbors house.

A Common Scene in our neighborhoods (via Google Images)

For us as a country cleanliness is no where a priority and the worst part is that we have stopped expecting public places to be clean. Our benchmarks of cleanliness are so low that when someone from North Indian railway station travels to South India railway station he feels so excited about the relatively cleaner tracks and toilets. When someone from India travels abroad(not just USA or Europe but East Asia or Gulf Countries), she(/he) just imagines of a day when her(/his) country will have such cleanliness. For me personally it has become a huge challenge to think of a way to bridge this cleanliness gap.

Recently I was in Singapore and happy to see the cleanliness level of the country. Someone has shared with me the country comprises of around 20% Indian mainly Tamils, I also got to know there is aplace called mini-India. I got excited by the name and made sure that I have time during my stay to visit there. As I got out of the metro station at Mini-India and moved 50 meters away I was shocked to see the place, it was like a vegetable market in my hometown of Kanpur. Such a dirty and unorganised place, I felt as if Singapore law doesnt imply there. Nearly 99% of people were Indians, it was the dirtiest place I have seen in Singapore,  no one was following traffic signals. It truly was a mini- India !

During my stay in Singapore, I met a well known NRI woman and social activist. During our conversation she asked me about what can be done about cleanliness back in India and then shared something that shook me to the core. She shared that when Malaysia discarded Singapore, as it was a really dirty and filthy part, the first PM of Singapore in his maiden speech appealed people to clean-up. Cleanliness became the highest priority of the nation and today it is one of the cleanest nation in world.

It is time for us to make that resolve and stick to it until we achieve it. If we can't be a clean nation, I think it would be impossible for us to become a better & healthy nation. Cleanliness is a habit and it defines who we are.

It is time to refer Mahatma Gandhi again, who was the only leader of our country whose agenda had cleanliness as a top priority.

                                        "Cleanliness is godliness"- Gandhi

On this Independence Day !

Today as I write this reflecting on where we are after around 7 decades post independence, mixed feelings arise within me. I feel happy about so many achievements that we have had post independence, especially back in 1947 when the whole world was saying that India will break into small nations; we have brilliantly lived together as one nation. We are truly secular, democratic nation with so much of diversity. Our literacy rate has gone up drastically, we have an independent election commission and judiciary, we have achieved basic level of food security. There are numerous other things which we should be proud of today.

On the other hand I feel sad about the apathy that we have for our country. We as citizens don’t respect the freedom that we have got, the opportunity that this country has given us. I see India as one of the few countries where we preach about patriotism but don’t even act minutely according to it. I feel the country has given a lot to us but we for generations post independence have just taken from the country and not contributed back. We don’t understand our moral responsibility as the citizen. Citizenship is not a one way process and is not always transactional, it is a two way process. A nation will be in the best state when the citizens feel the interdependence with the nation.

You go to any railway station, bus stop, public toilet you will see that we least care about the condition of that place. Firstly we make sure that it is in the worst possible state and if not so then we don’t care to ask for a complaint register or make sure that we register our protest. We don’t want to engage with the institutions that are made for public interest, often the reason for not engaging is that what will happen by just one person protesting or complaining. I have often heard from my friends and family members,”What will happen by just you raising your voice. Nothing is going to change like this.” But I feel it makes a difference and the person thinks twice before doing the same thing next time.  

Today my only concern is that why don’t we follow the basic rules laid down by the constitution or before following, are we even aware of things happening around? Why don’t we confront people when something wrong is being done in front of our eyes ? Why don’t we make sure that we complete our work in best possible way and give our 100% effort ? Why are we OK with “Chalta-Hai” attitude?

We as citizens should think deeply on what culture we want to give to our coming generation and then see what changes we need to make in our daily habits. We need to be the role models who will spread the ripples of change. It is not always about doing big things, from my limited experience I feel, it is small but consistent efforts that make the difference.

Are we just going to be proud Indians or do something also?

Today, I pledge to be a more proactive citizen, follow rules more stringently, follow my duties in a better way and make sure to raise my voice if I see something wrong.   

Please share your pledge this Independence Day !

Happy Independence Day !

Regards,

Prakhar Bhartiya

What will Delhi Election results unfold for us ?

No matter what the results are for today, AAP has already made a huge contribution to the politics around us. It has forced a national party to change its CM candidate (Harsh Vardhan), it has changed the writings on the hoardings of all parties, it has redefined mobilizing methods during election and most importantly it has given us hope, that, yes change is possible.

During my numerous conversations with Auto Drivers, ATM Guards, I have sensed the belief that they have in AAP. The vote bank which was mostly swayed away with dirty caste, money and liquor politics has come together.

Today for me the most important thing is the vote share of AAP. I dont care if they win 10 seats or 36, what is important is how many people went out to support them. The vote share will give an insight to whether we are ready for change or not. If a significant number of people support them, then it will be clear that people are fed up of corrupt political practices and they are ready to embrace change and support someone who is honest. A large percentage of vote share will encourage not only AAP but many other people to come in politics who feel that it is not a place for honest people. It will also push other political parties to bring in honest blood and use new ways of reaching out to people.

I just want to remind one thing to all my friends that Arvind Kejriwal is not God. He also has his own limitations and has done (will do) his share of mistakes but his intent seems genuine and there is no doubt about his honesty and integrity. AAP's decision to stop taking funds after they reached 20 Crore limit was just amazing. No other political party has ever done this before. I have seen very few individuals who refuse to earn beyond a point.

I don't see them making government although I am ready to see this miracle happen. It might be a hung assembly where no one wants to support each other. If by any chance AAP makes a move to seek or get support from BJP or Congress then that would be their last mistake.

Hope for the best lets see how it unfolds. These results are going to be the landmark for years to come and will  redefine how the upcoming General Election would be contested. 

All the best to the polity of India :) 

Why it is important to Vote this time ?

Dear Friends,

Hope you are doing good. Today I am not writing this as a representative from Youth Alliance but as an active citizen of India. We all have chosen the path which will surely bring social change in our country, it might happen in our lifetime, if not then I am sure that we will lay the foundation for coming generations.

I am writing here to talk about the basic right that we all have as citizens of India - Right to Vote. I believe that it is important for each one of us to exercise the right that has been given to us as a citizen. We are the ones who are trying to bring in some change and hence it becomes more important for us to have faith in the existing system and use the existing tools to innovate it for good. I think it is first time in our lifetime that we have seen such an upsurge in youth voices and so many youngsters coming out to demand their rights. This will become more meaningful if we go out tomorrow and exercise our right to VOTE.

I am writing this before Delhi election because Delhi has witnessed some change in the way politics has been done in our country ever before. I request you to sense the change that might be round the corner. First time in near history any election is being fought on development agenda and anti-corruption. Its not just about any party winning elections, it is more about how many people support or are ready for change. 

Having said this I request you all to go out and vote tomorrow. Mobilize your neighbors, friends and of course family and appeal them to vote. 

Please forward this to your friends and motivate them to go out and vote tomorrow.

Looking forward to see a better India in years to come :)

- Citizen First

Prakhar Bhartiya

Struggle Between Inner and Outer Self

The session started with a meditation exercise. The idea was to control the mind because mind is a wanderer and when we are seeking answers about SELF, we need to have a calm mind.

First two question asked by Chitranjan ji our facilitator for the session were :

• Why you are here today ?
• How will you change post session ?

All the participants gave different answers of the two questions and then the discussion went on. The big question that we pondered upon was, "How do we understand the conflict between inner and outer self ?"

Then we had an exercise where he proposed that for one hour let us assume that the relationship between inner and outer world is helpful in reaching our destination. And now share our views in the group with a situation that holds true for above.

We also discussed the distinction about FEAR and PHOBIA. 

Mostly during the entire session we were talking about conflict between any two ( it can inner and outer self or between two different individuals) and it happens mostly at four different levels. They were :

• You and I are adversary and the powerful person wins (No Point of Dialogue or understanding)

• Presence of adversary motives other to empower himself and then fight (One Wins, other Loses)

• Whenever two people are at conflict, one will try to understand why we are at conflict and look for others weakness and strike at them to win

• Whenever there is a conflict both sides try to understand the complete picture, dialogue and come to a conclusion (Win- Win)

For me the two were more importantly my inner and outer self. The constant struggle to be one has taught me many things about myself, has helped me in improving myself. Still there is a long way to go and huge scope of improvement but being aware of the facts and moments when this conflict happens gives me peace and opportunity to learn. 

(Just to add here, I know an amazing book " Seven Habits by Stephen Covey" that talks about this in one of the habits, "Think Win-Win". I would request you all to read that book. It has been a blessing for me, I still keep a copy of it with me and have recommend it to many. Please dont read it as a book but what worked for me was that I read one habit 2-3 times and then tried to imbibe it in me and then move to next. )

Apart from this couple of things that stood apart for me were:

• What I am today = What I was yesterday + What I learned today (what I learnt today majorly comes for reflection

• We also had a conversation around authenticity. Children should be given opportunity to express authentically because it is extremely hard as a kid to keep extreme emotions inside. 

• It is important to be aware of what we are saying, doing , thinking. Whenever we lose awareness we lose opportunity to learn.

Note: This happened during a learning event for the Changeloom Program of Pravah at Kolkata. 

(Chittaranjan Kaul is the Co-director Center for Learning Resources, Pune and also Board Member, Gandhi Fellowship)

Head, Heart & Hand

“Practice what you preach”, was taught to me when I was a kid but then I did not
understand the importance and meaning of this phrase. It was really hard for me to
find someone who followed it. It was when I became a teacher as a Teach For India
Fellow that I understood the importance of this phrase. Being a teacher you have to
follow what you say. If I ask my kids to reach school at 7am then I have to be there at
6:45am. These small things became the basis of small change that started in me.

When I became a TFI Fellow and started working with 52 third grader kids, all my
philosophy and principles were at stake. I believe being a teacher is one of the most
difficult jobs one can have. My kids kept a check on my patience, my commitment,
integrity and all this way it was really difficult to deliver but a constant self-vigil
and reflection helped me a lot. My class acted as an experimental lab for me, I was
growing each day as a person, as a human being.

I used to read a passage from a book “Gandhi-The Man” by “Eknath Easwaran”
everyday to my kids. It was this time of the day which was most awaited in my class.
I strongly believe that his philosophy is very relevant even today. My kids learned a
lot from him, I witnessed how they used to relate incidents from their life with that of
Gandhi ji’s. Two years in the classroom gave me the strength to move forward and
do something for the society, something beyond the self.

When I see at India’s myriad challenges I see only one way to find a solution to all
these problems and this is by empowering youth of our country. Keeping this in mind
we started Youth Alliance with a vision to connect each youth with a cause. It aims to
build a movement of young leaders equipped to meet India’s problems by designing
processes to identify young individuals with a spark to think innovatively for the
larger social good. We do this by conducting programs where they get experiential
exposure in both urban and rural space to identify their passion.

The journey with Youth Alliance has been equally challenging but the strong
conviction that change is possible drives me to work hard. Change of heart is the
core philosophy of our work and this is possible only when you lose yourself in the
service of others. In last one year we have helped in nurturing 8 new enterprises,
connected 12 individuals to full time development space and all this gives us hope.

Over the years, Gandhi ji’s message of, “Be the Change” has got deep rooted in my
heart. He was a big supporter of youth power. He used to say that youth should be
self-reliant and self-supporting. He talked about an education system where head,
heart and hand are developed simultaneously but over the years our education system
has failed to do so.

Today if I reflect on the work that I am doing at Youth Alliance I feel it is nearly
the same as Gandhi ji wanted. We are trying to nurture youth to be self-reliant,
entrepreneurial, social role models and connect them with rural India, the villages
where Gandhi ji’s heart was.

I don’t know how far will I go, how many young people will Youth Alliance reach
but I am sure where ever we go, how big we become the most important reason of our
being is Gandhi ji and his philosophy of life.

Note: I wrote this article for the annual journal, "Satya". The journal carries articles on a wide variety of subjects – society, politics, economics – anything that is centred on Gandhian thought and practice. 

Tests of Life...Continuous & Comprehensive Evaluation !

Some exams are written, some oral but then there are few exams which are known as "Continuous & Comprehensive Evaluation". For many working in education field CCE has a particular meaning and many have been lobbying for it since decades. And now when comes under RTE, it has to be implemented in schools.

Here I am not talking about CCE in classroom but I am talking about CCE in our daily life. The tests of life  are so hard and difficult to crack. They always come as a surprise and like the open book exam that happen in colleges, they always come with an OPEN BOOK ! You know the answers but it is hard to accept/follow them.

Self evaluation is such a difficult exercise. But if you pass this test, then for me all other tests are a waste. Life always brings you to a crossroad where all the roads seem to be correct and then you have to decide the best one. I also face this dilemma every now and then and sometimes it becomes a very hard choice. 

Life is not easy and it is harder is you have a non-negotiable value system ! You often end up with hurting/ annoying a few but then you can't please everyone and you are not here to do that. People understand, it takes time but they do. One thing that I have understood lately is that you can't compromise with your principles. You need to stick to them. There should be few non-negotiable things in life, like for me integrity, trust and taking responsibility are a few. I have been trying to be non-judgmental also but sometimes I fail to do so and knowing that I have failed to do so helps me in improving on it everyday.

Gandhi ji is the best person I can think of when it comes to a person with non-negotiable value system. He has been a constant source of inspiration for me and every time I fail in life's CCE I think of him and visualize him in my situation and then come up with the right answer. 

To end with I would say, all answers to complex questions of life are within us. 

Bura Jo Dekhan Main Chala, Bura Naa Milya Koi.
Jo Mann Khoja Apnaa, To Mujhse Bura Naa Koi ! - Kabir

Look within ! Sanka Mangal ho :)

This is for team Youth Alliance !!

Featured in today's Deccan Herald !

Column: Channelizing Youth - "Effort towards Change"
Check out Metrolife, Page 3 !

Check online: http://www.deccanheraldepaper.com/svww_zoomart.php?Artname=20130212m_003107004&ileft=477&itop=858&zoomRatio=130&AN=20130212m_003107004