Swaraj Abhiyan

April 6^th 2009-04-11

Swaraj Abhiyan

Arvind Kejrival from Parivartan has started a new and very important campaign called Swaraj Abhiyan…its also called Lok Raj Andolan….its for self rule…self rule by the people.

We (eight students of IWSB) volunteered for the 2 day event to get auto rickshaw walas familiar the Swaraj concept and make them stick campaign posters on the back of their autos for a month so that the message gets to public and to the to Netas who are involved in this elections. The message is clear and simple - we want a leader or party who takes this concept forward and gives an assurance that they will give the public power rather than the old concept of power in the hands of rulers.

We started from our hostel and reached Swaraj Abhiyan office at Kaushambi and met Arvind Kejriwal  and Swati Malival. They briefed us on the campaign and on activities to be followed that day. We had some doubts on the campaign itself ranging from its feasibility to how people will receive it? Will they care for these things in these days of busy life? How the idea of Swaraj came now and why etc  etc…all our doubts were clarified with great passion by Arvind. We were clear enough on how the day will go now. We were excited too as it was our first experience regarding the coming elections which are very crucial. As this time all the youth, political parties and the media are aware that this time the old mistakes will not be beared by any body neither the public nor by the parties which are serious about Indian politics scenario. This is the time to demand these parties our old system of Swaraj which British took away by inserting Collector giri in India.

We practised the lines, the lines which were well experimented, which delivered the results in the first move of this campaign by Arvind sir and Swati . We left for Nizamuddin station and we divided into two teams of 4 each and started our journey of making people and mainly auto walas aware in this regard.

We divided the work smartly. Two people will stop and talk to autowalas on this concept. Then the other two will stick the posters on the back of autos if the autowala accept for it. Our team had Vibaha, Meera the two girls and Gaurav and me the two boys. We thought girls are effective in this matter when it comes to convincing others. So we decided that they will speak and we will stick posters. The strike rate per hour was around 20. We were happy with this rate. It was actually pushing us further more rather than pulling us back due to the scorching sun. Soon after 2 hours of our start we were joined by few more volunteers they were students from the near slum but were active enough to help us in this campaign. Then we divided our self in to individual teams leading two students each to help us. Now I was talking individually to autowalas and the other two were sticking the posters.  But the strike rate decreased to 4 per hour with increasing odd dot balls. After a 4 hour work we were tired and left to eat. This was the end of campaign from our part.

 

Our target together with the other team who were on the other side was 210 but we did only 120.

We were at large happy as we thought this work is stupid to do…but we did… and that too with lot of fun and enthu. This will be our life time experience. And hey for my readers I have not told you the concept of Swaraj right? I want you to go on to the website www.lokrajandolan.org so that you have a brief out line of the Abhiyan which means moment.  Come back and then post your comments below. I will love to answer your queries to the best of my knowledge on how this Swaraj can bring the difference which we Indians are looking from 60 years. I will love if you too join hands with us and take this forward for  it means a difference and the difference is in the way we are ruled.

Harish Lunani