15Apr

The day I helped change India

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I had heard a lot about the notoriety of polling booths. The long queues, the scorching heat, the general disorganisation, the grumpiness of voters made to feel poll officials were doing them a favour by allowing them to vote. So I went prepared. I had with me a giant water bottle, my hat, and The Theory of Everything.

The day was important to me. This was my first vote.

Youth power in 2014 ElectionsWhen I walked towards my polling booth in Sector 11 in Chandigarh on April 10, I knew I lived in a time history books and period films of the future would try to depict. I lived in the midst of a revolution, at a time when the youth the world over are rising up, overthrowing governments, making history.

I am that youth, part of that revolution.

When people speak about elections, they speak about youth disengagement. Disillusionment. Perhaps they haven’t met the new youth of India.

Look at the incredibly talented All India Bakchod mocking the Congress and the BJP on YouTube. Look at the Aam Aadmi Party memes. Look at the thousands, the tens of thousands, who consume, spread those messages.

We are the new youth. We are engaged. And today I would seal my engagement by casting my first vote, ever. It was my duty. My chance to change my nation.

My city of Chandigarh is an interesting place. A Union territory serving as capitals to two states, Punjab and Haryana, it is not your average Indian city.

It has the highest human development and gender development indexes in the country. The third highest per capita income. Ninety-seven per cent of its population is urban, and the literacy rate is high, 86.43 per cent, compared to the national average of 74.04. Two Bollywood actors and an ex-federal minister are contesting the elections, and who comes to power will be a reflection on the sentiments of the educated, urban, high-income segment of the Indian population.

The 800,000 people of Chandigarh are spread across 63 sectors. Each sector is allotted a voting station, with one or more polling booths, depending on the population density.

My own booth was at the Government High School in Sector 11. Before I started out at 11am, my mother had checked on the web site of the Chief Electoral Officer, Chandigarh to see if there was a long queue. There wasn’t.

I entered the school through a small side gate, along with three others voters – an elderly couple and a middle-aged man with a Blackberry glued to his ear. A policeman was at the entrance. Spotting the couple tempting gravity with every step, he signalled to someone inside. A man rushed out with two wheelchairs. I was surprised. I had certainly not expected it to be organised to this level.

I queued up with some 10 people. Sector 11 had been divided into two, with a polling booth for each division. I could see senior citizens given priority and taken up to the head of the line. Within 10 minutes, barely one page into my book, it was my turn. 

My identity was verified by four government officials, who matched my face to the photo on my voter’s card. Before I entered the booth, a fifth rechecked my identity and marked my index finger with a semi-permanent black dye. I had waited for that mark for long.

I pulled a grey curtain shut behind me and stared at the machine in front. I had always imagined the voting machine to be like an ATM. It was, only smaller.

There were about 10 names on the machine. To my dismay, they were all in Hindi. While the symbols were in most cases sufficient to let the voter know which button to press, it would have been good to have the name of the party in English as well. My grandfather, for instance, could not read Hindi. He would have been confused.

I pressed the button I wanted to. I heard a ping, the kind you hear when you summon assistance at hotel receptions.

It was done.

When I walked out into the hot sun, I was a democratically engaged Indian. By pressing a small button, I helped determine the course of India, and, to some extent, that of  the world. I helped determine whether India will be a Communist nation, or whether it will follow a capitalistic model fuelled by trade and industrialisation. I determined whether equal rights will be granted to the LGBTQ community, whether sectarian policies will rage.

I took a stand on issues that matter to me — to us — today. I exercised my right to take that stand, and I am proud of it.

That is why I want to hold on to that black stain on my finger for as long as I can.

Image: Nabarun

This story was also published on Rediff.com, our media partner.

15Apr

Women are the almost forgotten sex in Haryana

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A woman in a Haryana village. Photo: Vikas Lather

“Politicians only address men. We, the women of this village, are mostly told by our husbands which symbol to vote for. We don’t think, we just go and vote.”
— Nirmala Devi (not in the photograph above), in Sarhera village, Haryana

In 1996, the late Congress politician Bansi Lal won the state assembly election and became chief minister with a single-point agenda — prohibition. It was the first and only time women voters took central position in India’s ‘khapland’, the councils that decide on pretty much all aspects of the community, including the personal lives of its members. The idea of a ban on alcohol sale and consumption captured their imagination. (In 1998, however, the government had to lift the ban because of the political and economic fallout.)

The Aam Aadmi Party, the new party of anti-corruption crusader Arvind Kejriwal,  is promising similar reforms in the general election currently underway to woo women whose first wish is that their husbands and sons should not become drunkards. Other parties in the region have not shown much energy to push for women rights.

Women in Haryana have been so marginalised and discriminated against that most remain economically weak, educationally backward, socially depressed and politically disabled. Many are slave to poverty, unemployment and financial crisis.

According to data compiled by the Census of India in 2011, Haryana has the lowest sex ratio among all states of the Indian Union, with a shocking rural female literacy rate of just 60.02 per cent. The National Crime Records Bureau says that in 2011 Haryana had a conviction rate of only 23.4 per cent in rape cases; molestation, domestic violence, and other woman-related crimes increased.

So how deep-rooted is the apathy towards women’s issues in Haryana? Surjeet Singh, a former principal of the government school for girls at village Bobua says, “In Haryana, statistics related to honour killing do not come up; there is no way you can measure [this crime] as most incidents are not reported owing to social pressure. Marriage or love affairs outside one’s caste are, in some cases, punished with death.”

Singh recalls reading a newspaper report by well-known British journalist Robert Fisk on an acid attack, a product of the victim’s decision to marry outside her caste. “It said the acid fused her lips, burned her hair, melted her breasts and an ear, and turned her face into a look of ‘molten rubber’. This is humiliating. It makes us a prisoner of the shame, and responsible for it as it is happening in modern India,” he said.

The future of women in rural areas depends on how well they understand the need to vote for the right candidate. Nirmala Devi, who is quoted at the beginning of this report, remembers how her vote helped bring about the change she desperately wanted. This time she has made up her mind whom to vote for without consulting her husband. Sadly she remains a tiny minority.

Main image: A woman in a Haryana village. Photo: Vikas Lather 

14Apr

The not-so-subtle art of Tamil slogans

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Campaigning in Madras for the April 24 election. Photo: Suriyan Sai

If you thought you knew all about sloganeering, maybe you should take a trip to Tamil Nadu. Politicians in the southern Indian state have perfected the art of using catchy idioms and phrases to capture the public imagination.

The ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam in Tamil Nadu has launched its campaign with the slogan of peace, prosperity and progress. After tasting success in the state, party workers have been told to promote their leader at the national level. All their slogans are aimed at getting into national politics. One slogan plastered all over Tamil Nadu currently says: “Any CM can do good things, but only Amma [chief minister and AIADMK leader J Jayalalithaa] can do God things.”

The posters urge voters to give Jayalalithaa a chance to lead the country by giving her the maximum number of seats from Tamil Nadu. The state sends 39 MPs to the Lok Sabha. Neighbouring Pondicherry, a Tamil-speaking Union Territory, sends one.

Jayalalithaa is nothing if not bold. Her slogans have been carefully crafted to let people know of her aspiration to be the prime minister. Other leaders of the the Third Front seem to lack this self-confidence. 

Ramalingam, an AIADMK workers, says ‘Amma’ is their “protecting Goddess”. He and others like him belt out the slogans with great belief.  Women fans of the party shout slogans like “Naalai namathe 40m namathe” (Tomorrow is ours, 40 seats are ours). Even the 1964 slogan describing the late chief minister M G Ramachandran, Jayalalithaa’s political mentor, as “Aayirathil Oruvan”, or “One among thousands”, has been revived. After all, the older generation still reveres the one-time film star.

By contrast, the Dravida Munntera Kazhagam‘s slogans are yet to find their cadence. ‘Light up Tamil Nadu, save Tamil Nadu from power-craving Jayalalithaa’ and ‘Change is the only way for a prosperous Tamil community’ hardly have the same ring. Though the party’s octogenarian leader M Karunanidhi has offered “We do what we say and say what we do’, it does not seem to have grabbed much voter attention.

The smaller parties of Tamil Nadu may lag behind in number of votes and seats but do not lack catchy slogans that convey their message to the faithful. The Bahujan Samaj Party, a party of Dalits, says, “Engal ottil ungal aatchi nadakkathu” (You cannot rule over us with our votes). “Vaaku seetu vilaiporul alla” (Vote is not a commodity to be sold) aims to make the Dalit realise that her vote is precious and must be used well.

“Vanniyar ottu anniyaruku illai” is the call of the Pattali Makkal Katchi, a caste-based party which wants to show its power by saying its vote is not for ‘others’.

The BJP, the main challenger for power in Delhi, is using its national slogans that showcase the development agenda. Even in Tamil Nadu, they say it’s  “Time for Change Time for Modi” and “Time to make a difference”. 

The ruling Congress, however, is yet to make public its focus apart from listing the glories of years past and requesting people to give them yet another chance.

Which slogan will carry the day? We’ll know soon.

Photo: Suriyan Sai

This story was also published on Rediff.com, our media partner.

14Apr

Indians in UK want new government that will bring change

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NRIs at a Diwali celebration in London. Photo: Dean Ayres

Indian citizens living in the UK have decried the state of affairs in their native land and hope a new government will improve the people’s lot.

Kavita Vachaknavee, freelance writer and examiner at the University of Cambridge, who hails from Yamunanagar, Haryana, and has been living in the UK since 2011, said: “This election will dictate the direction the nation takes. As an Indian living abroad, I am ashamed of the negative influences in my motherland, especially the crime rate, which is increasing rapidly.”

India’s most famous political dynasty is clearly threatened by the growing support for the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Narendra Modi and the Aam Aadmi Party’s Arvind Kejriwal. “What we have at the moment are politicians who care more about their family than the people,” said Vachaknavee. “The BJP appears to me a strong and uncorrupted party dedicated to the nation.”

Minita Patel, head of operations at Global Explorers, grew up in Gujarat but has been living in the UK for 33 years. She said: “For me, the BJP is the only political party ready to take India forward. The Congress has shown itself to be a corrupt, dynastic party held back by tradition and family. It’s time we let a new government change things.”

Not everyone believes the BJP and Modi are incorruptible. Many continue to see Modi as a polarising figure who has a case to answer regarding the mass killings of Muslims in the Gujarat riots of 2002. But he and his party are being seen as the only real alternative.

Pardip Kumar, 46, actor and activist, said: “Modi is basically a nationalist. Though he has been accused of involvement in the massacre of Muslims no one has been found guilty.”

Kumar said the elections would be close. “Modi has a good chance,” he said. “There isn’t an alternative. Nothing is new; it’s the same thing repackaged.”

Modi’s popularity has soared on his perceived performance as chief minister of Gujarat. “We have seen the immense progress Modi has made in Gujarat,” Patel said. “There is now more manufacturing and more international companies than ever. The entire nation is looking at that state. Who is to say he can’t do this for India?”

Others, however, remain unconvinced. “Gujarat has always been prosperous,” said Vishal Jain, a technical consultant from Agra, Uttar Pradesh, residing in the UK for the past five years. Jain’s home state has 80 seats in the Lok Sabha. That is where Modi has to make the most impact if the BJP has to win at least 200 seats in Parliament. “Many forget that the people of Gujarat have always been talented, educated, and hardworking. Development there has had more to do with these people, not Modi,” he said.

The ruling Congress, meanwhile, has been tripped up by corruption, the treatment of women, and promises that the party failed to keep. “Congress has not done a lot of what it promised to do,” said Kumar. “It concentrates on big players on the international stage and forgets issues at home. Not only is the economy suffering, corruption is endemic.”

But people like Jain believe the BJP is as much to blame. “For too long now both the BJP and the Congress have been making promises, yet only 20% in India are literate and so many are still struggling for a livelihood,” he said.

“For decades Congress politicians kept billions for themselves and did the absolute bare minimum to help the poor. The BJP never spoke up against this corruption strongly when given the chance. If they had, the Congress would never have got away with all the money it has stolen,” he said.

Rima Amin, a freelance journalist whose family hails from Gujarat, said:  “India’s development is impressive but I will be more impressed when India’s people can have strong infrastructure supporting their basic needs. The truth is, poor, densely populated, disease-ridden areas still exist and India’s leaders, be they from the Congress, BJP or anyone else, need to help them.”

Jain said the country needs a leader who is focused on democracy and delivering equality for the people, by the people. “For me, Arvind Kejriwal is the only leader who will do this.  AAP will provide a transparent system that will spend money on the development of India, not [on creating] politicians’ wealth,” he said.

For many, improving the state of women’s rights in India is pivotal to this year’s election. Vachaknavee said: “As soon as I set foot in my home country I feel insecure. As a woman, I find it much more comfortable and safe here in Europe.”

Amin hoped the international outrage following the Delhi rape case of December 2012 had compelled India’s politicians to look deeper into the rights of women. “Human rights are fundamental and must come before all else,” she said. “India needs to ensure processes are in place to make this happen.”

Radhika Dave, a student at Bradford University who also hails from Gujarat, said: “I was shocked to hear India ranked as the fourth most dangerous place in the world for women. People have awareness of women’s rights now and with recent incidents that have shaken the public, none of the parties can ignore this issue.”

However, with the 25 million Indians living abroad unable to vote in the general election, only those resident in India will have the final say. What will they decide?

Photo: Dean Ayres via Compfight cc. NRIs at a Diwali celebration in London

11Apr

2% illiterates, 2% Phds… 6 interesting facts about tomorrow’s candidates

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11Apr

‘Why are you not speaking up? Why is asking a candidate about their position on gay rights unheard of?’

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The invisible people. A painting

We learn how to introduce ourselves when we’re in primary school. State your name, your age, a little detail about yourself — where you’re from, what you’re studying, where you’re working, something along those lines. I should begin by following those rules. I can tell you I’m 21, I can tell you I’m a university student in Delhi, but the thought of uttering my name, that gives me the shivers.

Seems silly, I know. But only until I tell you I’m gay. Then you see why I’m keeping my identity a mystery. The resigned curve of your mouth stands testament to your tacit approval of my decision to retain anonymity. Do you know what that reinforces? That I’m not recognised most of the time, and that when I am, it’s not in a positive way.

I know that, so I hide. You know that, so you let me stay hidden.

The carpet under Indian society is filled with members of the LGBTQ community, stuffed away like if you leave us swept under long enough, we’ll go away. But here’s the thing. You can pretend we’re not there as much as you want, that doesn’t change the fact that we’re there and we’re getting louder, we’re getting angrier. We’re not going to keep it down much longer. We will break free from these arbitrary prejudices and constraints. We’re not going to stay hidden anymore. The question is, will you still pretend we’re not there? Or will you stand behind us?

We’re voting today. Tens of thousands of people are casting their votes to decide who should be in charge, who will look after their interests best. The poor look for welfare schemes, the tribals look for education and empowerment, women look for safety — and there’s someone out there for everyone. But hi, I’m the LGBTQ Community and you forgot me. No, worse. You see me in the corner, struggling to keep myself afloat, but you have decided I’m not worth looking out for.

Do you have any idea how that feels? Being treated like a second-class citizen? I hope you never do, because it’s awful. Nobody is the ray of hope to offer me a way out of this closet. Nobody has even hinted at the possibility of providing me a safe place when I decide hiding is not for me anymore. Is that fair?

The rant of this member of the LGBTQ Community is against the world. Yes, I’m giving in to the cliché. I hate the world. I am angry, firstly at the political scenario of this country. How can you call yourself a democracy when you’re denying an entire community basic rights? How can you, a nation that has long been hailed a haven for people of all communities – Jews, Buddhists,  Muslims, Hindus — possibly be called diverse and welcoming when all you do is spread hate to this community? It’s hypocritical. And it’s wrong. And one day, far into our future, we’ll look back at this, the way we look at the deplorable treatment of untouchables, and we’ll shudder at the cruelty, the ignorance, of mankind.

But more than the politicians, I am angry at the society. You’re the ones who elect these fools. You’re the ones with the power. Most of you reading this have been educated, learnt of Gandhi and math and human rights. Why are you not speaking up? Why is this not the most important thing? Why is asking a candidate about their position on gay rights unheard of? The government is what you made it. So when I blame the government, I’m also blaming you.

I’m trapped. Society won’t accept me, so I’ve resigned myself to live a lie. I walk around in constant denial of who I am to avoid being persecuted — and trust me, the harassment I face is real. It needs to stop. I need you to fight for me, create a situation where I feel safe and supported enough to fight for myself.

We’re in the midst of history, and I want you to be on the right side. I’m not voting because there isn’t a single candidate who represents my needs, my wants, my basic human rights. And that is something we all forgot to talk about. And what does that say about us? The situation is so bad that I, and a countless number of others in the same position, are planning to escape the nation. Yes, escape it.

Is that really the kind of nation you want to live in? The kind people want to escape?

Ignorance is not bliss. This year, read, learn and talk — let homosexuality be one of the most talked about subjects. Once we’re talking about it, misconceptions will be lifted. Help us.

As told to Saba Sodhi in New Delhi. The interviewee requested anonymity, and the interview has been lightly edited for clarity.

The image used above is a painting by the interviewee, titled ‘Dualist’. 

This story also appeared on Rediff.com, our media partner.

10Apr

Modi on your mug, Kejriwal on your cap. Prices range from Rs 2 to Rs 349

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AAP supporters wearing the party cap and holding up brooms, their election symbol. Photo: Yotsana Tripathi

A Modi coffee mug costs Rs 225 (roughly £2). A Modi t-shirt Rs 100 (£1).

Or you could go for a Modi key chain or a Modi laptop skin, for anything from Rs 229 to Rs 349.

As India begins to vote, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Narenda Modi is not alone in his strategy to reach the Indian voters through political merchandise. Arvind Kejriwal of the Aam Aadmi Party has done a commendable job too.

Even as Delhi voted today, the capital city continued to see a scattering of political products in its markets and streets, in violation of the Election Commission of India code of conduct. As per EC regulations, publicity and campaigning should have ended on April 8.

The trend picked up from mid-March in Delhi and several parts of India, with the arrival of Holi, the Indian Festival of Colours. The market was then flooded with Modi water squirters, which carried the BJP candidate’s mugshots, along with his party symbol, the lotus.

The other popular BJP goodie on sale was the Modi coffee mug, which ranged from Rs 225 to Rs 349, depending on the quality you went for. On offer were also Modi shirts, video games, and clocks, mostly supplied by the online store, NaMo.

And the caps. Don’t forget the caps, which were reportedly visible among BJP supporters in more than one place in Delhi even on the polling day today. In the run-up to the election, caps of both the BJP and AAP were available. Mohammed Chaman of Sadar Bazar, who printed the caps, shed some light on the trend in an interview early this week.

“We sell around 2,000 to 5,000 AAP caps as compared to 700 to 1,000 Modi caps,” he said. Chaman said he also supplied Modi bags for Rs 15 and Modi badges for Rs 2.

The AAP caps ranged from Rs 2 to Rs 25. Flags with the broom symbol of the AAP were also available, costing Rs 10 to Rs 50. The AAP badges, priced at Rs 3, sold well, said Rajinder, a vendor in Sadar Bazar, who also revealed that he earned “12-15% profit” on each cap and flag he sold.

A look at the merchandise available online shows the costlier items are the Modi kurtas, silver coins, phone and tablet covers, mouse pads… wait, is that a Modi pepper spray? And surely, priced at Rs 24, that is not a Modi balm? Headache, anyone?  

There is business and there’s promotion. The AAP volunteers began the trend, happily giving away caps. Not to be left behind, the BJP followed suit, distributing Modi T-shirts for free.

“Twice I called the supplier to place an order for a Modi t-shirt and both the times it was out of stock,” Singh, an ardent BJP supporter from Govind Puri, said. “Modi sells more because people feel that if Modi becomes the PM, India will be a bigger Gujarat model in terms of growth and development.”

In all this, the ruling Congress party seems to be lagging. Media reports say the Congress products with pictures of vice-president and possible PM candidate Rahul Gandhi are not hot items. Now that can’t be an omen, right? 

Photo: Yotsana Tripathi

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