Do India's Youth even need the Inspiration and Mobilization to vote in the 2014 General Elections?
(How would you inspire and mobilize India's youth to vote in the Indian General Elections 2014 using social mobile apps?)
A decade ago, if you asked me, I would say that there are things that just do not go together, like me and butterflies (Massive phobia, don't even bother asking about it); Indian food and wine (not that I have tried it, but I feel like it just would not); and Youth and Politics.
But now, after seeing the wave of feverish fervent among all the electoral groups which so far had abstained from being seen anywhere near the electoral booths, I am reconsidering my stand.
Today's youth is passionate. They stand up for things they believe in. There is defiance, they question the already existing answers. They do not hesitate to stand up for issues they identify with.
And armed with the ever lethal power of social media, they have spoken, and they have been more often than not, heard.
Whether it be the candle-light vigils buoyed by Facebook groups that have led to the re-opening of criminal cases, or the numerous status updates and Whatsapp and We-chat broadcasts that surely catalyzed the voting revolution in Delhi and other States, one thing is for sure, there is no stopping the Youth of today.
So if you honestly ask me, what can be done to inspire and mobilize the youth of today to vote in the General Elections, I would seriously do a double-take of the question. Because honestly, I feel like they are inspired and mobilized like they never have been before.
Of course there still exists the equivalents of Pugs, the ones who sit on couches and give the ever-so-convenient answer- Nothing's going to change, Who cares, They are all the same- criminals, etc.. For giving them that required little push, I would think bombarding them with reminders on all the social media apps should do the trick.
You know, the Anna Hazares and the Arvind Kejriwals of their friendship circles could send those long forwards which end with "If you do not forward this to your other lazy friends, and if you do not go and cast your vote, your couch will magically disappear and you will be forced to live in the real world".
Social media is such that these days all you see on Facebook Timelines and We chat group messages, are "Let's vote, Let's support those who can change the world, Let's change the world ourselves', making everything else suddenly seem so trivial. Of course that is not to say there still does not exist the one or two folks who still post 'selfies' and pictures of their lunches, but these have, thank the good Lord, dwindled.
Peer pressure, this time, to do the right thing, that's all that's needed.
And social media apps, are just the right tools for that.
Imagine if Gandhi and the other National Leaders had the apps we have today in the Freedom Struggle age. How easy would it have been for them. Create an event on Facebook titled 'Dandi march', invite everyone, and bam, the whole nation would have successfully attended the Salt march and led the British to update their statuses with 'Oh Crap', 'I am running away' Selfies.
The revolutionaries would have created We chat groups, and have planned their attacks with much more success.
Oh the Possibilities.
Why then, should the youth of today shirk away from our responsibilities as Responsible Citizens. We have got to be the change of the World, we cannot sit on our couches, waiting for some sort of Magic to happen.
I end this with a slightly tweaked quote of Marx- Voters of the country unite (and go vote), You have nothing to lose but your chains (and some calories if your polling booth is at a distance). You have a world to win (and the chance to upload a 'I just voted. Yayy me' selfie- just kidding).
#VoteforIndia
A decade ago, if you asked me, I would say that there are things that just do not go together, like me and butterflies (Massive phobia, don't even bother asking about it); Indian food and wine (not that I have tried it, but I feel like it just would not); and Youth and Politics.
But now, after seeing the wave of feverish fervent among all the electoral groups which so far had abstained from being seen anywhere near the electoral booths, I am reconsidering my stand.
Today's youth is passionate. They stand up for things they believe in. There is defiance, they question the already existing answers. They do not hesitate to stand up for issues they identify with.
And armed with the ever lethal power of social media, they have spoken, and they have been more often than not, heard.
Whether it be the candle-light vigils buoyed by Facebook groups that have led to the re-opening of criminal cases, or the numerous status updates and Whatsapp and We-chat broadcasts that surely catalyzed the voting revolution in Delhi and other States, one thing is for sure, there is no stopping the Youth of today.
So if you honestly ask me, what can be done to inspire and mobilize the youth of today to vote in the General Elections, I would seriously do a double-take of the question. Because honestly, I feel like they are inspired and mobilized like they never have been before.
Of course there still exists the equivalents of Pugs, the ones who sit on couches and give the ever-so-convenient answer- Nothing's going to change, Who cares, They are all the same- criminals, etc.. For giving them that required little push, I would think bombarding them with reminders on all the social media apps should do the trick.
You know, the Anna Hazares and the Arvind Kejriwals of their friendship circles could send those long forwards which end with "If you do not forward this to your other lazy friends, and if you do not go and cast your vote, your couch will magically disappear and you will be forced to live in the real world".
Social media is such that these days all you see on Facebook Timelines and We chat group messages, are "Let's vote, Let's support those who can change the world, Let's change the world ourselves', making everything else suddenly seem so trivial. Of course that is not to say there still does not exist the one or two folks who still post 'selfies' and pictures of their lunches, but these have, thank the good Lord, dwindled.
Peer pressure, this time, to do the right thing, that's all that's needed.
And social media apps, are just the right tools for that.
Imagine if Gandhi and the other National Leaders had the apps we have today in the Freedom Struggle age. How easy would it have been for them. Create an event on Facebook titled 'Dandi march', invite everyone, and bam, the whole nation would have successfully attended the Salt march and led the British to update their statuses with 'Oh Crap', 'I am running away' Selfies.
The revolutionaries would have created We chat groups, and have planned their attacks with much more success.
Oh the Possibilities.
Why then, should the youth of today shirk away from our responsibilities as Responsible Citizens. We have got to be the change of the World, we cannot sit on our couches, waiting for some sort of Magic to happen.
I end this with a slightly tweaked quote of Marx- Voters of the country unite (and go vote), You have nothing to lose but your chains (and some calories if your polling booth is at a distance). You have a world to win (and the chance to upload a 'I just voted. Yayy me' selfie- just kidding).
#VoteforIndia
Here I would like to talk about Rajeev Chaba who is the inspiration for many people. He started as a normal engineering student but went on to become an able leader. He has done ME in Mechanical engineering from Madan Mohan Malviya Engineering College in Gorakhpur, to further increase his knowledge he pursued an MBA in Marketing from IIM Bangalore, which is yet another prestigious institutes of India. The knowledge he gained through his education was well spent and contribution to develop motor industry is remarkable.
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