The following article was written for MyInd Makers. Pasting it here for reference:
“Volunteering” is a term often used in the context of NGO related activities. Amongst our friends and acquaintances, we have seen many walk in to schools that teach poor students and spend time with them for a day. We have seen many help control traffic at busy signals. We have seen lakhs come together to donate for the needy after any natural disaster that strikes our country. We have also seen passionate volunteers spend a little more extra time helping out the poor, the needy and the society in general.
For many years, volunteering was never political in nature. The first time I witnessed political volunteering was during the 2009 Assembly elections in the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh. Many “techies” took to the road and carried out door-door campaigning to help elect Dr. Jaiprakash Narayan to the AP Assembly from the Kukatpally seat. It was the first time I had heard about people used to relaxing at home over the weekend actually dedicate time so that one man gets elected to the Assembly. Dr. JP did get elected to the Assembly in 2009. It is also pertinent to note that in 2014, when Dr. JP was contesting for Lok Sabha elections, the lackluster volunteer effort was in direct contrast to what we had seen in 2009.
The whole 2011-2012 anti-corruption campaign bought out many volunteers on to the streets. The volunteering efforts ended in AAP forming a government in cahoots with the “corrupt” Congress party, thus belittling the efforts of genuine volunteers. However, for various reasons, the volunteering again picked up for the 2015 Delhi elections, and Kejriwal went on to form a government with a brute majority. I don’t have to tell you how those volunteers feel cheated today and would never venture out to help (p)AAP.
Towards the end of the year 2013, there was another political volunteering wave building in the country – that of making Narendra Modi the Prime Minister of India! Social media had by then shackled the stranglehold of the traditional mainstream media. Narendra Modi was a very early entrant to the medium of Social media and began to own the messaging through this medium too. Thousands of volunteers from across the country decided to spend some or most of their available free time for making Modi the Prime Minister, which he did with a majority of his own.
As the 2019 elections started approaching, I had begun to wonder if volunteer efforts will evaporate like it happened for others. Past few months, I have had the wonderful opportunity to meet 100s of new political volunteers who want to see Narendra Modi back as the Prime Minister! I have had the opportunity to interact with first time volunteers who are frustrated with the negative campaign of the English media and want to spread as much as information about the initiatives of the Modi government as possible. Many volunteers have good information at their fingertips. Many volunteers seek to know more information. And when I say first time volunteers, I am not just speaking about some young hip folks. I am also talking about 70 year old elders who have come out and announced that they want to see Modi Once More; that they want NaMo Again!
First time volunteering efforts have never been surprising to me. First time volunteering efforts have often been to usher in a fresh face; a fresh party. The efforts often also reflected the anger and frustration we had with existing players in the system. Second time efforts often failed because of the disappointment the new players got in. 2019 represents the first ever time, when volunteer efforts are purely based on performance; not just hope and anticipation.
We see more number of volunteers now than in 2014. We see more number of “apolitical” people willing to discuss politics. We see more number of “family” whatsapp groups debating Narendra Modi and his various policies. We see more number of “walking groups” debate fiercely the nitty gritty of governance. Earlier, we saw campaigns to enthuse first time voters to cast their vote. Now, we have first time voters campaigning for one man!
What explains this phenomenon? Neither can the explanation boil down to one article nor can the phenomenon boil down to the occurrence of a single event. We will need to delve into a series of articles, across different sectors, to understand why Narendra Modi has instilled such new-found qualities in us! We need to take a closer look at the various things that have personally benefitted many of us, and for that we need to spend time documenting the phenomenon that is Narendra Modi! Stay tuned.
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