“Democracy cannot succeed unless those who express their choice are prepared to choose wisely. The real safeguard of democracy, therefore, is education.”― Franklin D. Roosevelt
Over 30,000 graduate students in Bengaluru have become registered voters thanks to Bengaluru-based consultant Ananda Thirtha, who has been raising awareness about the same for the last nine years.
It was in 2009 that Ananda heard Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy talk about the importance of voting and to elect the right people.
In 2010, Ananda decided to take part in a Republic Day campaign which covered 1,000 households as part of a voter registration drive. After the election, he filed an RTI to get booth data and found out that the voter turnout had been very low – as low as 23% in some booths.
After a trip to APS college in Basavanagudi, where he conducted a three-hour program, Ananda realized that “First, the issue was that there was no availability of Form 6. But when I got it and gave it to them, they didn’t even know how to file it, where to submit it. Also, for many students, the voting day is nothing but a holiday. My effort is to fill these gaps and help them register as voters,” he added.
Since that day, Ananda has been to over 50 colleges in the city where he has raised awareness about the importance of exercising voting rights.
Ananda’s involvement didn’t end there.
Assisted by friends, Ananda has also put together awareness videos, apps and web portals that aim to help yet-to-be registered voters with features like locating wards and assembly constituencies. He also assists the Election commission in conducting EVM presentations and also works with apartment associations and software companies in getting their residents and employees respectively, enroll as voters.
Every election is determined by the people who show up and Ananda is ensuring just that!!
This post is part of the We Are the World Blogfest, a monthly event created by Damyanti Biswas and Belinda Witzenhausen to showcase stories of hope and light. This month I’m helping out as a co-host, along with extraordinary bloggers Dan Antion, Simon Falk, Michelle Wallace and Mary Giese —please hop over to check out their WATWB posts as well as from other WATWB participants for a dose of feel-good to last you a whole month. You’ll be happy you did!
Click HERE to check out the intention and rules of the blogfest and feel free to sign up at any time. You are always welcome!
14 Responses
Great that Ananda is doing this Shilpa! We have a voice to be used!
People don’t realise the importance of voting and I’m glad Ananda is doing this. Democracy is a blessing and we all have to share in the responsibility of electing a government that truly represent our interests.
It is awesome that he is putting in so much work to explain the importance of voting to people. How wonderful that he has put together videos, too, for those he cannot personally reach. Thanks for introducing him to us, Shilpa.
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Clear evidence that one person can make a difference. Thanks for sharing this story during #WATWB
Such an important right and many of us here in the U.S. take it for granted. Yay for democracy!
Kudos to Ananda for his hard work – voter registration and encouraging voter turn-out is important and yet often thankless work, and requires real dedication. But what a critical difference it makes.
Thanks for sharing this story, and for co-hosting this month.
Even in the US, there are those who don’t bother to vote. It’s a privilege e shouldn’t waste. What a wonderful service this man is doing for his country.
Shilpa, the US sorely needs people like Ananda to educate and encourage people to vote. Too often, we don’t know the candidates, preferring to vote from negative ads, from our own bias, lack of knowledge…or we simply don’t show up at the polls. I’m hoping some of that will change when we have mid term elections in November, but that remains to be seen. Kudos to Ananda for this work and thanks for participating in #WATWB.
To help people fulfil such basic means of free speech is a truly laudable service. I hope others continue to support Ananda’s work.
Thanks for helping co-host our WATWB. 🙂
80,000 new voices added to the voting population… such an important service that Ananda has rendered to the people! 🙂
Hi Shilpa – it’s wonderful Ananda has realised that helping people get to vote will help democratic free speech and ideas reach a broader voting base. Great to know about – thanks …cheers Hilary
Thanks Shilpa
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Thanks for sharing this inspiring story, Shilpa. The purpose of democracy is to get real people involved. Ananda’s story shows the difference one person can make.
I really appreciate Roosevelt’s quote that education is required for democracy to thrive.
This is great post shilpa – its the need of the hour and so very important for people to realise the importance of casting their vote in choosing and electing the right leader.