Firozpur Jhirka, district Mehwat, Haryana: Time well spent. Deep down in rural Haryana, close to Rajasthan border lies the village of Firozpur Jhirka. Over 90% population is Muslim. Female literacy rate is thought to be no more 10-15% and Male no more than 20-25%. Features in bottom 10 in the HDI index in India. We are campaigning for YY. Most of all, we are talking about a movement of change- badlaav is the operative word. Our office is a run down room on top of a shop-no one seems to know about it. I ask around in the baazar- aapne aam admi party ka nam suna hai?? Most of them have no clue but their hardened faces are curious to know. My time was spent attending meetings with village heads, mahila sabhas and youth groups to mobilise a force in favour of YY. While our countrys politics is still steeped in caste and religion divisions, here I experienced a unique phenomenon. People are seduced by the concept of an election manifesto- they claimed this time is the first time ever theyve seen one. For the first time it was proposed by a party to have a discussion on the manifesto and not the candidate and party alone- the concept of accountability was discussed- a new and exciting concept. Most faces lost in confusion. Some beaming in sheer awe at what was happening in their forgotten village. AAPs presence in rural circuits is very, very slim. It really did feel like experiencing the early days of a phenomenon which is like a new born baby- delicate, fragile but a sheer miracle. Just like a baby- this movement will only grow. It is simply impossible to go back for once empowered one can only look forward. AAP is plenty of rhetoric but plenty of promise as well. Most of all, I felt, it has offered a medium for people to express themselves- bringing politics in the domain of the common man. There is nothing boring about politics anymore. In Gurgaon for the next few days working in YYs office. Crunching numbers time!
Posted on: Wed, 26 Mar 2014 20:11:21 +0000