Time to act is NOW!

Recently, a BJP MLA in Karnataka was caught taking bribe from a citizen who approached him for help. It set me thinking -- God forbid I need to take help from an MLA for some reason. And his secretary tell me I need to deposit lakhs of rupees before he takes a look at the case.. How much would I hate to have voted for him or for some other equally corrupt candidate!

JP Narayan' Lok Satta is calling us to put our weight behind it. Let us do all we can in the following months, so that the party gets a sizeable vote share if not winning seats. Remember vote share will translate to 'State Party' recognition with ensuing perks. Please campaign for Lok Satta in whatever way you can!

Here's an appeal from JPN:

Time to act is now

Mumbai, Hyderabad, Delhi, Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Varanasi, Guwahati…. Do we need more warnings? We all hate today's politics. But this hatred will take us nowhere. We need new politics. So far, we have been helpless. Traditional parties have become dens of corruption, cynicism, casteism, criminality and family rule. Now, there is a new, ethical platform to fulfill our aspirations: Lok Satta Party in Andhra Pradesh (AP)

Embodies the truly New Political Culture Offers powerful transformative agenda Has a real chance of winning - a historic opportunity Lok Satta is known to 75% of the people of AP. Lok Satta's credibility after twelve years of record is impeccable. Its agenda is to transform India andpromote dignity, opportunity and justice to all. Two-thirds of voters want clean politics and competent government; they provide Lok Satta a real chance of success. This is a truly historic opportunity to transform AP politics.

We invite you to participate. New Political Culture offers opportunities for everyone: you can be a member, a party builder, a leader or a candidate for public office. We need leaders not based on caste or family background. And, we need ethical money for ethical politics. The opportunity is at hand. The time for action and support is now.
Warm Regards,
Dr. Jayaprakash Narayan

PanIIT - follow up

PanIIT meet confirmed that there are scores and scores of Indians looking for ways to give back to the society. They are tired of status quo, appalled at the Mumbai attacks and eager for change.

A lot of them are already doing their bit in their own ways. Many are in the Govt, as powerful decision makers and many are in the private sector making their contribution. Many have been working in NGOs providing expertise in varied fields like microfinance for underprevileged, healthcare initiatives, watershed management, alternative educational systems etc.

And then there are those scores of people who are looking for ways to contribute but have not really started working on anything concrete. It was evident to many of the participants that the most important and challenging thing to do was to network all these well-meaning individuals. If the collective strengths could be synergized, the combine would be a force to reckon with. More so because these individuals come with the respectability and legitimacy of being IIT alumni.

paniitdiscussiongroup - a yahoo group started to facilitate exchange among the attendees is brimming with ideas about how, and in what form to contribute. Ideas have ranged from grand ones like starting a political party to technical skill enhancement programs. Clearly, the group has not yet found a structure to operate within. Ideas are still nebular.

With so many opinionated and thinking individuals, each one has his own view. Each is a leader in his own way. And the irony is there is no leader tall enough to command and structure thought. Quite understandly, I guess.

However, since the individuals are themselves aware of the pitfalls of such a situation, some semblance of a loose structure seems to be emerging. Now, there are various interest groups focusing on particular objectives and have formed their own yahoogroups open to other IITians. Some of them include -

paniitsociopolitical - focusing exclusively on broader socio-political agenda including forming a political party and tackling corruption.
iitwritersforum - for writers among IITians
bridgefordosti.org (still under construction) - A very pragmatic penpal program trying to connect underprevileged kids in India with Indian kids in the US. The hope being that the kids involved will all benefit with a broader world view.
catalyst - a magazine that will exclusively focus on the various efforts of IITians in developing India. There are so many NGOs in so many areas that without a dedicated magazine focusing on the work already being done, those who are looking to start from scratch will be forced to reinvent the wheel.

Unfortunately, the membership of these fora is still very small. I think because word has not really spread. Hopefully with more IITians joining and networking, there will emerge natural leaders who can provide greater structure and focus.