Arvind Kejriwal
Empowering India’s Citizens By Ramesh Menon
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“We have to keep working hard to keep the idea of democracy alive.”
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Nannuji, a middle-aged labourer from a New Delhi slum, lost the ration card that provided his family cheap grain, cooking oil and kerosene through India’s public distribution system (PDS). But when a duplicate card he’d applied for didn’t arrive, the government officials Nannuji pleaded to were of no help.
A small bribe might have changed that. Instead, Nannuji approached a local group known as Parivartan and was encouraged by the people there to file a petition, under Delhi’s relatively new Right to Information law, questioning why he was being denied a ration card. Within days Nannuji got his card.
Parivartan – which means “change” in Hindi – is the brainchild of Arvind Kejriwal, 41. After graduating as a mechanical engineer from India’s prestigious Indian Institute of Technology in 1989, Kejriwal didn’t immigrate to the United States like most of his classmates did. Rather, he joined the Indian Revenue Service (IRS) and rose to become an Additional Commissioner of Income Tax. He watched in disgust as his own colleagues took bribes to get papers and tax refunds moving.
Kejriwal started Parivartan in 2000 to discuss such wrongs and ways to find systematic solutions to them. Parivartan also campaigned for an effective Right to Information (RTI) Act, which India passed only in 2005. In 2006, Kejriwal quit the IRS to work as an activist fulltime.
There was a time when he and other Parivartan members stood outside the Electricity Department in Delhi, exhorting citizens who came by to get problems fixed, not to pay bribes, offering to facilitate their dealings with the Department for free.
Since then, Parivartan has carried out “Don’t Pay Bribes!” campaigns across India, enabling thousands of Indians to challenge bribery and get their grievances resolved using RTI laws. “Arvind Kejriwal is a great inspiration, a truly creative reformer,” says Kiran Bedi, Magsaysay Award winner and one of India’s best-known police officers.
Parivartan, which does not accept funding from any organisation, relies on its many young volunteers. Staff salaries are paid for by donations from well-wishers. “There are even government officials who send us donations,” reveals Kejriwal. “Many of them are honest and love the idea of empowering the common man.”
“Our work must directly impact people’s lives,” he says. “We have to keep working hard to keep the idea of democracy alive.”
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3 of 6 Comments |
| pallavi on 31 December 2011 ,01:31 he is an inspiration!,,,,hats off to his guts,,,,such men are a rarity,all one can have is respect and admiration, arvind kejriwal,prashant and shanti bhushan,manish sisodhia,kiran bedi n our very own anna hazae....i am all admiration |
| deboraj dasgupta on 12 December 2011 ,18:46 Arvind Kejriwal is an youth icon .He really deserves a lot of appreciation for his contribution for our nation and us .Unfortunately , he has facing stones from many ill minded and wicked people.But he has shown his patience and strength.We are with him. |
| satish on 01 November 2011 ,20:07 salute to you sir | See More Comments |
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