Their calls for civic action ring out not on the streets or memorandums, but on spectrum and air waves.
With protests being commonplace, and submission of memorandums only a photo-op, Daari (Democratic Ambassador for All India Rural Integrity, which in its abbreviated form means ‘path’ in Kannada), a Mangalore-based group have been experimenting with what they call ‘kiri-kiri horata’ (struggle of ‘irritation’) over the past year to some success.
The concept takes its genesis in Machina, a hamlet tucked away in the hills of Belthangady taluk, where 120 families have never had power supply.
Ravi Bangera, a founding member of Daari, who had gone to the village with his friends, hit upon an idea after noticing that many had phones on their hands. Instead of cribbing about the problem among themselves, why not crib directly to government officials.
Taking phone numbers of bureaucrats and ministers from the internet, the friends and villagers set about their protest. Each person sent about 10 messages, ranging from “Is there power in your house? Because, there isn’t in mine” or “Is it fair that my taxes fund power to your house while leaving me in darkness?” The elderly in the village were encouraged to pour their woes on calls, sometimes even at 4 a.m. “Each official received up to 500 text messages everyday, apart from calls to mobile and residence landline,” said Mr. Bangera.
Rukmini L., a homemaker recalls asking the wife of an official, who had picked up the call, if her children also studied by candlelight. “Before this, we had pleaded to no avail with panchayat and district administration. After we started this, a line was drawn to the village.” What couldn’t be done in 65 years of Independence was done in 20 days, she said.
For Adyarpadavu village near Neermarga, where water supply was cut for weeks, the strategy worked its magic in four days.
“As we had called the higher officials so many times, there was intense pressure on the local engineer to fix the panchayati pumps. These were the same engineers who had ignored our previous complaints,” said resident Sachin Poojary.
