This note, printed in a special mint, cannot buy you anything. But it can put wrong-doers to shame, lead them to a state of reflection and also give them the opportunity to correct themselves. With a denomination of zero, the note is a humble yet compelling tool which attempts to create a country free of corruption and graft. And the singular minting press which brings it out is the 5 th Pillar, a voluntary non-government citizen charter working across India to make it bribe-free.
The thought struck Vijay Anand, its founder, on his study tour to Washington. “I was shocked that unlike in India I did not have to wait in long queues or bribe anyone to get my work done in Washington. When I discussed about bringing similar change to India, everyone shot down the idea and said corruption was too deep-rooted in the country to be eradicated. But I was firm in my belief that though the system cannot be changed, the people can.”
Using the population, of which almost 60 per cent was under the age of 35, as a capital, Vijay decided to target the young generation and raise them as the fifth pillar of democracy, and thus the first chapter was started in Chennai in 2007. In the first two years, the team had to face a lot of resentment from those in power, but they managed to survive and slowly the movement gathered momentum with a lot of people joining hands. Today, the organisation has one and a half lakh members spread across the country and abroad and has multi-dimensional participation including paid and un-paid memberships and support on various social networking sites.
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The launch of the Zero Rupee Note was the biggest success story of the group and instead of fights, arguments or harsh words, they use the note to silence bribe-takers.
“It has always worked like magic. We always tell people and our volunteers never to raise their voice but just present the note to one asking the bribe and tell him to pass it on to someone who makes a similar request of him. We immediately see a change in the person’s demeanour,” says Vijay.
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Youth coordinator Sindhu Sivalingam has a target of reaching 500 schools. Under the to-be launched School of Democracy project, her job is to inculcate in children the values of democracy. “Colleges are our second target. School children are the best subjects as they don’t have rigid opinions and are open to new ideas. It is best to catch them young. The programme will target children above VII standard. We want to take rights and duties out of boring civic books and make them interesting through the use of visual medium, games and placards,” she says.
The organisation also imparts free weekend training on RTI on Saturdays. Banu Kumar, executive director, says “Our centre can accommodate 25 people, who will be given information on RTI and its application. On weekdays, we have the RTI Clinic at the office, which functions from 9.30 a.m. to 6.30 p.m. We give counselling to people who come with problems, tell them where they can use the RTI. We generally encourage people to file it themselves, but when someone is unable to do it due to security reasons, we file it for them. For people who want anonymity, there is something called a Satellite RTI, under which an RTI request is filed from elsewhere to protect the identity of the petitioner.”
The 5 th Pillar also makes use of community celebrations like marriage to spread the message of anti-corruption and to give information on RTI. When invited by members or their friends and family, it sets up an outreach desk at the entrance and gives away a zero rupee note to all guests.
The School of Democracy programme will be launched on April 6 along with a musical presentation by Lakshman Shruti at Kamarajar Arangam from 5 p.m. Interested schools can participate. The office is at 41, Circular Road, Kodambakkam.
For details, call 87540 46342/87544 46665/ 6527 3056, or visit>5thpillar.org.