A Guest Post For Tharoorians!

I remember hearing these lines by Bashir Badr long, long back-

"Hum toh dariya hain, humein apna hunar maloom hai,
Jis taraf bhi chal padenge, rasta ho jayega"

I do not know the thoughts of the poet behind these lines, but I could most easily interpret them by understanding 'dariya' as a metaphor for youth power. And once I did that, a beautiful and powerful meaning of these simple and subtle two lines unraveled itself.  With belief and perseverance, if the young minds of today get down to some task, there is no hurdle so big or rigid which may stop them from reaching their goal/destination. With power, we know how to break through that boulder. With strength, we know how to scale a mountain. With fluidity, we know how to find a way even through the smallest of cracks in the system.

I have been lucky to personally be in touch with a lot of young, enterprising, and ambitious people who have set unto themselves tasks which are meaningful, and which serve not just some parochial but larger, social interests. In the small life I have lived, I have also been associated with a number of initiatives during my school and college life, which aimed at heralding change, at breaking stereotypes and at evolving progressively from status quo. A few days back, I serendipitously came in touch with a dense group of likeminded people, who dream together of forming an advocacy group to raise a banner for progressive political practices in India. This group, interestingly, calls itself- Tharoorians. 

The Tharoorians, on their official blog, describe their group as "an initiative to get you to voice your opinions and deliver constructive criticism on Indian Politics and Democracy. A little ambitious - we hope to reach out to maximum people who believe India deserves Change." This group derives inspiration and is supported by the eponymous- Dr. Shashi Tharoor- to whom the blog is dedicated and whose values are upheld and propagated by the founders of Tharoorians. This is not to say that the group does not welcome constructive criticism which contradicts any one particular political ideology. As long as one has something to say, the Tharoorians are game to take it up and splash it on their blog as an important opinion sourced from a stimulated and concerned young mind.

I was ecstatic when a blog published my first ever guest post, in which I wrote about child psychology and the ingenuity required for moulding little minds into responsible, dignified and genuine individuals of tomorrow. Now, to be the first Guest Author for a blog which goes by the name of Tharoorians For Change was a feeling altogether different. Because my quill has never trodden on the path of political criticism, I assumed it never could. However, when I did write for them, the group's moderator, Katherine Abraham, was more than graceful to, perhaps, ignore the inconsistencies of content and give value to underlying enthusiasm of just another girl existing in this vast country- but one who at least aims to exist as a responsible and aware citizen of India.

My first thoughts have been poured out in an article called India Calling. Here is why I would appreciate if the followers of Nascent Emissions went ahead and read the article, and also left comments if possible-
1. The article is generalist, and builds upon one of the most relevant concepts of ancient India to highlight problems contemporary in character.
2. It dwells on the admiration- the how and why- I have for Dr. Tharoor and, what in my view, is his magnum opus work- The Great Indian Novel.
3. I share in the article one of my most favorite success stories of reformation, reconstruction and resuscitation of a collapsing unit in rural India. The story of Hivre Bazar.
4. The article is my first honest attempt to make public my views on the political landscape of India, though in a fleeting, almost naive way. For once I wrote beyond love, friends, romance and the routine gibberish I rant on about.

And, not just for India Calling, I would request the readers to hop onto Tharoorians For Change to read some more nascent, but informed and passionate articles from some very inspired youngsters from across India. If you feel there is something you need to voice your opinion about, Tharoorians would gladly welcome your participation.

As a last, I would like to thank Katherine for her guidance and Tarique for introducing me to the concept of Tharoorians.

Web Page
http://tharoorians4change.blogspot.in/Twitter Handle
@IndieTharoorian

You could also follow the following twitter handles for updates about Tharoorians
@katie_abraham (Katherine)
@Tarique_Anwer (Tarique)
@Saumyakul (Me)

Also, if you already are not among the 1 million odd followers of Dr. Tharoor, may be you would like to be one. Follow him at @shashitharoor. You can connect with him, and trust me, he puts in efforts to connect with you too. He is one of the only political leaders on twitterati who has understood the dynamics behind being on a social forum like twitter.