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The upcoming Bihar MLA elections will see my dear friend and inspirational electrician-turned-activist Sanjay Sahni contest as an Independent candidate. His is the type of grassroots campaign our democracy urgently needs.
Please contribute generously: https://www.ourdemocracy.in/Campaign/sanjaysahni
Please contribute generously: https://www.ourdemocracy.in/Campaign/sanjaysahni
Sanjay's rise is nothing short of a miracle. He is a class 7 drop-out. In 2011, he was a street-side electrician in Delhi, when, a chance encounter with the internet (and Google) opened his eyes to corruption in the MNREGA taking place in his village. https://www.civilsocietyonline.com/mega-hall-of-fame/mgnrega-hero-sanjay-sahni/
Angered by the scale of injustice his fellow villagers were subject to and empowered by commonplace technologies like the net, he gave everything up and decided to dedicate his life to serving, first, his village, then block, then district and now, he hopes, all of Bihar!
Over the years, Sanjay and the organization he helped found -- the MNREGA Watch (MW) -- has helped thousands across Bihar. Here's a short, moving 2-min piece on Sanjay and MW on Aamir Khan's Satyamev Jayate (from 2013):
MW is a people's movement, spreading across hundreds of villages and comprising mostly low-caste women.
Since first visiting them in 2012, I have spent many a happy day in the company of these feisty women and men and have seen first-hand how their lives have been transformed.
Since first visiting them in 2012, I have spent many a happy day in the company of these feisty women and men and have seen first-hand how their lives have been transformed.
MW's victories are not won without hardship: over the years, Sanjay has faced threats to his life, been slapped with a series of false cases and has suffered much financial distress. Through it all, I have seen him and the mazdoors of MW stand brave and stay surprisingly cheery.
Recently, as the covid-19 crisis struck, Sanjay was instrumental in helping stranded Bihari workers across the country return home. It was his initiative that prompted the setting up of the now-well-know terrific SWAN (Stranded Workers Action Network) that's saved countless lives
Recently, when Muzaffarpur was ravaged by floods, he paused campaigning and plunged into relief work. Typically, he helped those who were hit worst -- NOT those who were from his constituency.
In an era where politics is usually practised only by those endowed w/ a famous surname/substantial wealth, this campaign holds promise for the type of politics Indian democracy could use to redeem itself.
Once again, do contribute. Every rupee/$ counts: https://www.ourdemocracy.in/Campaign/sanjaysahni
Once again, do contribute. Every rupee/$ counts: https://www.ourdemocracy.in/Campaign/sanjaysahni
And finally, do RETWEET and spread the word!
(And one final time, click below to go directly to page that allows you to contribute: https://www.ourdemocracy.in/Campaign/sanjaysahni)
(And one final time, click below to go directly to page that allows you to contribute: https://www.ourdemocracy.in/Campaign/sanjaysahni)
