Towards India 2.0

वन्दे मातरम् | A great decisive mandate for NDA, specifically in favour of Narendra Modi and definitely in favour of a Congress Mukt Bharat. As the incumbent PM steps down from office, and by extension the fake-Gandhis too, this becomes another Independence Day for us Patriotic Indians.

This decisive mandate gives the Bharatiya Janata Party and Modi the opportunity to chart a new course for 1.25 billion Indians. Expectations are high, for it has been a decade of decay. But, I think, to start with, all that we Indians want are the very basics - health, water, sanitation, food, electricity and shelter. It's a pity that the Indian National Congress still considered these as luxury, after having ruled the country for 50+ years.

Let us hope that our soldiers and security personnel do not lose life at times of peace, and any other time. Let us hope that the women in our country are really empowered, and are safe. Let us hope that RTI and social activists do not lose their life, for doing what is right. And let us keep contributing for a change, in whichever small way we can.

Congratulations India, for this very successful exercise in democracy. Best wishes to Mr. Narendra Modi. A big shout-out to like minded Indians, for staying the course. More power to us.

जय हिन्द | जय भारत |

Social Media and 2014 Elections in India

In the campaigning for the 2014 Assembly Elections in India, Social Media surely is neck and neck with the mainstream media (MSM). There are dedicated IT cells of every major party and especially of the Bharatiya Janata Party, Indian National Congress and Aam Aadmi Party, who have been steadily building up the social media offensive over the past several months. And now with just a few more weeks before the election process comes to a close on 16 May, it's an all out blitzkrieg, with ad agencies, party workers, loyal supporters and volunteers providing equal amount of firepower. And all this for building up favourable opinion among friends, family, followers and the occasional passer-by (page visitor), who form a large chunk of the Indian electorate.

Even MSM has jumped on to the Social Media bandwagon, for airing and publishing election stories and debates. Hashtag wars on Twitter are being used by MSM during debates and interviews, as well as for providing bytes of viewers' opinions during these programs. Facebook is being used for promoting articles, hashtags playing a lesser role here. Facebook is also being used for organizing and promoting interviews by MSM channels. Then there are Hangouts on Google+ which are being used for interviewing party candidates or for interaction with the voters, which are aired live.

Besides the major three SM networks, there are the usual blogs, YouTube videos, ask-me-anything (AMA) sessions and several more ways in which the interwebs is influencing the 2014 mandate in India.

One important message everyone is airing is for the voters to go out and vote. Polling numbers have been encouraging in the first 3 phases, and is expected to be a lot better than earlier elections in the remaining 6 phases.

This election in India is being fought as much online as it is being fought in the minds of the voter, and in the real world!