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VOL. 11 NO. 8 JUNE 2014 www.civilsocietyonline.com .com/civilsocietyonline `50 TTTHHHEEE CCCIIITTTYYY WWWEEE WWWAAANNNTTT Why an experiment in Gurgaon matters to the rest of India TsunamI of neW laW for haWkers The oTher voTers... hopes and Pages 10-11 Pages 26-27 GaurI’s super sTITch connecTInG Women aspIraTIons Pages 12-13 Pages 29-30 What people expect from Narendra Modi and why jaypore Is sTylIsh marGInalIsed moTher Pages 6-9 Pages 24-25 Page 33 COnTEnTS READ U S. WE READ YO U. modi’s mandate n this magazine we don’t spend as much time as we perhaps should with politicians and bureaucrats. It is because we have found it more Iexciting to explore the India that exists beyond known centres of power. Getting to high-fliers occupying positions of importance is difficult and often requires footwork. On the contrary, hooking up with outliers is easy and exciting because you will most probably be among the first to recognise merit in their unconventional pursuits. It is also important for journalists to report on the weakest and most vul - nerable people in society. So, we have invested our talents in telling the sto - cover sTory ries of how those who exist far beyond the bright lights of the economy face the challenges of survival. The cITy We WanT We have been around for three general elections and several assembly elections since we set up Civil Society in 2003 and covered them in ways that When Raahgiri is held in Gurgaon every Sunday, residents take we thought our readers would find engaging. over some of their streets to jog, run, cycle, and do the Zumba. it We had Sheila Dikshit and her RWA initiative on our second cover as she reflects their yearning for a different kind of city. 18 sought re-election. A month later, in november 2003, we had a cover story on ‘nGOs in politics’ and how activists were seeking to influence electoral COVER PHOTOGRAPH: SANdEEPA VEERAMACHANENi outcomes. We remember interviewing Madhusudhan Mistry of the Congress on what it felt like to make the transition from activism to full- Saffron surprise in WB . 9 time politics. Over the years we have watched social activists aspire to political power, only to get their fingers burned. The two worlds are different and it comes as Remo on Goa, music and AAP . 14-15 no surprise that the stars of the social sector who contested as candidates of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) lost so badly. Voters make complex choices. Women leaders honoured . 15 Alternative politics is a long and difficult road. The system, for sure, is flawed and averse to reform, but getting people to make ethical choices is even more challenging. Taking shortcuts only results in grief and early col - Video games that heal . 17 lapse, as we have witnessed with AAP. narendra Modi has won a huge mandate. The UPA government’s indeci - sion, corruption and poor performance have made it easy for him. The huge Smartbin for smart homes . 23-24 vote that he has received is also an expression of the aspirations Indians, from the very poor to the middle-class and the rich, have. So far, the stock markets have cheered him. But the cheers that will really Mahan’s coal shadow . 27 matter will be those of the faceless people who attended his rallies and placed their trust in him to take the country forward. none of the key issues has gone away. The new government will have to Bhagoria’s marriage festival . 31 balance equity and growth. It will have to ensure that a large minority pop - ulation feels secure. This has been a landmark election, but only time will tell if it will be a turning point for the country. Cities for everyone . 32 Organic breakfast & Threads of love . 34 Contact Civil Society at: [email protected] The magazine does not undertake to respond to unsolicited contributions sent to the editor for publication. Publisher Layout & Design First Floor, Panchsheel Vihar, Umesh Anand Virender Chauhan Malviya Nagar, New delhi -110017. Advisory Board Get your copy of Civil Society from Printed at Samrat Offset Pvt. Ltd., Editor Cartoonist AnupAm mishrA B-88, Okhla Phase ii, New delhi - 110020. Delhi: Bahri Sons, Central Market, Galleria Market, Rita Anand Samita Rathor ArunA roy News Agency, stalls at Green Qutab Plaza, Sector 14 Postal Registration No. News Network nAsser munjee Park market, South Extn Part Market, Sector 17 Market, Write to Civil Society at: dL(S)-01/3255/2012-14. ii, Aurobindo Market, R. K. Sector 54, Sector 44. Shree Padre Arun mAirA d-26 Basement, South Registered to post without pre-payment Puram, Vasant Vihar, Vasant Jehangir Rashid Kolkata: Oxford Bookstore, Extension Part 2, U(SE)-10/2014 at New delhi PSO DArshAn shAnkAr Kunj, J.N.U., S.d.A. Market, Classic Books. Rakesh Agarwal New delhi -110049. Saket, Kalkajee, C. R. Park, Registered with the Registrar of hArivAnsh Bengaluru: Variety on Susheela Nair Ph: 011-46033825, New Friends Colony, Lajpat Newspapers of india under jug surAiyA St Mark’s Road. Shayak Majumder 9811787772 Nagar, defence Colony, Hauz RNi No.: dELENG/2003/11607 shAnkAr ghose Khas, Moti Bagh, Sector 62 Lucknow: Ram Advani Noida. Bookseller at Hazratganj. Photography Printed and published by Total no of pages: 36 upenDrA kAul Lakshman Anand Umesh Anand from A 53 d, www.civilsocietyonline.com Gurgaon: dLF Phase 1 Chandigarh: The Browser. VOICES In THE LIGHT by SAMITA RATHOR The story highlights a fine example of crisis and so on find no mention in opment. His political and social life an effective Private-Public- the book, it seems. were characterised by the highest lETTErs Partnership. While the government Uttam Sengupta integrity and honesty. He always has authority, the private sector has maintained his faith in non-violent efficiency and innovation. DIMTS Congratulations for the excellent inter - movements even though he was jailed has done a very good job by working view with Sanjaya Baru. The book is so many times due to his participation in with the government to run the well-written and full of information. It peaceful movements against injustice. Orange bus service. Perhaps women is an insider’s account of how the gov - Bharat Dogra could also be trained as bus drivers ernment was run. Please keep writing and conductors. Mr Baru and tell us more. passion fruit Shweta Grewal Shrikant Shree Padre’s article, ‘Passion a delight Baru’s book In memoriam for Idukki couple,’ narrating the expe - riences of the couple in passion fruit Your interview with Sanjaya Baru on Sunil, General Secretary of the processing, will definitely draw the his book, The Accidental Prime Samajvadi Jan Parishad, died at the age attention of farmers and entrepreneurs Minister was an eye opener. For the of 53 in Delhi on 21 April. At a very towards the commercial value of pas - first time we came to know that Baru young age he emerged as the leader of sion fruit cultivation and processing. was actually reluctant to write this many peasants and workers move - C. Thamban book. But it is good he wrote it ments in Hoshangabad district of because we now know how the Prime Madhya Pradesh. As a brilliant stu - errata orange boost Minister’s Office functions. dent of economics in Delhi University, Your cover story, ‘Delhi’s Orange Pradip Lal he attracted widespread admiration In our May cover story, ‘Delhi gets Boost,’ is a fine example of safe, inex - for initiatives like organising cycle an Orange boost,’ Sanjiv Sahai, CEO pensive public transport. DIMTS has I have not read Dr Baru's book. I have yatras in remote underdeveloped parts of DIMTS was quoted as saying that used technology and training most no wish to read it either. But I have of the country. At the age of 25 he Blueline owners were responding to effectively to improve efficiency. It read the reports, a few reviews and devoted himself to full-time work a ‘perverse infrastructure.’ What he has worked with great dedication. For excerpts and have a fair idea of what among tribals in Hoshangabad dis - actually said was: ‘Blueline owners the first time, Delhi has a bus service it is all about. Dr Baru, as the media trict. He was editor of reputed journals were responding to a perverse that people can use without fear. I adviser to the PM, had no standing, like Samyik Varta and Samta Era . His incentive structure.’ The error is think many cities would like to copy access or authority, I am sorry to say, articles (mostly in Hindi) appeared in regretted. Editor. this model so please propagate your to write an insider's insight into gov - many leading newspapers and jour - article. ernance. The global slowdown after nals. His writings had a special focus Letters should be sent to Sushant Varma 2008, the PM's deft handling of the on evolving alternative paths of devel - [email protected] CIVIL SOCIETY, JUNE 2014 5 nEWS TsunamI of hopes anLAKSHMAN ANANd d aspIraTIons Civil Society News New Delhi OME time ago we spent a week with street vendors to understand their concerns about Sbig retail chains coming into India. To our surprise, we found them talking about finance, branding, customer loyalty and innovation. There were among them those who understood the differ - ence between a proprietorship and a partnership. They were just street vendors with small stalls, but they liked to be treated as entrepreneurs in their own right. narendra Modi’s surge to power has come atop a tsunami of diverse hopes and aspirations.