Together With Nandan..... Finally.

It took me hardly a second to accept an invite from my friend Prathap Menon to join CampaignForNandan group a few months back.   But my support remained passive for a while - the typical dilemma of choosing between the man and the party. In 1977, I was a small school kid but a successful revolution of those times had left a very deep impression on my tender sensibilities – that was difficult to erase even years later with the benefit of a good cognitive intelligence.

In the last few days, I realized that passive support to a cause was indeed as bad as passive smoking. In a typical election, how much does a party affiliation mean to an individual’s campaign was the moot question.  Having observed Nandan at work, it was a no-brainer to decide on the man, it was the party that posed a question mark. True to his style, he will not promise moon but will mitigate some of the miseries. I realized that my long years of support to my party did convert into a positive result every time but my constituency didn’t grow to what I would have liked it to.  I, and perhaps many others like me, have just savoured the glory of putting our votes on a winning candidate and never ever weighed the return on our votes. As they say in cricket – a good batsman is one who puts a price on his wicket.

I am also aware that for my representative to do something good for my constituency, it is important that he aligns with one of the big parties. Staying independent might make a symbolic statement; it has limitations in terms of getting political, administrative or executive attention to my constituency.  Many of us want to do something good but are bogged down with our own lives or simply do not have the courage to stand up. And here is a man, who has shunned the other softer options to get representation and is willing to get to the grassroots level.  I knew, it was time to stand up and be counted when he needed my support.  

One man cannot change our polity overnight but this is a small beginning and we have to make it succeed. We need 542 Nandan’s to clean up the system but we need to first welcome this bold beginning so that other Nandan’s also come forward.  As I said, it may take time to clean up the whole system. But that should not stop us from sowing the saplings now so that our coming generation reaps the fruits. And I joined my other friends this morning – to actively work ‘Together with Nandan’.