India is rich in its art, culture, and heritage. And what better way to motivate people to go out and vote than using art as a medium? This is exactly what the Cachar District Deputy Commissioner in Assam, Ms. Keerthi Jalli decided to do in order to motivate people of the district to go out and vote.
Amongst the several unique and positive ways that she adopted to spread awareness about voting, her exceptional record of getting an eight-kilometer-long ‘rangoli’ attracted thousands of people and marked a sense of responsibility in them.
In an exclusive conversation with Indian Masterminds, Ms. Jalli described the fun and attractive measures that she took to spread awareness.
MEET MISHTI
Going back to 1867, Cachar is the oldest district in Assam, with Ms. Jalli as its 82nd Deputy Commissioner. As part of the Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) campaign, where voters are mobilized and asked to come forward and take part in the election procedure, the district administration came up with a Mascot named Mishti – a 7-8-year-old young girl who appeals to the elders to vote in the upcoming elections for her bright future.
“We wanted it to be women highlighted campaign therefore we send Mishti with a mask, who asks elders not to sit back but go out to cast their votes so that she could have a safe and secure future,” Ms. Jalli told Indian Masterminds.
MUSIC FOR THE HEART
Cachar houses several colleges with numerous youngsters who are new to the world of voting. Ms. Jalli wished to attract them as well. “I wanted to make it cool enough so that the youth is attracted and goes on to cast their vote.”
Hence, the SVEEP program, under the umbrella of ‘Garv Cachar’ came up with a song appealing to the voters to vote. The song ‘Amar Cachar, Garv Cachar’ was composed and sung by Sobhraj Chakraborty and Kashi Bishwanath Das of Silchar and aims at wooing voters from all over the district, especially the women and youth.
Similarly, the program also came up with its own ‘rap’ song to attract the youth to vote! “It’s a fast beat song which has become quite popular and easily serves our purpose of vote appeal,” stated Ms. Jalli.
THE EIGHT KILOMETER LONG RANGOLI
Looking for a mega exercise to celebrate women, Ms. Jalli came up with the idea of creating rangoli or street art by involving the entire district to participate. The highway being a picturesque location was chosen as the canvas in order to draw people’s attention towards the cause.
She wanted street art to be the biggest citizen-involved exercise. Therefore, the Commissioner contacted SHG women from Assam State Rural Livelihood Mission to participate in the activity.
“Women can add beauty to anything, therefore they were mobilized wherein we made them understand our purpose, and the minute they heard that they will work with art, rangoli, and colors, they immediately agreed and were enthusiastic and excited about it!” Ms. Jalli told Indian Masterminds
Rangoli making took place on 14 th March and became one of the most happening days for the district. The highway was filled with people who were enjoying themselves, taking selfies, posting them, and thus inviting more friends and family members to the location.
“We also gathered numerous art students from colleges. Soldiers from CRPF, BSF, NSS volunteers, Bharat Scouts, NCC, Assam Rifles, tea garden workers, and anybody who wanted to participate could just walk in, take a brush and begin painting.”
The event began around 7 A.M. in the morning and ended with 1500 participants and 3000 footfall. Everybody wanted to come and see what was going on. People kept joining in and the rangoli kept stretching. The district broke the world record by creating an eight-kilometer-long rangoli in just 10 hours – a feat that no one has ever achieved!
“The art pieces portray different messages and are quite informative. The exercise ensured maximum participation. We received massive support from the people and now everybody goes there to click pictures, make videos and have fun,” the officer told Indian Masterminds.
People came to paint for free and the material was acquired through sponsorships. It was a pro-bono sort of thing and people got so invested in painting that they didn’t even wish to leave! The rangoli-making activity was a beautiful initiative and filled the citizen’s hearts with positivity while simultaneously making them aware of their duty to vote.
