Story Of Mission272+ (Undercurrent Created By Volunteers)

This is the story of the Campaign for 2014, the story of Mission272+ (Undercurrent created by Volunteers)

This is the story of how Narendra Modi’s speech-making, spanning more than 100 speeches, shook up the Indian political landscape in little over 15 months with a marathon 75 plus public rallies (including the Assembly election 2013 campaign) and 20 plus town-hall events.

It began, in many ways, with that victory speech in Khanpur before the year was rounded off with a Vijay Shankhnad Rally in Kashi. Since then Narendra Modi has spoken on an economic vision, a healthcare vision, a technology vision and an all-encompassing political vision for India. But we need to rewind back a but further to get a more accurate mile marker for the start of this journey with that riveting speech from September, 2011 during the Sadbhavana fast when a national television audience, for the first time, experienced the power of Narendra Modi’s oratory.

The one constant in Narendra Modi’s speeches is his penchant for coining catchphrases which then go on to take a life of their own on the campaign trail. One such coinage is the catchphrase “India First” that has come to symbolise what secularism means to Narendra Modi.

If Narendra Modi’s overarching political narrative for the 2014 elections were to be summed up in a single word with a resonance to every segment of voters it would be the word — trust.

It was this grounded wisdom of Narendra Modi that saw him being declared as the BJP’s Prime Ministerial candidate on the September 15, 2013 even as Rewari in Haryana prepared to host him as the first mega rally as the PM candidate.

Narendra modi build a volunteer platform named ‘India 272’. In starting it was a online platform for volunteers to share their ideas and to participate on national issues debates. After that in Nov 2013 ‘india 272’ started the on-ground activities too like Manthan, Mock parliament, Nukkad sabha, Voter awareness etc.

In dec 2013 ‘India 272’ announced that the Top active volunteers who are working online and on-ground will get a chance to meet Shri Narendra Modi on 9 Jan 2014.

6 jan 2014 was the biggest day in my life when I got a call from Delhi that I am shortlisted to meet Shri Narendra Modi among the lakhs of volunteers across the India. Only 50 volunteers were shortlisted to that meeting. I was one of them.

I went to delhi to attend the meeting, it was like dream come true to share the table with Shri Narendra Modi in that meeting. From 9am to 7pm this meeting went. Shri Modi came at 4.30pm and stay till 6.45pm with us. He shared many things with us And motivate us to work for nation not for a party only.

Before that many speakers trained us how to work and build a team of volunteers in our parliamentary constituency. Shri Piyush Goyal, Shri Arvind Gupta, Smt  Smiriti Irani, Shri Rajesh Jain, Shri Vinod Shankar, Shri Nitin Kashyap addressed us on various things.

I got the responsibility of my PC Jodhpur. I came back and build the team of volunteers of Mission272+ with the help of various people as Shri Sagar Joshi, Pankaj vyas, Deepak upadhyay, Dr Jitendra singh Chouhan, Narendra singh choudhary, Kuldeep singh chahar, Ravikant Sharma, Rahul bora, Amit goyal, Ishwar ram tandi, Shrawan goswami, Laksingh panwar, Hanwant singh, Prateek vyas, Jaikishan Sharma, Lakshit sharma and many more uncountable volunteers who gave everything for this mission, . We did many Manthans, Nukkad nataks, Namo Tea parties, Rallies, Namo musical show etc. Our team was increasing day by day. Youth were participating in mission272+ with full flow. About 10000 volunteers were a part of our team in Jodhpur PC.

Mission272+ were spreading across the India, Lakhs of volunteers were joining this revolution. Bjp It head Shri Arvind Gupta was working 24*7  to motivate and instruct the volunteers across the india. There was a flood of volunteers. They were not the party workers. They were working for country, for ‘India First’.

The ‘India 272’ team was working 24*7 and whenever I need some help or any guidance I may call Shri Vinod Shankar. He always helped me and always motivated to do work for nation.

The Team of ‘Mission272+’ led by Shri Arvind Gupta was always available for me. Shri Kamal Vashishth, Shri Nitin Kashyap, Shri Sunil Singh, Shri Kuldeep Singh and many more. All were have the responsibility of different states to make the dream come true of ‘Mission272+’

An Article published in India Today that was like ‘It could be the biggest crore of them all in Elections 2014, the turbo boost that powers the Bharatiya Janata Party home in the last lap. The BJP has enlisted no less than 10 million new members in the last four months alone; that's almost a lakh every day. The most significant part of the BJP's explosively growing ranks is that a fifth of the new members are active volunteers; almost twice the strength of the Indian Army. A series of clever initiatives launched by the party to spread the 'Narendra Modi for Prime Minister' message in the afterglow of the impressive saffron performance in the Assembly elections of December 2013 is behind this manpower miracle.

 Arvind Gupta, head of party's IT wing, said, "Over one crore people have become members under India 272+ initiative of the BJP. Out of them about 20 lakh people are working actively for the party reaching out to voters. The members are from across the country.  Their work also includes enabling the most sophisticated digital platform for booth-level organising and campaigning with the goal of winning every booth. They also connect with volunteers within constituency to take Mission 272+ to the local level,"

Making a critical difference Campaigning during the 2014 election was the Digital Ecosystem that came together for Mission272+. Most campaigns have traditionally been run in a centralised manner with a command and control structure. A unique feature of the digital ecosystem that came together for Mission272+ was its distributed nature drawing on skills, resources and enthusiasm from across multiple platforms – official and voluntary.

At the heart of the Mission272+ Digital Ecosystem was the BJP’s I.T.Cell and its National Digital Operations Center (NDOC) that ran a 360 degrees campaign across digital channels – web, mobile, social media, voice and sms. The BJP’s NDOC was complemented by the India272+ Volunteer Platform which for the first time in India offered a platform for all those who were passionate about seeing Narendra Modi as India’s next Prime Minister to get involved with the 2014 Campaign. Between the official IT efforts and the volunteer efforts, the digital ecosystem that came together was largely responsible for much of the BJP’s digital dominance through the 2014 Campaign.

Over all it was an Under current which was create by ‘Mission272+’ volunteers across the India.

And the day came when Narendra Modi has been sworn in as the Prime Minister of India by the President Pranab Mukherjee. Mr. Modi became the 14th PM of Independent India.

Regards

Lokesh Chahar

Making India Think - A Letter for the Youth, by A Youth..!!

Friends, Indians and Countrymen,

I stand before you not to sympathize or criticize the situation our country is in. I am here only to make you THINK.

I am a symbol of the youth of this nation who has a dream for change and needs the help of you all in turning that dream into reality.

We are not here because our destiny was programmed to-be-so and to-do-so.

We have all seen the beginning and end of classroom sessions, semesters and holidays. We all have had that ‘special someone’ who broke our heart in the end. But, Life always gives a second chance and being optimist certainly pays off.

At 5 our parents would've told that we would be an engineer or a doctor. At 10, we dreamed of becoming a cricketer or a film star. But as you move forward, you leave those dreams behind and reality strikes. The right thing to do then is ‘Be Yourself’. You should create your own ‘Youniverse’ in a society where people want to be like someone else and make a difference.

India is diverse nation – many cultures, religions, languages and societies of people coexisting in one country. So, where do you stand? Do you follow the rules created by this society and carry on with your mundane existence? Or should you break the shackles and realize your dreams? Don’t you think that as the leader of tomorrow you should have the liberty of thinking, realizing and acting on your own principles?

For 50 years we have been a developing nation; it’s high time we became a developed nation. What is it that developed nations have and we don’t – money, resources, economy or brains? We have all of these – both in quality and quantity. Are we not patriotic enough? Then, why do these politicians deposit billions of dollars in foreign accounts and not spent even a quarter of it in the nation’s welfare?  India needs to stand up to the world – not only as a military power, but also an economic power. We cannot leave everything in the hands of the government; this is the right time to provoke the minds of the youth for an upsurge that will create awareness and will be pivotal in making India a superpower.

A nation with endless variety, India has the best engineers, doctors, businessmen, and scientists offering global expertise in almost all areas of development who are the paramount reason behind the expectation of becoming a world leader by 2020. But will we live up to this expectation or do we still want to remain a country with intellectual brilliance alongside the superstition and ignorance of people?

No nation is perfect. With the active involvement of youth in issue specific causes and movements, it is high time the society changes the way they perceive us. We aren't the reasons behind the ills of the society, rather we are the messengers of change who should be empowered and whose contributions should be encouraged. We aren't only the future of the nation, but also its present. We need an environment where our voices need to be heard and our actions need to be impactful. We have to join hands in channelizing the energy and enthusiasm in the correct direction for achieving the herculean task of nation building. 

Regards

Lokesh Chahar

Bring It On..!!

My mind is blank, clueless and still
With little idea about the future
Plans can be made and conclusions drawn
But then, why the frown in my head?

Success isn't a necessity, then why compete
Amidst the existing chaos, what is it that I need?
I too had dreams, where have I buried them
Desires lie dormant in my heart, what is it that I seek?

I was brazen and crazy once, conscious I have now become
A sense of security and defense has now shielded me. 
Am I not the same person who was brave enough to try the unconventional?
Yes, I have changed; but am I still me?

No. I haven't given up on my dreams just yet. 
Neither have I changed for the worse. 
There comes a time when you have to see beyond 'ME'
When there's more to a picture than you can just see. 

I have been taught well
Awakened, realized, felt
Learned, inspired, acted
By and From the ABC's of LIFE.

Life teaches us to live it 
To the fullest, to the core
Forget the regrets, wear a smile
And have an attitude of "Bring it on!!". 

That is what I'll try to do,
With faith in myself, hope for the future
And strength in my beliefs
In the ABC's of Life.

Meditation Prevents Suicides

Lokesh chahar

It’s time meditation be made a vital element of our social support system. It can drastically bring down suicide rates. Every year, millions around the world try to kill themselves, and nearly half a million to one succeed! That is a devastating statistic for a time that is hailed as one of opportunities and growth. Worryingly, suicide in India is slightly above world rate. Of the half a million suicidal death worldwide every year, 20% are Indians. In the last two decades alone, the suicide rate has increased from 7.9 to 10.3 per 100,000 with substantially high rates in four southern states.
Surveys have found a 64% correlation between domestic violence of women and suicidal tendencies. While domestic violence against women has been found to be a major factor for suicides in Bangaloe, financial and family issues too seem to be driving men to take this shocking step.

So, what is it about meditation that is so effective in the treatment of suicidal ideation? Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has said that, “meditation fulfills the natural tendency of human life to look for a joy that does not diminish or turn into negative emotions.”

Meditation brings about a major shift in mindset and approach to life. Much of emotional and consequently physical distress stems from either striving too hard to gain something we think we really want or clinging to things we don’t have. This brings on enormous stress and pain. In the practice of meditation, there is a huge reduction in stress levels that occur by diving deep into the deepest states of relaxation, a rest that is deeper than the deepest rest. In this state, there is a glorious mix of profound rest and high awareness. One lets go without any conscious effort… As we reach this state, there is a shift in the focus from the regrets, anger, and all things negative associated with the past and the anxieties and planning of the future. There is then a movement to the present moment. Meditation makes the present look so celebrated that it makes possible dreaming and planning for the future.

Meditation helps the mind to settle. Once it is settled, it brings back hope. It takes away the confusion and the feeling of being lost which is so classically indicative of suicidal ideation. Meditation will help release the judgment of pain and help you just observe it.

Meditation helps us to learn to experience non-judgmentally. If we observe our experience closely, what is revealed is several aspects of our lives that we see and understand clearly and other areas where we are essentially blindly. Meditation clears the focus and thus diminishes self-harming cognitions. This helps to develop self-confidence, self-worth and become non-judgmental This in turn will help one with suicidal ideation to have better control over their be Academic institutions must introduce essential skills like meditation into their curriculum. This would help to be a huge deterrent to those who have suicidal ideas and prepare the next generation of people to develop their inner strength and discover the purpose and meaning on their lives.

(The writer is a member of Art of Living and a social worker)

Taste of Freedom

Are we really free? What does freedom taste like? This is one question that remains unanswered for every single person even after 67 years of our country’s independence.

Which freedom should we talk about? Leave alone the fundamental rights stated in the constitution, lately in our country there is not even the freedom to dress or walk anywhere one wants. Are you confused about what I am saying? I am speaking about the freedom which women are still deprived of. Nelson Mandela said – "Freedom would be meaningless without security at home and in the streets." So is India’s freedom meaningless? Did we fight for nothing?

Women have proved themselves in every field – Sarojini Naidu, Bachendri Pal, Mother Teresa, Kalpana Chawla, Indra Nooyi , Kiran Bedi, Meira Kumar, Sania Nehwal, Lata Mangeshkar – the list is really long. And this is only about India. If I start mentioning global names, you will be astonished to have never even heard their names. Amazed? Not only the above names, there are several other women in numerous other career fields who have carved a niche for themselves. Still, women are considered to be weak, vulnerable and fragile. I admit that women aren’t physically comparable to men, but does that make her weak? Does any man have the capacity to bring a new life into this world?

I am not blaming our country or its laws. Neither am I trying to revolt against the society or its norms. I am just sad, heartbroken and utterly disappointed. Want to know why? A notice board in Ranchi stated – “If girls are seen wearing jeans or walking without dupattas, acid will be thrown on their faces” which was in accordance with the rules made by Jharkhand Mukti Morcha. Who has given them the right to even post such a notice? Why is nothing being done against them? Who is answerable here? There are many such questions that will always remain unanswered.

It is ironic that even Wikipedia search about ‘Women in India’ highlights dowry, female foeticide, women trafficking, molestation and other issues that show the weak and oppressed side of women. To consider a woman weak is the biggest mistake that can be made by a man. It is the patience, power of resilience, forgiving nature and a tender heart of a woman that makes a home. If she were to start asking her rights and freedom at every single instance of deprivation, family would only be a notion.

Admire, appreciate and love every woman in your life – daughter, mother, grandmother, sister, wife and friends. Let us try creating an independent India with independent minds.

MODI'S HANGOUT TODAY

Shri Narendra Modi will speak with you LIVE, face-to-face over Google+ Hangout on 31st August 2012

All you have to do is post a question, either a video or a text question

Speak with Shri Narendra Modi on “Strong & Glorious India long cherished by Swami Vivekananda!” Be the youth of Swami Vivekananda’s dreams!

The initiative is organized by Vivekananda Cell, Sports, Youth & Cultural Activities Department, Gujarat

WHY HANGOUT BY MODI JI..??

In a yet another initiative to connect with the people of the country, Gujarat Chief Minister Shri Narendra Modi is all set to speak with you LIVE, face-to-face over Google+ Hangout! For those who have always wanted to have a word with Shri Narendra Modi in person, this is the time! Speak with Shri Narendra Modi on “Strong & Glorious India long cherished by Swami Vivekananda!” Be the youth of Swami Vivekananda’s dreams.
We come across excerpts of interviews of politicians & leaders on television or newspapers or online, but it is for the first time that a common man gets to ask questions to a CM LIVE..