Priya Dutt, Ashish Shelar to connect with youth at Co-working cafe

Priya Dutt

When was the last time you discussed the role of an MP or MLA, or the responsibility of your corporator over a cup of coffee with friends? In this city, the chances are slim. "Delhi is where most of the nation's policy think tanks are based, the student politics is quite intense, and there's a lot of activism, leading to a healthier discourse and a more issue-based politics approach. On the contrary, Mumbai has fewer think tanks and activist groups and no student-college politics.

There is widespread apathy towards governance in Mumbai," said Rishi Shah, co-founder of Citizens Converge, a two-week-old intellectual property of Mumbai Riders (a curated events company), which is now organising a platform, Politics Pe Charcha, to make governance and policy-making more informed, transparent and participatory, through non-partisan open-discussions at local venues.

Ashish Shelar

"Our goal is to convert this into positive-actionable change by encouraging participation of citizens in decision-making through a dialogue-driven democracy. The first step is to bridge the deep-seated disconnect between citizens and their electoral representatives by educating citizens about their rights and duties and connecting them with each other," he further added.

Back in Delhi, while assisting their respective Members of Parliament across party lines and regions, the co-founders of this event, who are ex-LAMP (legislative assistants to Members of Parliament) Fellows - Saurabh Jain, Mizan Tejani and Nirja Shah - realised the need for this dialogue in Mumbai. Hosting the event at an offbeat place like Khar Social was a part of the plan, and politicians like Priya Dutt (ex-MP, INC), Ashish Shelar (MLA, BJP Mumbai President) and Corporator Alka Kelkar, amongst others, were personally invited by Shah and his friends to share their experiences as elected representatives. "We wanted it to be a casual, off-the-cuff dialogue between citizens and their electoral representatives, that's why Khar Social. It's a space which is conducive to open-discussions and doesn't have a formal vibe. The space on the first floor will be converted into an informal auditorium-like venue to accommodate the large numbers," said Shah.

"It is absolutely critical that the youth of today understand and absorb the process that gets their leaders elected. They must understand the importance and strength of their vote and also the repercussions of the same. I am happy to play civics teacher for a while and help them grasp the process of democracy," said Dutt.

Shah and his team aim to have a series of such dialogues across Mumbai over the next year. "It's about time the citizens connect with their respective electoral representatives and hold them accountable for the duties they are designated with," he said of the discussions, the first of which will be held on April 7, 4pm onwards.

Kelkar added, "This platform is great in the long run for our youngsters to understand the political and social scenario. It's a perfect space for exchange of ideas, wherein we could share our efforts to explain to them the system processes to avoid misunderstanding of roles and responsibilities, and citizens can share their suggestions for better functioning as well."

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