F~ to INDIA from Why the Aam Aadmi Party lost its relevance

Political movements must have a clear commitment and vision if they are to last

leadership unit. Instead, tl1eir election pitch was more about restricting the number o f BJP mernbers entering Parliament.

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IBY , :, SANAMSHARMA

Citizens in any nation, when oppressed for long, resort to a revolution. A revo lution to overthrow the oppressor(s) and make change An individual with a sense of du1:y and sacrifice steps up co the challenge and the rest tend to follow that leader. The most recent example of such a movement is currently shaping up in Pakistan. However, the success <Jf such an uprising is bound to be str uck by challenges. Thar is where public emotions must be balanced wid1 an adequate dose of realism. J\IJ the citizens of Pakistan have ro do is look closely at a similar uprising in India earlier this year and learn from its shortcomings. India, prior ro the JasL ge neral elections, w itnessed an uprising of sorts in a nascem political party headed b y J\rvind Kejriwal. A social reform movement rhar started with protests and demonstrations, it eventually shaped into a fully- fledged political party in very quick time. Pub lic sentiment endorsing this parry ignited rapidly across the nati o n, making d1e Aam i\admi

Party (AA P) a formidable force on me national political from. However, the AAP succumbed to the spotlig hts of the b ig stage and crumbled.

A country of disillusioned citizens, troub led by blatam mis use of power and aumori1y over a long period of time, sensed a silver lining in the AAP. A tangible alternative to a long array of Lmderperforming governments, peop le connected instantly wid1 the party's straight talking leader. They fe lt affiliated co

A successful social o r political revoluti on does not stop at overd1rowing the oppressor, it provides the alternative to then effect me change it promised.

"Corruption Free lndia" makes for a good slogan but not a fuU y- Aedged manifesto to run a national e lection campaign. Other man putting an end to corrupri o n, the AA P failed to articulate any other major policies of good governance aimed at the medium to long term future of the country A holistic p o licy manifesto, tapping imo foreign relations, eco nomic growth, internal affairs and defence, was neve r sold to the votin g public in great detail.

Some extremely irresponsible political statements, a streak of irreverent mudslinging, publicised internal party power struggles, and some high profi le resignarions sighting differences amongst cop l evel leaders of AAP, all added to a sense of Lmease and lack of conJidence towards the party

The fallout an d res ignations of key AAP figLLtes after d1e Lok Sabha elections earlier

''Public sentiment endorsing the AAP ignited rapid ly across the nation, making it a formidable force on the national pol itica l front, but t he party soon succumbed to the spotlights of the big stage and crumbled his vision of a corruption- free India and sbowered overwhelming support cowards the change that me MP was seeking witl1in d1e governance framework of Jndia.

Somewhere dmugh, the wheels started to come off tl1is mini revolution in lndia. Th e public sentiment of support for the A.AP starred to be tainted witl1 doubt over the capability of tl1e leaders to nm the full journey and deliver the "India" that they had promised.

Granted, the AAP leaders were relatively inexperienced as politicians, however their messages and actions were m ore directed towards overthrowing the Congress and inhibiting me BJP from governing. They were n or about communicating meir own merit, vision, and commitment to run the country.

The Congress was bound to suffer in these elections due ro their inadequacies over a 10 year rule, and the AAP leadership should have focused on mar ke ting memselves as a capable alternative this year reflected a shade of political oppormnism within the ran.ks of 1\AP. The decision by Arvind Kejriwal to give up the governan ce of Delhi in lieu of running for the cop jo b as Prin1e Minister eroded his credibility to finish off the task at hand.

\Xi'hen you start a protest as a common person, you resort ro demonstrations, hunger strikes, and disruptive activities. The effort in all o f that is to get noticed. To create awareness But, when

''you are a known entity and rhe gover nment of me day, as AAP was in Delhi at that juncrure, you follow constimtional protocols ro effect change. Change, of any sort, is a lo ng and arduous process lt demands patience and perseverance. You do nm have to re vert to being a powerless vigil ame once you are in government (and I refer ro tbe much puhlicised "dhama" by Arvind Kejriwal while he was the CM of Delhi). You stick to d1e legitimate processes and clean up the system. As challengi ng anJ rough as it may be.

The A.J\ P bad a lot going for it, bm somehow managed to imp lode o n the big stage. l am sure it is regrouping some\vhere in its political trenches, as I write, reasses sing its approach and priorities, re-scra tegising lr wiU return to the main stream at some stage to stake a claim at governance o nce again. However, I am afraid , the once popular reform movernent that it orig inated as now runs the risk of being branded yet anothe r "political party". Jl,foch like a schizoph renic, AAP w ill n ow have to fi ght demons created by its ow n self

It's time for a bit of trumpet-blowing as we celebrate our 'coming of age; writes

Take a look at the kind of work we' ve done in the past two decades at Indian

Not another Indian newspaper the spiceshop -wallah had said tO us, somewha t disdainfully.

" \X1e don't need another newspaper - there's two alread y"

\Ve hadn't expected this answer, not from someone who we knew well; we had been buying om groceries from him for the past five years.

As Pawan and I stared at him o pen- mouthed, he relented.

"Okay, you can stock yo ur paper at m y score," he said. "But i t will have to live outside m y door. If you can sustain it for a full year, I will let you keep i t inside".

A year later, Mr Spice Shop \Xi'al.lah rang u s

"I'd like co advertise in your paper".

"Oh, but you don't need co advertise;' we said. "You're the king of the sp ice s hop mliverse".

"That's true," he agreed, ''But the ti.mes are changing. The community is growing, and the competition is p icking up "

It was 1995, and Indian Link newspaper had survived its first year of life.

We had survived thanks to the support of the King of the Spice Shop Universe (who remains a good friend and wellwisher to this day), and tha n ks co the community that he rig htly identified as growi ng by leaps and bounds at the time

But mostly, we've thrived, not just survived, because of two strong principles that have been our cornerstone ever since t he very idea of tllis project took root in our minds. These are a comnlitment to quality in terms of co n tent, design and regularity of production, and tl1e amassing of a storehouse of talent behind us that we like to call the 'Indian Link famil y'

To day, iJ1 our twenty- first year , we have well and rruly co m e of age. Graduating from a small 24page black-and -whi te monthly publication in 1994 , produced with next to no resources except tl1e voluntary contributions o f a small group of six interested people, lfldian Link is now a media group active on man y platforms. It produces 72 publicacions a year with a team of more than 80 regular contributors and reports from every major c ity in Australia.

Indian Link has a radio arm that broadcasts 24 hours a day and which can be heard u·aditionally, online or via a smartphone app that has been downloaded some 11,000 ruues. With over eight hours of talk back shows every day, it has a following which even government funded radio channels such as SBS could envy.

Our website, fi r st launched in 2003, is updated daily and bas a variety of sections to capture breaking news happening all over Australia, as well as relevant information from lndia. U sers can join tbe conversation as we give m1.r readers a voice when it comes to important issues.

I11dia11 Link has always been at tbe curring edge o f tecru10l ogy.

\ 'Ile have heavily invested in social media, reaching out to readers on Facebook and Twitter \Y/e are able to deliver instant news and communi ty happenings to our strong base of followers and have high user engagement as compared to other similar media organisations. We also deliver news directly co tl1e in b ox of subsc ribers every formighL

Ever s ince the Multiculmral 1frdia Award s were announced in NSW three years ago, Tndian Link has become the m ost-awarded ethnic media gro up in tl1e state, bringing home mulciple awards and even more nominati o ns, in a whole host of categories. We have been recognised as a top con u·ibutor to the fabric of Australia's mulcicul mral society.

We have published the Best Print and On.line News reports, been rewarded for our innov acive use of digital and onli ne media and mutured a YoungJournalist of the Year. We have been recognised for our community work with a Harmon y Award and been given acco lades for our coverage of community affairs abroad \'Ile have been awarded Best lmage o f the Year, Bes t Online Publication of the Year, and our CEO Pawan Luthra was awarded Multiculmral J ournalist of the Year.

About Indian Link

Indian Llnk is a free publication targe t ed n ot only at Indian-origin Australians, b u t also mainstream Australian s who have an i11terest in India Indian Link is the Circ ulation Audit Bureau's oldest ongoing member from an1ongst the Indian publications.

As watchers of the trends in Australia's Ind ian co m munity, our clear grasp of issues in the community for over 20 years has made us much sought-after.

Our considered commentaries on issues tl1at put the communi ty in mai nstream s p o tlight, such as the smdents' crisis of 20092010, and the contencious one of Australia's sale of uraniu m to India , have been w idely read and welcomed

In ti.mes of naci o n al crises such as the Victoria bush fires of 2009 and Queens land flood s of 20 11 , we look out fo r membe rs of the communi ty, seeking out the affected and bringing their stories to our readers

From within tl1e community, tl1e social and cultural expressions of i ndividuals and groups, in particul ar the celebration of our many festiv als, find much coverage on our pages. The community 's performing arcs scene is inc reasingly become prolific - reports of classical and p o pular dance and music shows, th eatrical productions and art exhibitions ar e now beginning to crru:n our pages An increasing trend is the organisation o f fundraising events, as tl1e community becomes more settled and begins to give back to society.

\'(/e are proud also to feature everyday indi vidual s who sh ine through with their intelligence and application. These mig ht include school students who have excell ed, professionals who have been awarded Australia's 11.igbest civi lian awards, and those excelling in sport o r art or business in tl1e main strea m.

As well, we like to cast a regular look at the different layers tl1at make up our community: se11iors and tbe issues that concern tl1em; kids ( tl1eir lives at school and at leisure); home- makers and aspects of their lifestyle; the youth and their particular pas sions, and tl1e gay communi ty in d1eir attempts to reconcile d1eir lifestyle choice with age-old traditions. Our reports of community events i n Australia have been welcomed by the mainstream as an i nfo r med comment on relevant issues. Our feamres such as travel, food, sport, literamre, health, fashion, Boll ywood, humour, kids and heritage, are read with interest by both the Indian and the w ider communities.

A n importan t segment of our coverage is also devoted co mainstream Australians who have an interest in India. \Yle have followed interested Aussies on their trips to India , and od1ers who have explored film -making with some of Bollywood's greats. Indophiles in Australia p o re over our pages reading stori es about the intercul mral c o nnecti ons \'(/hen the mainstream ha s a quescion about India, or when the communi.cy has a story co te ll, Indian Link is tl1e first point of contact.

We have deve loped a reputation as a leading med ia group in Australia, and small and med ium b u sinesses within tl1e community, corporates, government departments, and businesses from Ind ia seeking co enter the market all come to fodirm L ink to ge t tl1e word om about their products and services.

At Indian J_jnk we pride ourselves on our high quality of co ntent and design as well as regulari ty o f production

J\nd yet, whil e we wholeheartedly embrace new trends su ch as d1ose in technology, we prefer co be old - fashioned when it comes to separating our editorial content and our advertising.

We follow an etl1ical business model and will not be seduced in ru1 y fo rm of " cash for comment"

We have managed t o keep at bay the recent upsurge in nacive advercising (where ads are camouAaged to look like news), supposedly the way t o go to survive in a d i.mi.tushing industry.

The Team

Indian Li11k is the only Indian communi ty media organisation co have a professional office, with headquarters in the Sydney CBD.

Our team of contributors now numbers more than 80, with many being long- time Indian Linkers. Our core office staff of ten oversees their work an d the productio n p rocess. More dedicated and conscientious than we could ask fo r, the y go beyond their required hours - too frequentl y on recent occasionsto meet deadlines, and to being ambassadors of the company at public events after-hours

A pillar of strength i s Vivek Trivedi who has been with the team for o v er seven years. In charge of marketing and sales for Tndi,111 Link, he has taken our core policy of objectivity ev en further with a standard ethical procedure for all potential clients and a streamlined process in the boolcing of ads. His strong values and work ethjc make rum an invaluable member of the team.

Softly spoken, yet a master salesman , his conviction in the values of Indian Li11k often has h im at odds with potential advertisers, but his gentle persuasion wins them over.

Witl1 his role in the froniline, he has strengthened our position in understanrung the moods of the community, and serving their needs accordingly His mentoring of the sal es team not onl y in Sydney but also other centres is enabling further growth of the compan y

Kira Spuc ys-Tahar as assistant edfror, has taken the compan y co a new level with her on.line expertise, expanding the company's influence on other platforms (and teaching us social media dummies a few tllings a.long the way) Her work with botll our des ign and marketing teams, to ensure a qua.lfry product is sent to print every fortrught, has won our adnuration.

N icika Sondru and Bindiya Masabarhu la both contribute to the smooth running of the office with tl1eir pleasant personalities and always complete their work with a smjl e.

Preeti Jabbal, Judia11 Link's Melbourne coordinator, has been with the newspaper for 12 years, and was recentl y awarded tl1e Victorian Multicultural Award for Excellence in Merua. Ashish Chawla, in charge of sales in Victoria is well respected for his dedication and work in making Indian U11k as a premier brand in the state.

On the radjo, Neelam Vasudevan is in charge and ensures d1e music flows beautifull y Witl1 a team of 'lO raruo jockeys and listeners across tlle g lobe, many of whom caU in on a regular basis, Indian Llnk Radio has taken ns to the world stage.

Influence

Observing the trends for over 20 years now has enabled us to draw conclusions about commtuury mov ements with some precis ion and objectiviry. This was particularly true in the case of d1e students' crisis. Our reports were unbiased , taking into perspective tl1e v iews of aU parties involved, and pointed out flaws in the system as weU as sugges tions for the future. Our take on tl1e issue, considered balanced and mature, made us a leadjng commentator for both the Australian and the Indian media, w ith our CEO Pawan Lutl1ra caUed upon to make regular comments on TV and raruo in bod1 countries. ( Pawan has been a frequent guest on ABC Radio 702, ABC TV's Lateli11e, Cha1mel 7's S11111ise and on other televis ion programs like Tod'!)' Tonight, ABC N e111s 24, BBC

Hindi Radio Service, as weU as on televis ion and rad io networks in Inclia, who seek hio1 out for hjs in- depth knowledge of both local comrnucity affaits and the lnrua-Australia re lationship. He was also the guest commentator on Fox television's coverage of the opening ceremony of the 2010 Commonwealth Games in ew Delhi witl1 T racey Holmes and Steve Leibmann)

At election times, our poUs to gauge the mood of community voters have become a longstanding tradition. (ln fact, one such survey is currently on , co assess voter sentimem regarding t he upcoming Victor ian Seate e lectio n s). We would like to go so far as to suggest, that our analys is enables tl1e undecided voters co make up their nunds, our coverage sigcificantly influences public opinion.

Our reports are not always flatteri n g to community stakeho lders, such as when we explored tlle ruvisions within commucity orgacisarions a few years ago, or the debacle that was the Pravasi Bharatiya D ivas in Sydney more recentl y Yet the readers out there see tl1e merit in our assessments, and can apprec iate that we come from an objectiv e editorial position. They understand better than chose purporting to ho ld community leaderslup positions, mat putting Bob Carr on the cover, for instance, does not ma.l,e us Labor supporters, just as reporting a community poll in favour of the Coalition does not mean we back the Liberals

The next 20 yea rs

In a scenario where commuruty newspapers are spawning even as d1eir mainstream counterparts are d ying off, we at Tndia11 Link h o pe to keep carr ying on witl1 the s ame ideals with w hjcJ1 we started. The times aliead are indeed exciting, not onl r as we reinvent ourselves as the merua industry goes d1rough an upheav al, but also as the mainstream finall y begins to g ive us some muchdeserved attention. The re are deadline pressures t o contend with as always, plus the stresses of climinishlng revenue and new forms of media that we struggle to understand. Reporting on a community that is beginning ro feel some growing pains (hea.ltll issues, old age issues, biculmraJ stress in the youth , assimilation iss ue s in new migrants, domestic violence, even a gradual increase in gambling addiction) , we have our work cue out for us. ln 20 years we hope to reU our future generatio n s that we were ab le to help create that perfect blend of Indian and Australian values and lifestyle tllat has made us a successful multicul tural commmucy. We have kept our Indian traditions alive and las ting \vhile learning and integrating from Australian culture the values of openness and fair go.

But every day at the fodian Link office i s enjoyable, from regular dashes for coffee ro the gentle teasing among co- workers and the frequent hounding of the boss. \':(/e have fun working on stories and getting to know the people of the commurury. E ven thoug h there are stresses, we laugh and s mile cogerher as we collate each new edition.

The support of the comnnuuty, we know, will continue to be witl1 us just as we continue to tel.I their stories.

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