Heroic indeed!

Neeraj Seth

Anchal Dhar

Gandhigiri may be the latest rage, but many will tell you that it sure gets the work done. Take the case of a few residents in Gurgaon who tried moving the sluggish authorities through Gandhigiri, and succeeded big time

Aditya Raj Kaul

TIMES OF INDIA

“For about three to five years we were facing quite a disaster as the roads outside our apartments were broken into parts and were uneven. Even after repeated requests to the authorities no action was taken. It looked shabby and was a big problem for the residents and all the commuters,” said Neeraj.

It became quite a conversation piece in all the apartments. During evening friendly talks and walks, people used to discuss this mess on the road. They tried their best to persuade the authorities but it always ended in vain.

Neeraj Seth and others with the Hamilton Court Resident Welfare Association tried to meet HUDA, contractors and all other concerned authorities.

"It was frustrating as the concerned administration was not at all bothered." added Neeraj. The residents had lost their patience now and wanted to raise their fingers at the administration. Finally, one day they collectively decided to do something concrete. This time they had to plan well and think of something creative and innovative.

Neeraj quickly adds with a laugh on his face, "We launched a massive banner campaign. We made big 10 feet by 10 feet banners and wrote innovative slogans. The slogans were satirical and humorous. They were both in English and Hindi and were placed on all the main entrances of the apartments in such a manner that people couldn’t miss it. We started with havan praying for putting a wise sense in authorities."

The slogans ranged from ’Idhar kuan udhar khai - yeh sadak humne garv se banai’ to ’HUDA proudly announces the stoppage of construction on this road.’

And the impact was seen within days. The authorities finally woke up and in about 30 days the construction started. Neeraj proudly says that it has now become a fantastic road but it’s sad that there are many other areas in Gurgaon where roads are still pathetic.

With the same zeal and vigor Anchal Dhar a resident of DLF actively participated in some of the recent national campaigns like the anti-reservation and the Justice For Priyadarshini Mattoo.

"It was sometime in March when I came to know about the first anti-reservation rally in Delhi at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. I participated and from then onwards there has been no looking back," says Anchal. She joined the United Students’ group and campaigned in the Delhi University and in various colonies of Gurgaon for different issues.

Anchal smiles proudly and says, "The response sometimes was amazing. We organised signature campaigns for anti-reservation in all the malls of Gurgaon and used to get around 500 signatures in an hour. The people were wholeheartedly supporting the cause."

Anchal was also very actively involved with organising the Justice For Priyadarshini Mattoo rally on July 23, 2006. She clearly remembers the day and night campaigning for the rally and also the last minute change of plans.

"We had organised the rally at the India Gate, but due to security threat police shifted our rally to Jantar Mantar at the last minute. This did not deter us. It was me and some of my friends who positioned themselves at India Gate and directed everyone to the changed venue. It was very demoralising," she recalls.

Neeraj and Anchal have indeed inspired the residents of Gurgaon.