A New Dawn for India, and the World

Wow. I would really hate to be a corrupt bureaucrat in India right now. I have a feeling those guys are about to have their butts handed to them.

And it's about time.

Anti-corruption superhero and tireless transparency advocate Shailesh Gandhi was recently appointed to the Indian Central Information Commissioner. Though I have seen reports that he has been named as the Chief Information Commissioner, until I see the official notice, such news is simply too good to be true.

Here's Shailesh speaking in Portland, OR, USA:

When I heard this news, I nearly fell out of my chair crying with joy. Seriously. I spent way too long fighting corruption in India to take this with my usual cool distance. Luckily for the voters of DC, I was able to maintain my composure while working the polls.

This is a victory for the world, not just India. Right now, India is experimenting on the forefront of transparency legislation. Imagine, as a US citizen, being able to ask the government not only why your Social Security check is late, but who exactly in the bureaucracy is responsible, their names, their contact information, their service records. Now imagine extending that power to keep an eye on almost all parts of government. Imagine personal accountability for failed levees and squandered disaster relief. Amazing.

Of course, you don't just magically land in a position like this. There are reasons and they shouldn't be ignored. But still, this is awesome.

With power like this, now being enforced by the likes of Shailesh Gandhi, corrupt bureaucrats should be quaking in their boots.

Here's a video of the power of the Indian Right to Information Act:

Go Shailesh, Go!

Translators Needed: Indian Guest Workers, MS/LA -> DC

I don't know if you've heard about the guest worker strike, but many of these Indians are marching to DC this weekend to protest their poor treatment in Louisiana and Mississippi. They are in need of translators. My Hindi sucks, but even I'm volunteering – it's got to be better than nothing.

Kohl

Begin forwarded message:

From: Aparna Kothary
Date: March 25, 2008 3:31:11 PM EDT
To: amritawassan@gmail.com
Cc: aparna@saalt.org
Subject: Re: Housing 'anu100@gmail.com'for Indian Guest Workers

Dear all,

Thank you for your help in finding housing for the workers! Fortunately, we found a church in DC that has agreed to house ALL of the workers. This is an ideal situation because it allows them to stay together and reduces the confusion of traveling around the city separately.

I also wanted to reach out to you to let you know that organizers of the march need help finding interpreters for March 27- April 2 for public meetings, strategy meetings, and some legal interviews. Translation needs include Malayalam, Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu. They are looking for interpreters pro bono.

To assist, please email Rahul Saksena at rahul.saksena@gmail.com with the following information:

-Language proficiency
-Date/time available (between March 27th-April 2nd)
-Your contact info (cell phone and email)

We are expecting to hold a community event later this week with the workers and other allies so we will definitely keep you posted on that as well!

You can follow the workers’ journey here: http://nolaworkerscenter.wordpress.com/

Again, thank you so much for your help!

Kindly,
Aparna
______________________________________________

Aparna Kothary
Fundraising and Development Assistant/Americorps VISTA
SAALT (South Asian Americans Leading Together)
6930 Carroll Avenue, Suite 506
Takoma Park, MD 20912
Phone: 301-270-1855
Fax: 301-270-1882
Email: aparna@saalt.org

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