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Please visit http://www.voteleft2009.org/ for the new VoteLeft 2009 page

Quick Update

Even though not a rage by any stretch of imagination, VoteLeft 2009 is growing. Like all constructive growth, VoteLeft 2009 has its share of glitches. The major ones currently being technical and resource scarcity.

Technical glitches first. We are looking for an SMS-ing tool that'll help us start an sms campaign which we think is absolutely essential as not everybody has easy access to the internet. Even those who do may have constraints due to travelling, work timings, etc. An SMS campaign will thus help us reach a wider group of people. Also even those on the move can forward SMSs very quickly and thus help spread the word even better. Thirdly SMSs owing to their concise nature can be very catchy and hence popular. Please note here, as much as the snobby and eponymous 'national' media would have us believe, especially during budgets, popular is by no means a bad word. In fact democracy by definition is a form of popular (coming from the word populace) form of governance! Also we are not really the geeks we would like to be, or may be not, so we rely on drag and drop, cut/copy and paste and such other methodologies for our work. So obviously it's a bit slow. But we are working going to make up for that by investing more time into this activity.

Then comes the major glitch. Resource scarcity. Owing to our day jobs, and in some cases night jobs, we are a bit short on time and are unable to meet our decided deadlines. This we are definitely working on. We have ambitiously, and very rightly so, decided to get this campaign up and running by next weekend. That's 7th or 8th of March.

How can you help us:

This is a major part for us. We, like all of you, are individuals with specific abilities and knowledge fields. The Left as a movement and hence its supportive campaign, hinges on mass participation. So give us anything that you can from your side. Anything does not refer to your money. Everything in terms of creative, technical, content type and other such inputs. If you can draw, then draw some campaign posters for us. If you can write then write somehting for us. If you can think of how we can do better, write to us. Just remember, everything we do, we do it for the Left.

Mail us at voteleft2009@gmail.com. Join our mailing list by enetering your mail id in the googlegroup tool on the left pane. Spread the word.

Ever onward

Sukanto

Chief Moderator, VoteLeft 2009

VoteLeft 2009, like all great human achievements, is 'over' ambitious. It aims to not only take-on but to defeat the 'big players' of Indian politics in the run up to the 2009 Lok Sabha elections. VoteLeft 2009 has neither the deep pockets of the Congress nor the opulence of the BJP or for that matter any party on the Right or the Center, who are all set to flag off their muti-crore ad campaigns led by the best-of-the-best professional ad agencies. On the contrary VoteLeft 2009 is totally amateur run consisting of an as yet small group of diverse people with a common dream. The group has two students, one business analyst, one young entrepreneur and one social activist who all share the dream of a people's India. We have little or no money to spare and are always looking for free (free as in free beer and free as in freedom) means to counter the campaign of the 'big'. What we are very rich in is our dreams. And the thirst to realise them drives us on. We certainly know what we are up against, but the mere possibility of failure isn’t strong enough to dissuade us off our dream.

The obvious question at this point is why the Left? Though this question is set to be the major driving force for all future discussions and will be clarified in coming time, it deserves a quick answer here. The straight answer from the group here is after having seen both the Center and the Right in its true colours, the Left is the only option that holds promise for India as a whole.

• Which is the political force in India that is still untouched by multi-crore scams that has rocked the Indian scenario?
• Which is the political force in India that maintains a consistent and committed line of thought and action on communal and ethnic harmony in India?
• Which is the political force in India that speaks of the common man and doesn’t revel in the success of the few rich?
• Which is the political force in India that calls upon all countrymen to join its ranks and leadership cutting across lines of social, ethnic, religious and economic differences?
• Which is the political force in India puts the interests of the country as a whole before all else?

The answer to all of the above questions, and many like it, is the LEFT and none but the LEFT. So as concerned Indians who believe in the ideals of the founding fathers of our nation and the spirit of true India as imbibed in the glorious struggle for freedom and later, we stand by the Left.

We urge you to do the same.

 Join us. Increase our strength in numbers and quantitative changes shall definitely bring about qualitative changes. A people’s future tomorrow needs a people’s effort today.

 Spread the word. Sant Tukaram once said “Use your voice…it’s all you’ve got”. Do not remain silent because your silence speaks in favour of the evil doers. Stand up, vociferously at that, for what is the right thing.

Propagate. Convince those who doubt for they are not whom we oppose. Rather the ones who question are the ones who will finally see the truth for themselves and truth, by its own virtue, emancipates.

Help us. Not with your money but with your effort. We need volunteers to read for us and write for us. Tell us what you know is good with the Left and bad with the others…and also vice versa. Give us your art give us your technical know how. Help us be better and closer to the truth. 

There’s a world to be won…elections are just the easy part. 

-sukanto

Chief Moderator, VoteLeft 2009