Vivek Gilani, and his Informed Mumbai Voter Project are on a serious mission they are going to make sure you vote for the right candidate at this year's elections. The environmental engineer tells italk why this project is a personal, selfish quest
Vivek Gilani, and his Informed Mumbai Voter Project are on a serious mission they are going to make sure you vote for the right candidate at this year's elections. The environmental engineer tells italk why this project is a personal, selfish quest
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Vivek Gilani at his Bandra residence. PIC/SAYED SAMEER ABEDI |
You know there's something different about environmental engineer Vivek Gilani, the first time you call him. His voice mail recording: "Did you know that the sparrow population of India is down by 90%? And you want to talk about something else? I don't think so. So only if you want to tackle the problem, leave your name, or just hang up".
Along with caring for the environment, Gilani is concerned about the political climate, using his website Mumbaivotes.com The Informed Mumbai Voter Project to break new ground. It's all about telling you everything you wanted to know about the candidates standing for the upcoming
General Elections.
"The first time I voted in 1998, was when AB Vajpayee became Prime Minister. I was confused about who to vote for. The decision was based on ambiguous perceptions derived from friends and family. Nobody had a clue what each MLA or MP really did," says the 32 year-old, who embarked on a "selfish quest" to gather information about these candidates.
Gilani's research included scanning Indian newspaper sites, and and collating articles about local parties and members. The new Mumbaivotes.com site, which is going to be ready by March 15, works on a slightly different module. Gilani, who moved from New York to Mumbai recently, is currently on a sabbatical. That's given him time to rope in volunteers to help him collect data, which is all about "promise VS performance". Mumbaivotes.com will give you detailed information on what a particular candidate "promised" and what he has actually managed to "deliver". It will also reflect their legislative and criminal records.
So, who is he going to vote for? "I really don't know," he laughs, "I think my website will tell me what to do."
