An Interview with Dr. Rajesh Tandon

On 30 June 2014

Dr. Rajesh Tandon from Young Asia Television on Vimeo.

Following his presentation at the 51st Open Forum of the Centre for Poverty Analysis which was held on the 25th of June 2014, Dr. Rajesh Tandon talks to Mr. Nalaka Gunawardene on Young Asia Television.

Dr. Rajesh Tandon is an internationally acclaimed practitioner of participatory research and development. He founded the Society for Participatory Research in Asia (PRIA), a voluntary organization providing support to grassroots initiatives in South Asia. He is the UNESCO Chair in community based research and social responsibility in higher education. He is also a co-founder of World Alliance for Citizen Participation (CIVICUS).

Here, Dr. Tandon discusses about the civil society entering the formal political space with a reference to Aam Aadmi Party. According to Dr. Tandon, moving from civic space to political space in a country with a diversity as India should be localized, since the roots lie within the diverse local community. He says “you cannot generalize civic activity like you generalize politics”. He goes on to say that even though the space for civic action and political action overlaps, “the institutional mechanisms seem to be unwilling to overlap”.
Mr. Nalaka Gunawardene asks about the emergence of “sporadic spontaneous people’s movements or mass protests” that have made the unengaged section of the population to get involved without going through formal structures.

As a response, Dr. Tandon speaks about the young generation in India that have come of age. He says “this spontaneity is driven by young people, and driven by the use of technology”. He makes a reference to the youth’s sense of dignity and feeling that “I matter”, which drives such spontaneous action. He goes on to say that, this phenomenon has cut across urban and rural sectors. This is owing to the growth in technology and media and the simultaneous rise in literacy level.

“The large youth population… is using their sense of angst through forms of protests that are spontaneous and not centrally orchestrated, demanding action not rhetoric”, points out Dr. Rajesh Tandon.
Watch the full interview.