What I Learned In A Political Party
It wasn’t a moment; it was a collection of moments spread over twenty days.
Eight months back, I took to the streets and campaigned for a political party whose ideology I believed in.
Before campaigning, I wanted to reinforce my belief system. I spoke to journalists, street vendors and campaigners of the opposing party. Having never walked more than a mile at a stretch; walking twenty miles that day through the winding streets, was a challenge.
A homemaker who had never worked before was leading the campaign in the area, senior year students would join the team after school, a law intern was organizing health camps for the poor, a prominent news reporter turned contestant was sleeping on the streets for peaceful protests in the chilly winter. It was an ethereal feeling to see people from across the globe come together to convince the people to vote. …show more content…
I learned that it is possible to selflessly dedicate oneself to a cause bigger than self.
I met people who listened, others who didn’t. I learned how to gain confidence of an inherently diverse audience. I realized how difficult it is to convince someone when they have already made up their mind, I learned when to stop convincing and let them be. People wanted to vote based on caste, religion, socio-economic development, educational reforms, women security, etc. It is easy to make unrealistic promises to such a diversified voting community, but we didn’t. To what extent, the promises we did make will come true, time will tell, but the intention was clear.
I discovered I was an idealist who turned into a pragmatic leader. I learned the virtue of patience and the art of lending a listening ear.
Those three weeks changed me as an individual.
P.S. - The party won 67 seats out of 70 and formed the current government of
Eight months back, I took to the streets and campaigned for a political party whose ideology I believed in.
Before campaigning, I wanted to reinforce my belief system. I spoke to journalists, street vendors and campaigners of the opposing party. Having never walked more than a mile at a stretch; walking twenty miles that day through the winding streets, was a challenge.
A homemaker who had never worked before was leading the campaign in the area, senior year students would join the team after school, a law intern was organizing health camps for the poor, a prominent news reporter turned contestant was sleeping on the streets for peaceful protests in the chilly winter. It was an ethereal feeling to see people from across the globe come together to convince the people to vote. …show more content…
I learned that it is possible to selflessly dedicate oneself to a cause bigger than self.
I met people who listened, others who didn’t. I learned how to gain confidence of an inherently diverse audience. I realized how difficult it is to convince someone when they have already made up their mind, I learned when to stop convincing and let them be. People wanted to vote based on caste, religion, socio-economic development, educational reforms, women security, etc. It is easy to make unrealistic promises to such a diversified voting community, but we didn’t. To what extent, the promises we did make will come true, time will tell, but the intention was clear.
I discovered I was an idealist who turned into a pragmatic leader. I learned the virtue of patience and the art of lending a listening ear.
Those three weeks changed me as an individual.
P.S. - The party won 67 seats out of 70 and formed the current government of