Interview with Vijay Nadkarni

1)How did you get to know of Janaagraha?

I first heard of Janaagraha back in early 2005. It was so long ago that I don't really remember how I found out about it. But from later that year, I began to get more and more interested and I started to follow Janaagraha in the news, on the web and in the blog world. I attended the volunteer orientation session twice and when I got more free time, I decided to volunteer. I started off by offering to be the photographer for a Yuva Janaagraha event.

2) What kind of work do you do here?

So far, I've volunteered with Yuva Janaagraha and at Suvarna Bengaluru Pranalike. I've been a photographer at the Mock City Council prelims and finals. But, there's actually so much more I'd like to do here.

3) Are you enjoying it? Is it educational?

Oh, I've learnt a lot at Janaagraha. I attended the Citizen Awareness Program (CAP) and although I was aware of most of what the CAP session covered since I had been following Janaagraha so closely over the previous few years, I still found it very educational, and also very well structured. Suvarna Bengaluru Pranalike was an eye-opener, too. Before the event, I didn't expect much from our netas there. But they exceeded my expectations, I think, partly because Bangalore counts more to the Assembly now, than it did before. By the end of the event, I saw that urbanization is very important for our political institutions to mature.
Another reason why I enjoy volunteering at Janaagraha is the fun people here. It's so much more open, friendly and welcoming than any other organization I've seen.