The Hindu : Life Hyderabad : e-democracy on three wheels

We always like our democracy to be dressed up in funky garbs, with loads of make-up. But the mode of publicising the same can really be down to earth. Or that's what two websites, http://www.indiademocracy.com/ and http://www.jantaraj.com/ show us.

Both websites are touted as attempts to add the advantages of Information Technology to the `rights' of democracy and extend the same to the masses. The point, however, is the way the creators of these sites have chosen to advertise the sites.

Well, next time you are on the streets of Hyderabad, keep an eye on the rear of the auto-rickshaw before you. Crudely scribbled in white on the black tops of over 100 three-wheelers, these websites invite you to the virtual realm of democracy.

The joke of the `online democracy', however, is not just that. Ask any of these auto-drivers, and a majority have no inkling of what they are advertising on their vehicles. Says Nagaraju, one of them waiting near Walden: " I don't know, sir. I bought this auto from a friend and this was already there. He told me to let the ad remain there. Nobody has asked me about it in the last one year," he says nonchalantly.

For the record, V-Empower Inc, owned by Shukoor Ahmed, manages the websites. Mr. Ahmed, informs his office, had started off with http://www.statedemocracy.com/ in the U.S. The "success" of that site in helping the U.S. public interact with their officials and solve their problems prompted Mr. Ahmed to try out something similar in Hyderabad. The response, they say, is "pretty good", adding that around 30 elected representatives including Ministers from A.P. and Delhi have "pledged support to the sites".

Indiademocracy.com is projected as a platform to interact with elected representatives, in making one's voice heard and to publish one's articles. Jantaraj, meanwhile, is an e-political lobbying tool, to gather public opinion and build awareness about social issues.

Well, indiademocracy.com had a "server problem" on Monday. JantaRaj.com was accessible for the janta, though.