Life Blood of Social Activism
Neha Buch
FROM SEVA TO CYBERSPACE: THE MANY FACES OF VOLUNTEERING IN INDIA by Femida Handy Sage Publications, 2012, 250 pp., 650
August 2012, volume 36, No 8

The past few years have seen an increase in the number of people around the world willing to step out of their homes in support of causes impacting the larger society. One such movement in India was the Anna Hazare led Jan Lokpal bill movement. The movement created a huge amount of discussion and debate across sectors, especially when it came to the multitudes who made their way out of their homes physically to the Ram Lila grounds or the street corners and sometimes virtually through facebook in support of the movement. Many questioned the intent of the crowds. Were they dedicated volunteers or simply a bunch of people taking part in a jam boree to feel good about themselves and have fun? Were they there to truly stand up and work for a cause or was it the chance to be caught by the media, make contacts, be seen in what seemed to be a big movement and get admiring pats on the back for having been part of a ‘noble’ cause and therefore a step up in the social ladder? Did the latter set of reasons make them any less of a volunteer considering the action of engagement was the same?

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