One of the most prominent political faces on social media, Gaurav Pandhi was a regular banker who took pleasure in going for long road-trips and playing games on his PlayStation. In the wake of the anti-corruption movements in 2011, he took to Social Media to express his opinions which opened the doors of the Indian National Congress to his political ideas. Today, he is the Convener of the IT Cell of the Delhi Congress and also works with the Digital Department of the Indian National Congress.
Here’s an exclusive chat :-
1. What made you join political activism?
I started following politics at an early age. Leaders like Nehru & Gandhi have always been my inspiration which made me determined to do my bit towards the country via participating in politics. My mother always maintained that youth must participate in politics. “Be the change you wish to see”, as Gandhi noted, appealed to the younger me. In principle, I was always aligned towards the Congress though I honestly had no clue about what or how I would do things. Coming from an apolitical background whose generations have been into jobs & services, politics and activism was never a thing in my echo-system, but I was certain I wanted it.
In 2011, there was an uprising of political movements against the Congress in the garb of anti-corruption campaigns, it was then that I started expressing my opinions on social media. It garnered a lot of criticism and support, though more of the former as the political atmosphere was built against the Congress. As the presence of the party on social media was negligible then, I was approached by the party which made me decide to serve the party.
2. You left your corporate job to work with the Congress. Have you ever second-guessed your decision?
Never! I am doing what I always wanted to do. Yes, the decision came with certain economic blows but my wife and my mother have been extremely supportive of my choice. I am going to continue working for the betterment of the country and my party, the Indian National Congress.
3. What role has social media played in your journey?
The Social Media has played a very or rather the most important role here for me. It is only due to the exposure on social media which led to an opportunity to work for the party. If it weren’t for social media, I wouldn’t have been answering your questions. Come to think of it! 🙂
4. How would you rate the Congress’ social media performance today in comparison with other parties?
As a party, we are at a much better place than where we were 3 years ago and we are improving with every passing day. Surely, we have miles to go and social media is an everyday learning process. The other parties are competition which we take head on.
5. As we go further in time, what changes do you see in the role social media playing in public discourse?
At this very moment, there must be someone sitting in some corner of the world trying to build a platform which will be even more popular than social media platforms that we use today. We are going to witness revolutions as far as content is concerned. There will be more people watching & generating videos online than the collective audience of television. Social media has empowered citizens and in the future, the world will be consolidated even further via social media. This medium has and will continue to break the barriers of communication.
I see grievance redressal mechanism of major issues – not cosmetic – officially by the governments under a “legal service agreement” as the future. If & when that comes into place, it will be a boom. That would empower every single person in India like never before and will also increase the accountability bar of the public offices, governments etc.
6. What are your future plans?
In the near future, as a part of the Congress’ digital team, I will continue to thrive on building one of the best communication networks between the party and the people. As our plans are already in place, I see it happening very soon.
7. What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
