About

Demand for Swaraj or Lokraj has existed since Gandhi's times. Movements for the same have also existed in various forms in different parts of the country. However, this campaign in its present form is made possible due the following individuals (in alphabetical order).

1. Arvind Kejriwal: Mechanical Engineer from IIT Kharagpur, he joined Indian Revenue Service in 1992. He started Parivartan, a Delhi based citizen’s movement for transparency and accountability in governance, in 2000. He was awarded Ramon Magsaysay award in the year 2006 for emergent leadership for his contribution to Right to Information movement in India. He has travelled extensively to learn the existing local self governance systems in rural and urban India.
2. Ghanshyam: He has been running a campaign for Swaraj in tribal villages of Jharkhand for the last decade or so. These villages regularly have their Gram Sabhas and take decisions in these village meetings. However, these village meetings are not statutorily recognized by the Government.
3. Ilango: He was a Sarpanch for 10 years in a village called Kuttumbakam near Chennai. In these 10 years, he completely transformed the village. He believes in people’s power and he believes that the key to his success is his strong belief in Gram Sabhas. Now he runs an academy for panchayat leaders. He plans to create a federation of honest Sarpanches in Tamil Nadu.
4. Kapil Bajaj: He was working as a journalist with Business Today before he decided to quit and join our movement on a full time basis.
5. Madhu Bhaduri: An Indian Foreign Service Officer, she has held the post of Indian Ambassador to several countries before retiring in 2003. She has been associated with Right to Information movement since then. She is a staunch supporter of people’s empowerment.
6. Manish Sisodia: He was a journalist with All India Radio, Times FM and Zee News before quitting his job to join the Right to Information movement to achieve transparency and accountability in government.
7. Prashant Bhushan: He is an advocate with Supreme Court of India. He has filed Public Interest Litigations on several issues of public importance and has actively supported various people’s movements in the country.
8. Subhash Chandra: Popularly known as the media mogul of India, he is the Chairperson of Zee Group of TV Channels. He launched India’s first private Hindi satellite channel in 1991. He is also the Chairperson of Essel group of industries. He believes that “paths are made by walking and walking down beaten paths is for beaten men”. He strongly believes in decentralization of power and empowerment of the common man.
9. S C Behar: He is an interesting blend of academics, administration and activism. He joined Indian Administrative Service in 1961 and retired in 1997 as Chief Secretary of Madhya Pradesh. He played a key role in drafting Panchayati Raj Acts of Madhya Pradesh, which are treated as one of the best in the country. He was the founder Vice Chancellor of Bilaspur Univ from 1983 to 1987. He was also the Vice Chancellor of Makhanlal Chaturvedi National University of Journalism from 1999 to 2004. He has been associated with activists and people’s movements all through his life, even when he was with the Government.
10. Swati Maliwal: A computer engineer by education, she has been researching local self governance systems in ancient India and other countries.

In addition to the above individuals who act as “feet on the street” for this cause, the number of supporters and participants for this movement is growing exponentially by the day. Our goal is develop awareness, study issues related to governance and make recommendations and help transform India for the better in the years to come.