Q) Ma'am, please tell us about what motivated you to start eCatalyst and challenges you faced?

A) I‘ll start from the beginning! I attended Centre for Civil Society’s LSS in 2003 and it might sound clichéd now, but it did change my life. After LSS, I was determined to do my internship with CCS and I did so in the same year. I also followed it up by attending Advanced LSS in 2003 and Austrian Economics Seminar in 2004. All this while, we at CCS observed that the participants of various CCS program still lacked a unique platform to follow-up and communicate new learning with their peers and the world at large. I was provided active support of the CCS program team (Manali, Swati and Gautam) at CCS to initiate an e-newsletter. So, since February 2004, CCS produces quarterly e-newsletter, called eCatalyst. Through eCatalyst, they share their views on issues and events- their experiences at workshops and programs, achievements and any forthcoming opportunities. Uniquely, eCatalyst is compiled and edited by CCS graduates themselves. While editing and designing an appealing and informative newsletter they utilize a diversity of skills and gain many perspectives.

Challenges: Too many contributions! Editing them and maintaining active relationship with regular contributors was quite a challenge (We are talking about pre-facebook and orkut days!) Also we did struggle with design and database issues initially. The team wants to extend it in print form, and I hope we shall see that soon!

Q) You are the National coordinator and one of the founding members of LYF, how was the experience?

A) It’s been quite an exciting process, just like starting off eCatalyst. In both the activities, my aim has been similar: to bring together youth motivated to follow-up, debate, discuss and take forward liberal ideas. For example, the eCatalyst also provided an active platform to share the work of the Friends of Freedom groups across India. These groups wished for a formal structure to be more effective. With the active support of CCS and Friedrich Naumann Foundation (FNF), we launched Liberal Youth Forum (www.lyfindia.org) in 2007 to become THE network of youth who believe and wish to work further for a freer India. In the process I have forged partnerships through LYF and found some awesome team mates (CCS graduates) who were with me since eCatalyst days...

Q) Further, how do you think it will aid the youth?

A) There is a dire need for youth to get involved in the governance of their nation, city, community, even their campuses! We at LYF realized that it all starts with the campus; or rather it should. Campus environs provide the right training ground for youth to spend their energy and time productively. Youth must be interested in polity, society and economy of theses social units. Sadly, today, India has an ageing parliament, and the reason is the enormous entry barrier that the young face…politics is synonymous with murky and disrespectful profession where you have to come from a “political background”. It shouldn’t be so. As young people, we should be the present of this nation, and not just the future. This has been the crux of our Campus Pulse Program, which we launched in 2009.

Q) What are the future plans for LYF as an organisation and as a movement to empower youth?

A) With the long term aim of liberal members of Parliament, LYF has made a start in campuses. Our Campus Pulse Project will continue to identify, train and support liberal candidates affiliated within our network to contest for campus elections in the coming years. This project not only aims to reclaim the political space within campuses for governance but also to spread liberal principles and policies at the campus level.

Q) How do you think CCS as one of the parent organisations for LYF shaped its ideas and objectives? Do you think it paved the way for LYF's development, how?

CCS has been the common ground from where it all started. Most of us in the LYF team have been CCS graduates and are convinced and inquisitive about liberal ideas. Dr. Parth J Shah, Manali and D Dhanuraj have always been with us in this journey. We have erstwhile Friends of Freedom groups, who are now our partner organizations. As a result of this cumulative effort, thought leaders such as FNF and now, Atlas Foundation have entrusted faith in Liberal Youth Forum since its inception.

Q) As a management student how do you think you can utilize your management skills in development sector?

A) Management studies and its practice have provided me a mindset to endeavor to enhance effectiveness in an organizational setup. On an individual level, it sharpens analytical rigour and helps me stay up-to-date with the social, economic and political issues. These aspects become critical in any situation, not just in any particular sector.

Q) What is your opinion about more and more professionals joining the development sector (as in programs like Teach for India) rather than big corporate firms?

The lines are blurring between the developmental sector and big corporates. They are sharing ideas, talent and financial resources like never before! Development sector is a critical “non-market force” that the big corporate cannot miss. In the view of this fact, management and NGO professionals of the new age need to be well-rounded individuals. This has been my intention to be involved with several civil society initiatives as founder, communication coordinator and facilitator. Besides, LYF, I have initiated an ‘awareness through art’ program, “Vatsalaya” since 2002 with my younger brother in New Delhi. I have also been instrumental in the setup and growth of CBS Alumni Association (Delhi University), at my alma mater. Ultimately it is about learning reaching organizational goals while working with people.