Communicating Social Initiatives - Anna Hazare Movement-Group9

7/31/2019 Communicating Social Initiatives - Anna Hazare Movement-Group9

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http://www.annahazare.org/anticorruption-movement.html


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The Philosophy of Social Movement

All great movements are popular movements. They are the volcanic

eruptions of human passions and emotions, stirred into activity bythe ruthless Goddess of Distress or by the torch of the spoken word

cast into the midst of people.

(When asked by a press reporter how could he protest

at Jantar Mantar in spite of prohibitory orders)

How can the government stop anyone from protesting? The

land is not their 'father's property'. The citizens are the masters of

this country and the ministers are their servants". - Anna Hazare

The dream of India as a strong nation will not be realized withoutself-reliant, self-sufficient villages, this can be achieved only through

social commitment & involvement of the common man.

- Anna Hazare


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Origin of the Movement

1. Corruption has worsened the public life and there is a seething

anger among people due to helplessness about it.

2. Large scale corruption in 2010 Commonwealth Games followed by 2G

scam had left a bitter taste in every Indian.

3. Central government aggravated the situation by failing to demonstrateserious intent in addressing this chronic problem of corruption.

4. Instead of trying to book people behind the mega-scams, the

government was busy cementing its coalition.

5. At this juncture came Anna Hazare, who spoke the language of the

common man. He understood the agony of a common man and hence

what he spoke made an impact on the minds of the people.


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Origin of the Movement

6. Annas clean public image and his past social contributions created

confidence in masses. People believed in him.

7. Anna Hazare provided people a platform to express their anger in a

peaceful way and a dream of Jan Lokpal. Jan Lokpal would be an

authority which if established would get people relief from corruption.

8. Adamant Government, careless about simmering

anger in public went about arresting Anna. The arrest

created a huge sympathy wave for Anna, bringing

back memories of the Emergency era.

9. Anna's arrest catalyzed common citizens. People went

onto streets as they viewed government's action as

undemocratic and an obstruction of their rights.

Culmination of these events led to beginning

of the Anti-Corruption Movement.


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Communication Strategies Mass Mobilization

The strength of team Anna lied in the structure of the team the eminence

of the personalities associated enhanced theteams

credibility.

Selection of a perfect place to launch the movement The Ramlila

Grounds in the heart of Capital.

Support of media in fuelling the campaign and taking the across the nationand world. The support poured in from across the world.

Use of Social Media like Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube in spreading the

message.

Addressing people from outside and inside of the Tihar Jail, which

generated sympathy among the fence sitters who didnt support the

campaign earlier.


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Failures of the Government

Going all rigid

The government, which failed to gauge the brewing of anger againstcorruption, went all rigid when debating with Team Anna and missed out

on becoming partners in fighting corruption.

Sending wrong signals

Hazare's crusade is against the politically corrupt, but the government tookit on itself to confront him. It left out all other political parties in

negotiations over the Lokpal Bill. So now everyone thinks: Anna against

corruption, government for corruption.

Defamatory attack on AnnaThe government decided to do some character assassination. The timing

was horribly wrong and the target too.

Doing flip-flops

The government did not stick to its posture. It came on hard and then lost


7/15

Failures of the Government

Flip-flops

The government did not stick to its posture. It came on hard and then loststeam. First it arrested and detained Hazare and party even before he

could begin fast and then it did not know what to do with them.

Missing information

Information is king. The government forgot to heed that idiom. WhileTeam Anna very efficiently managed dissemination, the government tied

itself in knots in their PR and media management.

It even went ahead and termed the whole agitation as media prompted

and managed and of course, the ubiquitous reference to the foreign hand.


8/15

Communication Interface with Media

If the government inflamed the frustrations of the people through its ineptpolicies, the media particularly the electronic media stoked and sustained

the anger.

By providing round-the-clock coverage of the protest from the Ramlila Ground,where Hazare undertook his fast, the media drummed up not just an anti-government mood in the country, but also an anti-politics atmosphere.

Theres a gnawing sense that there has been a gradual convergence of civilsociety, which sustains Hazare and his movement, and therefore the mediamarket.

In an era when TV channels are forever 'Breaking News', Team Anna showngreat mastery in using the TV camera to communicate its message and keep

the heat on the government.

Compared with a government that took several hours, some times days, tocommunicate its stance, Team Anna has been able to ensure that it sets thenews agenda, forcing a desperate government to play catch up.
http://indiatoday.intoday.in/site/story/anna-hazare-delhi-police-deadlock-ends/1/148390.htmlhttp://indiatoday.intoday.in/site/story/anna-hazare-delhi-police-deadlock-ends/1/148390.htmlhttp://indiatoday.intoday.in/site/story/anna-hazare-delhi-police-deadlock-ends/1/148390.htmlhttp://indiatoday.intoday.in/site/story/anna-hazare-delhi-police-deadlock-ends/1/148390.html


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Team Anna formulated its media strategy using the help of some former TV journalists. The

likes of Manish Sisodia, who worked with Zee News as a producer, and Shazia Ilmi, who was

one of the lead anchors at Star News for several years, help Team Anna get an insider'sperspective on how TV channels run and how to stay on top of the news cycle.

Talking points are circulated to members who will be appearing on TV debates or giving print

interviews. The instruction is clear, don't get bogged down by the noise of a TV discussion and

regardless of what the anchor asks or the other panellists allege, ensure that what you say

does not stray from the key issue of Jan Lokpal and corruption.

Team Anna has even engaged an external media tracking agency that pores over every line of

news carried in newspapers and TV channels. If the team feels the media is drifting from their

message, meetings are immediately convened and course correction strategies chalked out.

Attempts to leverage the media are not restricted to TV and print, social media too is given amajor thrust, which is what explains the large turn-out of youngsters at places like India Gate

and Azad Maidan. A dedicated team of volunteers constantly updates India Against

Corruption, Facebook pages and Twitter handles, which is how the youth know where to

assemble and when. Communication is localised down to every city so that the campaign is

not restricted only to Delhi and Mumbai.


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At every stage, Anna has shown that he is three steps ahead of the

government. When it became clear that the government would arrestAnna Hazare on Tuesday morning, Team Anna recorded a message for the

people of India.

The recording also had a graphic plate with the names of people who

would lead the movement in Anna's absence - a key mass communicationstrategy to ensure that people know whose voice to listen to.

In an era when 24-hour TV is a reality that cannot be wished away, Team

Anna has shown how even with limited resources, mass media can be

channelised to amplify the message. The government, despite theinnumerable resources at its command, still comes across as confused and

chooses to blame the media for creating the Anna phenomenon. A classic

case of confusing the message with the messenger. No wonder Anna is

winning and the government is bound in shackles.


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Management Lessons from the movement

1) Set clear objectives that can galvanise and motivate an entire work force. From the start,

Anna'sgoal was to convince the government to introduce his preferred version of a Lokpal bill

in Parliament. His method: a fast unto death. Only an extremely dramatic gesture fit hisambitious goal and could capture the imagination of millions.

2) Follow a strategy. Anna's startegy was not to accept anything less than a Lokpal bill

drafted by civil society. In fact , when talks between the government and civil society failed

and the government introduced its own version of a Lokpal Bill to the Parliament's standing

committe, Anna threatened another fast unto death. Nobody in the government took himseriously , but Team Anna stuck to their gameplan.

3) Choose a perfect time to launch. Target market, geography and timing matters a lot in

terms of generating a buzz. Anna Haxare could have done his fast in his Maharashtra village

Ralegoan Siddhi or some other state , but he decided to sit at New Delhis famous Jantar

Mantar. He also planned his fast for after the IPL tournament was over. His big deadline forthe government was August 15, Independence Day. The second venue: the much bigger and

even more central Ramlila ground.

4) Do not get intimidated by the money and muscle power of the competitor. Anna Hazare's

team had a clear startegy to deal with the government's high headedness. Anna had to go to

jail on Aug 16 to get a place at the Ramlila ground to do his fast. He refused to budge or

compromise, and eventually the government and opposition accomodated him.


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Management Lessons from the movement

6) Always play to your strength in business and allow other team members with different skill setsto execute the plan. Anna's strength was to sustain the fast for a longer period. He did thatsuccessfully in the past and he played to his strength. His other team members with skills in

operations, law and media management handled the external envirnment.

7) Good negotiation skills are necessary when dealing with demanding suppliers, dealers and otherstakeholders. Team Anna kept the 'negotiation window' open right from the start till the last minute,when talks hit a dead end. They held numerous meetings with government, the Congress Party,opposition leaders and other civil society members.

8) Always motivate and encourage employees to keep the overall goal in mind. Anna Hazare usedto address the people every day. Team Anna played motivational and devotional songs at theRamlila ground to keep people engaged.

9) Always admit a mistake and move on. Anna Hazare was quick to retract his statement regardingGujarat chief minister Narendra Modi (he praised the BJP chief minister for doing good work in thearea of rural development.) When he realised that the statement would damage his ownmovement and give others a chance to undermine his credibility with his target market, he quicklydisassociated himself with that.

10) Effective communication. Messages about progress and the road ahead have to becommunicated clearly to all members of a team. Team Anna made it a point to convey the details oftheirmeetings with the government on a daily basis to the media and the crowds at Ramlila.Everybody knew what the government's stand was, what Team Anna aimed for and what othergovernment stakeholders believed.


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Fall of the Movement - Miscommunication

Political Affiliation

Anna Hazare maintains that he has no politicalaffiliations. However he sharing of podium with BJP

leaders during his agitation against corruption at

Jantar Mantar , gave room for suspicion. Praising Political Leadrs

In April 2011, Anna Hazare praised Narendra

Modi and Nitish Kumar for their efforts on rural

development.

Subsequently, Modi wrote an open letter to

him, hailing him as a Gandhian anti-corruption

activist ,.

Changing Stand

In May 2011, during his visit to Gujarat, Hazare

changed his view and criticised Modi for rampant

corruption.

He also commented that the media had projected anincorrect image of Vibrant Gujarat. Fraud during fasts

A cardiologist from Pune, Abhijit Vaidya --

claimed that he was informed by Hazare's close

associates that during a fast in Ralegan-Siddhi,

Hazare was given glucose and electrolyte

solutions during a fast. Hazare and his associates

refused to comment on the allegation.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_Hazare


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Fall of the Movement - Miscommunication

Accusation of being anti-democratic and anti-

Dalit

An article in Kolkata Telegraph stated a claim

that Anna Hazare forced the Dalit families in

Ralegan Siddhi to adopt a vegeterian diet, and

that those who violated the decree were tied to a

post and flogged.

No panchayat elections have been held in the

village for the past two decades, and that no

campaigning was allowed during state and

national elections, upon Hazare's instructions.

Accusation of being anti-Muslim

Writer-actor Arundhati Roy , accused Hazare in a

newspaper article of being nonsecular. Shequestioned his secular credentials, pointing out his

support for Raj Thackeray.

Activist and writer Asghar Ali Engineer said that

Hazare in the past stood in firm opposition to the

Shiv Sena and BJP governments in Maharashtra.

Accusations of corruption

2 days ahead of Hazare's Lokhpal fast, theGovernment attacked his Moral Values, citing Justice

P B Sawant Commission.

On 22 February 2005, Justice Sawant Commmision

indicated that "Hind Swaraj Trust" headed by Hazare

spent Rs. 2.20 lakhs on Hazare's birthday

celebrations.

Accepting Teams weakness

During his interview with New York Times

Anna Hazare accepted that some of his team

members have ego problems and that he will

try to change them.


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THANK YOU

SL # Name Roll Number

1 Amit Jain IPMX05005

2 Hemendra Singh IPMX05018

3 Khushi Ram IPMX05025

4 Kumar Vaibhav Gaur IPMX05025

5 Malay Ghosh IPMX05027

6 Shekhar Kumar IPMX05053

7 Shivanshu Mishra IPMX05054

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Communicating Social Initiatives - Anna Hazare Movement-Group9