The Digital Swaraj Fellowship is a well-conceived program that applies the philosophy of Swaraj (meaning ‘self-governance’) to digital innovation in a democracy. It draws inspiration from Gandhi’s principles and integrates them with the ideals of constitutional democracy, exploring how technology can be embedded into societal processes.
Osama has been a good friend, guide, mentor, and a well-wisher to me for the last nine years. He is a visionary with 20 years of experience in transforming the lives of people and discussing the importance of digital in our lives.
As the first cohort of Digital Swaraj Fellowship comes to an end, reflecting on the whole journey has been a mix of experiences, learnings and emotions. The seed that was sown a year back has started sprouting, and the aim, going forward, is to nurture it to become a full-grown tree in the coming years.
There is a considerable difference in the consumption of digital information between rural and urban India. The access to the digital world is limited, in the case of rural India, by the digital divide. As per a study by the Internet and Mobile Association of India, only 29% of rural India can access the internet, compared to 64% of the urban population.
This piece narrates my journey from being a resident of the Ziro Valley to a source of information and knowledge for my people. The opportunity given to me by Digital Empowerment Foundation, was a game changer for my professional life.
Ruben is serving as the Center Coordinator at the Wireless for Community (W4C) Center in Vodarevu in Chirala, a coastal town in Andhra Pradesh state of India. The centre is popularly known as Vodarevu ISOC centre.
“This is the spot that gets a signal. Apart from this the entire village and in fact the entire island is unconnected” said Mukesh (name changed). Sawariyadigar is a village located on a river island in Nandurbar district of Maharashtra. The village has no access to the world outside; no road, rail, bridge, or even connectivity.
“Arrey yaar! Network aa hi nahi raha hai! (oh man there is no network)” groaned Saurabh, my colleague as we started our journey from Turtuk to Leh. The 200 km journey is amongst the most scenic roads I have been on. I was relying on his mobile hotspot since even with two sims I was disconnected.
The joy of skywatching is never limited to young children. A sense of humility and wonder sets in effortlessly when one looks up into the vast expanse spotting the stars, constellations and planets. In a world where clear night skies are hard to find because of light pollution, spending the whole night understanding astronomy is a great treat. Even more exciting is the fact that digital mediums help in gaining more knowledge about the cosmic world.
STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics) subjects not only fosters innovative thinking and serves as a foundation on which many skills get developed but instills confidence, stimulates the mind to think out of the box, provides a good platform to build human relationships through peer interaction, gives better opportunities to connect with the real world and keeps the curiosity to learn alive.
