SMS in India - Triggerring Off New Age Protests

And you thought the Indian SMS generation used their SMS culture to just forward jokes, one-liners and funny graffiti, right ? Wrong. SMS has proved to be quite an effective tool to drum up support for a social cause as was shown in the Jessica Lal murder case and more recently the protest against the Central government's bill seeking 50% reservation to SC(Scheduled Class), ST(Scheduled Tribe) and OBC(Other Backward Classes) in prestigious educational institutions like IITs and IIMs

Tehelka
"Compelled by SMS messages strategically multiplying through ever widening circles of Delhites, close to 2000 people showed up for the Tehelka’s Citizens Demand in support of reopening the Jessica Lall murder case, at an informal rally protesting the gross miscarriage of justice"

Outlook India
A section of students at the Delhi University have already launched an SMS campaign and planned protest march to lodge their anger over the controversial move to reserve seats in Central Universities, IITs and IIMs which has revived the 'merit vs quota' debate in the country

The power of such silent revolutions has sent many a ripple across establishments. both political and non-political. The Jessica Lal murder case has been re-opened following a TV channel submitting a petition to the President on behalf of the thousands of SMS messages it received during a live show conducted by it. The reservation issue has triggerred off heated debates across media circles following a spate of SMS out-pourings. Hi-Tech is the way to go.

Comments

Unknown said…
The technology was always there, previously just used for fwding jokes and nonsense text now also used for something productive...I think this was to happen.

SMS is so cheap yet effective. Its successor MMS has not not been able outcast it for now (APR 2006).