Mass Movements and PR

Category: Other

Society is dynamic so is the political scenario. The way social and political movements have budded, bloomed and withered is a subject of study. A movement whether social or of any other nature has a story behind it. Our country is guided by the Constitution as its ‘Grund Norm’[1]. It is a detailed document and covers almost all the aspects related to affairs of the country. Thus, almost all social or other forms of movement have a legal or political angle to it. When one takes into consideration the various mass movements that have taken place since independence the JP Movement seems to have had the largest impact. But then there are various factors which made it possible. Next to it we can place the Anti-Corruption Movement which had Anna Hazare as its projected spear-head. The Movement saw more than hundred thousand supporters during its span. Anna Hazare might be a very popular figure today but what were his credentials prior to this movement. Hazare contributed to the development and structuring of Ralegan Siddhi, a village in Parner taluka of Ahmednagar district, Maharashtra, India. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan—the third-highest civilian award—by the Government of India in 1992 for his efforts in establishing this village as a model for others. He was said to be a practicing Gandhian who followed the principle of going on fasts similar to Gandhi’s way of protest. But then if one tries to locate such activists across India one would find that what he did is not a novelty. If what he had done was not something rare and extra-ordinary then the question arises how Anna Hazare became such a big crowd puller? Mr. Hazare’s movement had a backing of civil societies. Some 150 people sat on fast along with him. Most of these people were social activists, among them some were internationally acclaimed for their various contribution to the society say Arvind Kejriwal and Kiran Bedi. Even this cannot be said to be enough to generate such hype as was witnessed during the movement. Then, what was it? It was an effect of a well-planned and wonderfully executed work of a Public Relations Agency. If one would try to recollect the times before the movement he/she would remember that they had been getting mails and messages regarding the upcoming movement. This along with the various times the leaders of this movement got media coverage was due to the diligent effort of some PR Professionals and could not be said to have happened without any solicitation. And when the movement finally happened the media coverage it got was unprecedented. And it was due to the excellent media relations that the news were broadcasted even on regional news channels and garnered huge support from the masses. The Time Magazine listed the Anna Hazare movement among ‘the top ten news stories of 2011’. This was despite the Arab Spring at its peak during that time. PR agencies role cannot be negated in anything that grabs eyeballs in today’s society. But with time all the steam generated during the campaign has evaporated and the person who seemed close to rewriting the political history is nowhere in the limelight. Though some of those who used his image have managed to propel a political career out of the movement by further engaging in an honest and clean image projection which again doesn’t seem to be possible without the role of a PR firm.