The Face against Corruption
by Guhan Iyer - 8A

A prevalent and pressing social issue in India is corruption. One of the most prominent activists against corruption today is Arvind Kejriwal. He was born on August 16, 1968 and grew up in multiple small in towns in Northern India. Kejriwal is determined, hardworker, striving to improve society, and he is a modest man.

Kejriwal is a determined, hard worker. He went to IIT Kharagpur, one of the toughest colleges to get into in India. When his father told him to “apply to other engineering colleges as well,” Kejriwal would not because “he had his mind set on going to the best engineering college in the country and wouldn’t settle for anything else.” Kejriwal passed the Civil Service exam, an incredibly difficult exam, after which he joined the Indian Revenue Service (IRS). In order to get the Lokpal Bill passed, he was willing to go to jail and fast, even though he was warned that he could die after two days of fasting since he suffered from diabetes. His colleagues claim that he sleeps for only four hours a day and works the rest of the time. Kejriwal will not let anything stop him from achieving his goals.

Arvind Kejriwal now works hard to improve society. He has founded many organizations to help society and has won many awards for his efforts. In 1999, while working at the IRS, Kejriwal founded “Parivarthan,” which means “change.” Parivarthan was founded to help the people of Delhi to their income tax, and ration food and electricity. Again, in 2006, Kejriwal, and his wife started the Public Cause Research Foundation. The Public Cause Research Foundation “works for just, transparent, accountable, and participatory governance (website).” In November 2012, he started the “Aam Aadmi Party.” This party was made for the common man. The Aam Aadmi Party has come a long way in a short time,winning 28 of the 70 seats available in the Delhi assembly, just three less than the leading party. Kejriwal has won multiple awards for his work. In 2004, he won the Ashoka Fellow award for Civic Engagement. In 2005, he was presented the Satyendra K Dubey Memorial award by IIT Kharagpur for bringing transparency in the Government. In 2006, he was awarded the CNN-IBN ‘Indian of the Year’ award for his public service. His greatest achievement is the Ramon Magsaysay Award, which he received in 2006 for Emergent Leadership. Arvind Kejriwal has done a lot to help society.

Although Kejriwal has won many prestigious awards, he does not treat himself differently from others. While working at the IRS, he “refused to have a peon, cleaned his own desk, and emptied his dustbin…” Another instance in which Kejriwal’s modesty came through was when a call informing him that he had won the Magsaysay award. At the time, Kejriwal was working with students. After attending to the call, Kejriwal simply called a colleague and went on with his work. Kejriwal refused to take a car to work and instead takes the metro. He even did this on his first day as Delhi’s Chief Minister. Kejriwal is modest in the face of recognition and achievement.

Arvind Kejriwal is a determined man who is hard working. He believes, “change begins with small things.” He aspires to improve society, and he is humble. There is a lot to be learnt from him.