A ‘classroom’ at a Grama Sabha meeting in Iyyappanthangal

Fifteen children aged between six and fifteen took part in the Grama Sabha meeting held at Iyyappanthangal Village Panchayat on January 26. All of them are residents of Fourth Main Road at VGN Nagar in Iyyappanthangal.

Each of the children gave a petition detailing the sorry state of the Fourth Main Road to the president of Iyyappanthangal Village Panchayat with a prayer to relay the road.

The children were helped by P. Senthil Kumar and C. Shiva Kumar, both residents of VGN Nagar, in drafting the letters.

They both aim to make the children of their neighbourhood responsible citizens who will participate actively in the welfare of their immediate society.To this end, they took the children to the Grama Sabha meeting. A week before the meeting, Senthil and Shiva taught the children the basics of the structure of governance in India.

“We explained the three-tier federal structure of governance — that is Centre, State and Local governments and how the third tier could be a Corporation, Municipality, Town Panchayat, or Village Panchayat. We told their place of residence – VGN Nagar – falls under the Iyyappanthangal Village Panchayat and Grama Sabha meetings are a unique feature of Village Panchayats. The three-tier structure of governance was illustrated by citing roads in Iyyappanthangal region as an example. We have Perungalathur-Puzhal highway in the vicinity which is laid by the Centre; then Mount-Poonamallee Road that comes under the purview of the State; and the interior residential lanes under the Village Panchayat. Next, we guided the children to identify a problem that could be presented to the Grama Sabha. They chose Fourth Main Road in VGN Nagar as it was marked with potholes and prone to waterlogging. We also gave them additional information that it was last relaid a decade ago and it is due for relaying,” says Senthil.

The visit to the Grama Sabha meeting also helped children understand the differences between elected representatives and officials; the quorum required for the meeting to be held, criteria to be a member of the Grama Sabha, and the six days in a year the Grama Sabha meetings are held.

“Children get ample opportunities in schools to develop their sportsmanship and artistic skills. And some schools conduct mock sessions of UNO where children act as diplomats and debate over global issues. These skills are absolutely necessary. But they don’t get to learn about local governance, issues plaguing their own local community, and what are various modes of public grievance redressal mechanisms and how they work. So we as a residents welfare association at VGN Nagar conducted this exercise that will impart a practical education of public administration, for children are the future citizens and they should be empowered with the necessary knowledge,” says Shiva Kumar.

From time to time, the association conducts similar exercises. A few months ago, the children were taught about the solid waste management and importance of following road safety rules.

P. Senthil Kumar and C. Shiva Kumar are IT professionals but take active interest in addressing issues relating to their neighbourhood and gather information through RTI Act.