Sanitary Officer uses songs for spreading awareness of voting

A Sanitary Officer’s passion for singing has found a new purpose in this election season. M. Abdul Jaffar uses music to spread awareness of the importance of voting.

Blending civic duty with creativity, Mr. Jaffar has composed two songs highlighting the significance of voting, and plans to release three more songs soon.

It all started in 2018 when Mr. Jaffar, then posted at Avadi City Municipal Corporation near Chennai, decided to use his hobby of amateur singing on social media to spread messages on solid waste management.

His songs during the campaign against COVID-19 in Avadi turned the spotlight on him. He has penned lyrics and sung nearly 166 songs so far.

Mr. Jaffar, who is currently a Sanitary Officer in Udhagamandalam Municipality, said besides the awareness initiatives taken up under the Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP), he wanted to contribute to the campaign in his own way, through the digital platform.

‘Simple lyrics’

“I keep my lyrics simple and set them to popular film tunes, including a song from Vasantha Maaligai, for better reach. My songs mainly focus on achieving 100% voter turnout,” he said.

Through his songs, he urges voters to exercise their franchise, stressing that every vote counts in selecting the right candidate and ensuring the constituency’s development.

“I focus on the themes around the significance of voting and exercising democratic rights honestly, as well as the message that votes should not be sold,” he added.

He regularly posts songs on social media and shares them with official groups across districts such as Udhagamandalam, Chennai, and Cuddalore and residents’ welfare association groups. “My songs are also used in election-related training programmes, like those for booth-level officers,” he added.

Mr. Jaffar, who has worked in various districts, has penned lyrics to raise awareness of source segregation, road safety, and the registration of birth and death certificates, and against the use of plastics.

He has won laurels, including seven awards from district collectorates, for his work.

“I have also made a short film on behavioural change for source segregation among residents and on Solid Waste Management Rules. I plan to release it soon on my social media channel,” he added.