Last week, Arvind Kejriwal, the former bureaucrat turned whistleblower turned firebrand politician launched Aam Admi Party (AAP), taking forward the Anna Movement to the next level albeit not without splitting with Anna.
I see lots of commonalities between this Kejriwal (Alok) and AAP ka Kejriwal (Arvind). And, though I maintain my apolitical stand, I’m sure this amusing-sounding party is here to stay. I say this in the light of the comparisons one can draw.
From Conventional to Unconventional: Both the Kejriwals started with mundane conventional jobs. AAP ka Kejriwal started as a bureaucrat and after years of slogging in the conventional domain, he decided it was not his cup of tea. Sadda Kejriwal made socks for ten good years before calling it quits.
No Family Background: None of the two Kejriwals come from a family with a history of what they are known for. Alok ventured into IT media without much first-hand experience or a family history. He knew the robustness of his model and the timing was just right. Arvind knew the country is filled with people craving for change and he took the plunge without a family-based-internship.
Startups: Like Alok’s digital ventures, I find a lot of entrepreneurial elements in AAP too. The way he validated his idea, built momentum and waited for the time, shows a seasoned entrepreneur in Arvind.
Amusing Brands: While Alok may screw me for saying this, but in the first glance you find both Alok’s as well Arvind’s brands quite amusing. While Alok’s “Contests2Win” sounded like lottery, Aam Aadmi Party sounds like a local vernacular small-time pamphlet thingy. But, as Alok’s brand had a lot of merit of directly talking to its TG, one may find similar elements in AAP too. The way AAP has attracted lakhs of supporters as volunteers, you know they are the game-changers, regardless of its political fate. Contests2Win actually went on to give some of the lotteries a run for their monies. AAP has taken the juice away from Congress’ punchline.
Going Public: Alok’s interactive enterprises from 2Win to TheRodinhoods are built on the netizens and are globally highly valued. Arvind too built momentum through netizens and public. His Party actually went public first and created the entity later on, sort of a Company listed right at inception. Break-even before launch. The sign of a very intelligent entrepreneur.
Challenging the Convention: Both challenged the convention. Alok spent tough times convincing his supporters that people could actually spend money to play games online. The persistence paid and he recently topped the iTunes charts too, with Parking Frenzy. Arvind challenged the convention that people who talk of change can also come on the streets in the fight against monolithic systems. The gatherings at his recent party-formation and other events have shown his conviction was not unfounded.
Encouraging Developers: I’ve seen and noticed Alok encouraging the developers and juicy minds to contribute to his platforms. AAP, at least at the outset, promises to keep its structure so democratic that the Party may be in for a beta mode for a long time. If it so happens, it can truly bring a much-needed break to the citizens.
David vs Goliath: Arvind’s AAP appears minuscule when compared to the large political parties. But, digital media too appeared irrelevant compared to the traditional media till some years ago. Later, we realized, one user on digital media is worth 50 on the traditional media, for the attention and time-spend. But, you never know, even Arvind’s following of few lakhs or maybe a couple of crores can write the Indian version of the story of “David vs Goliath”.
HOWEVER, there are things that go extremely against Arvind:
Arvind has failed to show he is a finisher. He has been on a rampage, exposing one issue to another culprit. However, the lack of persistence and follow-up on the earlier issue and the haste to move on to the next fail him as an entrepreneur.
To launch things or ideas prematurely has been other undoing of Arvind. He has been prone to making public the ideas, opinions, discoveries or exposes in a hurry. Understandable that he has decided to take on the giants of political outfits head-on and the resources & time may be less. But, as Rome was not built in a day, no lasting entity can be groomed in a hurry, and vice versa.
Quantity over Quality: Due to this fetish, Arvind is now fast moving from the headlines to inside pages of newspapers. But, here’s where he lacks most as an entrepreneur. An entrepreneur would prefer to appear once in a month, in a quarter or even in six months in the good-books of newspapers and, with exclusive stories. A wannabe politician is in a hurry to grab the news-space at any cost and in any form. If Arvind has to survive this phenomenon, he has to probably strike some balance.
Arvind has just started up and has a long road ahead. Given his entrepreneurial streak and our good wishes for any startup, let’s hope AAP ka Kejriwal takes a leaf or two from Sadda Kejriwal. Maybe we soon get a new terminology “Political Entrepreneurship” 🙂
And let’s also hope, Sadda Kejriwal doesn’t rip me apart for drawing parallels with another Kejriwal 🙂
*Sadda = Our