The power of the masses: the pink chaddi campaign

For most modern Indian women, whether residents or non-residents of the country, February 14th this year was no ordinary day – and I’m not talking about the fact that it was Valentine’s Day.

Clearly, they didn’t think of the backlash. Even more clearly, they didn’t know that times have changed. Thanks to the power bestowed on all individuals by the internet, an organization called the Bangalore Alternative Law Forum started a blog called the Pink Chaddi Campaign, calling for women who felt strongly about the issue to send pink underwear (or ‘chaddis’) to the Sri Ram Sene on February 14th. They also started a group on Facebook called the Consortium of Pub-Going, Loose and Forward Women, which, at the time of writing has attracted over 43,000 members (all this in the span of a couple of weeks). In the last week, the Pink Chaddi Campaign has been covered not only by the Indian press but by international media as well – from the New York Times to Fox News and the Huffington Post.

After literally getting truckloads of pink underwear from across the country on the 14th, the Sri Ram Sene have decided, in defence, (after changing their mind on the issue thrice) that they will burn the packages of underwear that are still being delivered to them. The Campaign, meanwhile, aims to get the government to agree that ‘beating up women is against Indian culture’, for a start. More on their Facebook Fan Page here.

I hope someone like Clay Shirky uses this as an example of the power of social media in a talk in the near future. I’d love for them to!