Get a close view of Karnataka politics from an expert

Karnataka is in election mode and it is the best time to learn about politics and how it changes or needs to change our lives.

To make people understand about ground realities, Prof Rajeev Gowda, a faculty member at Indian Institute of Management (Bangalore) is conducting a month-long programme called 'Political Action Internship' for students.

Gowda, who is an authority on public policy and associated with various civil society groups, will provide an understanding of practical realities of the democratic process in India. The programme will give a ringside view of how an election campaign works, from the initial phase of strategizing to the actual campaigning and to the counting of votes.

The internship is from April 18 to May 9. It is voluntary and an unpaid activity. The interns will bear the cost of food, transport, housing and other incidental activities associated with the programme.

The month-long programme is in Bangalore city and it will involve field work to events to classroom lectures and a variety of other activities related to the campaign, which is being conducted along with the Congress party.

Though knowledge of Kannada would give an advantage, but it is not essential to know the language. One can take part in most of the activities if the English language is okay. The participants successfully completing the internship will receive a signed certificate from Prof Gowda.

What will be the gain at the end of the programme? One can improve leadership and communication skills, ability to interact with a variety of people. Interns may also get a chance to acquire skills about social media and mass media.

The application form is online at http://bit.ly/YviMjh and accepted till April 7 (Sunday). For further queries, please email [email protected]

Prof Gowda is an expert on Indian politics. He has established the pioneering India-Women in Leadership programme (www.womenleadership.in). The internship is not conducted or endorsed by IIM, Bangalore.