Time to walk the talk – Tata Tea launches the next phase of Jaago Re

After successfully introducing Pre-Activism in its first phase, Tata Tea's Jaago Re initiative now extends the conversation in Phase Two, by urging citizens to take on a more proactive role.

There are two kinds of people in the world - One that reacts after a problem has occurred; and one that acts before something becomes a problem. Which side are you on?

Since the past several years, TATA Tea's #JaagoRe initiatives have actively raised awareness around social causes by inspiring citizens to change the existing state of affairs in the country. From urging people to vote and fight corruption to dispelling preconceived gender myths, the brand has consistently remained in touch with the times.

The 2017 edition of Jaago Re was no different. Launched with a powerful, scathing video, the campaign exposed, in particular, the Indian tendency to protest, disrupt, and publicly display anger after disaster strikes. Titled Anthem of Apathy, it referenced several national issues that have led to widespread protests—from farmer suicides and infrastructure failure to repeated incidents of sexual assault and the non-performance of sportspersons. The key message of the campaign was that actual social change requires collective action; we need to wake up and act much before issues become news headlines. The first phase of Jaago Re thus urged citizens to become Pre-activists by keenly finding solutions for the problems that we face as a society.

In other words, alarm bajne se pehle jaago re.

The Way Ahead

In order to build this movement into a definitive action plan, the campaign's second phase actively enables citizen participation on two stages. At the micro-level, people are encouraged to follow pre-activism in their daily lives and homes, through small changes that make a difference to their neighbourhoods, communities, and society at large. On the other end, the campaign's macro initiatives are designed around driving actual change around fundamental issues in our society, by petitioning the relevant authorities. By encouraging enough people to sign these petitions, the movement hopes to not just build awareness around the issues but also demonstrate how our collective action can have a tangible and positive effect on age-old problems.

Petition for Change

For its second phase, Tata Tea Jaago Re has zoned in on an extremely crucial social issue – the rising incidents of crimes against women in India. In particular, it seeks to highlight how unchecked gender bias can be one of the root causes behind the alarming number of rapes, assaults, domestic violence, and other gender crimes that hit our headlines daily. As per the latest data from National Crime Records Bureau, the crime rate against women rose from 41.7% to 53.9%, between 2011 and 2015. The year 2015 alone saw 34,651 reported cases of rape, 4,437 cases of attempted rape, 59,277 kidnapping and abductions, 7,634 dowry deaths, and a whopping 1,13,403 cases of domestic cruelty, among others. With numbers as staggering as these, it is fairly obvious that changing the status quo for an issue like women's safety will require nothing short of a mass movement.

To this end, Jaago Re aims to provide a direction to our collective outrage through the form of a hard-hitting petition that demands actual change from the grassroots. Addressed to the HRD Ministry, the petition provides a wholesome and comprehensive approach to the problem around women's safety and suggests practical, cohesive changes that can impact society at large. In particular, it addresses the need for having compulsory gender-sensitisation programmes across all schools. There's no doubt that real and positive social change takes time; sometimes, it may even take generations. By demanding a change at the classroom level, the petition therefore aims to target not just a change in mindset but also the development of a more balanced, intelligent, and skilled youth who are respectful towards all genders and firm believers of an equal society.

To instil the message of pre-activism and drive the conversation forward, renowned academician and social activist Dr. Ranjana Kumari has been roped in as the torchbearer for the movement. Watch the video below to see what she has to say about the need to address women's safety from the grassroots:

Over the course of the campaign, she will continue to share her views on the need for gender sensitisation in India and inspire people to take action by signing the petitions and taking the pledge.

We've all felt angry and helpless about not being able to make a difference in society because the problem at hand seemed too big for an individual to tackle. Jaago Re's purpose is to make citizen involvement far easier and more practical—by inspiring a whole generation of Pre-Activists to take up the mantle and drive real change in an organized and impactful way.

To sign the petition and be part of Tata Tea Jaago Re's massive social movement, click here.

Join the conversation at www.jaagore.com