IndiaBanao.org invites young people in India to get involved with public affairs

A group of three people Jayant Sinha (former partner at McKinsey and currently managing director at Courage Capital Hedge Fund), Sanjeev Sanyal (former chief Asia economist at Deutsche Bank and author of The Indian Renaissance) and Sheetal Talwar (producer of award winning film Dharm) have founded IndiaBanao.org , a public affairs oriented networking platform that seeks to provide opportunities for young people in India to get involved with public affairs.

IndiaBanao.org will have video interviews and messages from prominent political leaders; community forums to post comments and conduct discussions on particular topics; blogs from well-known commentators on political, economic, and social issues; and a member directory.

IndiaBanao has three primary goals -- provide opportunities for young people to participate in public life; engage India’s political leaders to address the key issues facing young people today; and raise general awareness on youth-related issues such as higher education reform, employment generation, and safer cities.

The founders of the IndiaBanao initiative also plan to organise offline events in various cities where young people will get a chance to interact directly with political leaders, hear their opinions, and ask questions.

Under the initiative, IndiaBanao is organising its inaugural event on 20th October 2008 in New Delhi where the participants will discuss issues related with terrorism, the nuclear deal and the global financial crisis. At the event, L K Advani, leader of the opposition, Lok Sabha, will interact with the country’s youth on these issues. Sanjeev Bikhchandani, founder and CEO of Naukri.com, will sit on the panel along with the IndiaBanao founders -- Sanjeev Sanyal, Jayant Sinha and Sheetal Talwar.