She's out to make every vote count

BANGALORE: From packing tiffin boxes for her kids, to drawing building blocks to enable citizens to vote, Sunitha Kondur is quite a multi-tasker. At 40, she has been one of the founding pillars of a successful voters' rights organization, Smart Vote.
Today, this MIT graduate and professional architect may have passed on the baton to younger volunteers of Smart Vote, but as an adviser, she continues to be the fulcrum of the initiative.
"I get really worried about what is happening around me," says Sunitha. The concern, you know, is genuine.
In 2009, the US-return joined Smart Vote co-founders Prithvi Reddy and Amar Krishnamurthy in their social activism, following a meeting with the duo at Cubbon Park.
And this is why she found herself swayed by the Smart Vote founders Prithvi Reddy and Amar Krishnamurthy and met up in Cubbon Park before 2009 general elections. "I was in a state of mind where frustration peaked, and the energy to dive into something meaningful was high, But I had no idea what to do till I met people like PG Bhat who showed us the way," Sunitha adds.
As the torch-bearer of Smart Votes, Sunitha went all out to was one of the leading ladies in Smart Vote as an NGO to
mobilize volunteers and start what they call a block-voting campaign. Soon the campaign gained momentum in Koramangala This is the time when it became a Koramangala-centric campaign. "There were 10 resident welfare associations who received the concept very well and came forward to clean the electoral rolls and ensure their right to vote," Sunitha recalls.
From fuelling a city-wide campaign to clean electoral rolls, enlisting new voters and guiding them through the EPIC process, Sunitha has worked relentlessly for a larger democratic cause.
IN DIFFERENT ROLES
A typical day in Sunitha's life begins at 6.30am and, predictably so, the kitchen is her calling. "In the mornings, I run the show at home. I have no cook and have to ready the kids myself. And of late, the fitness bug has bit me too," she says.
Between household chores, office work and her social commitments, Sunitha manages to squeeze in an hour of workout. Together with her husband Bijoy Ramachandran, also a post-graduate from MIT, she runs Hundred Hands, an architecture firm. The couple has a 12-year-old daughter, Anjali, and a seven-year-old son, Siddharth.
Their designs for their clients that shows or their idea of meaningful living, simplicity perhaps is synonymous with this couple. They have a 12 year-old daughter Anjali and seven year old son Siddharth.
Sunitha and her husband lived in Boston and New York for four years before they moved to Bangalore. Ask her how she manages to juggle all these, she laughs: "As they say, if you want to do something, you have to find time for it." But admits, that a flexible timing on work has made her life easy.
At present, Sunitha is steering the 'Show the Ink' project in partnership with Young India, another not-for-profit organization.
CHANGE AGENT
Sunitha's many ideas are taking Smart Vote to an all-new level. "In 2009, we first started interviews with candidates and organized public debates. Citizens' enthusiasm to know about their candidates and debate various issues was encouraging. But post-elections, we were dismayed at the voter turnout. So we moved on to do something to incentivize voters," says Sunitha.
'Show the Ink' project is a tie-up with restaurants and spas where voters who show their ink-marked finger get a discount. These discounts will be given for from April 17 to 24. In fact, some restaurants have extended the offer till April 26.
Log on to www.showtheink.in to choose from the services and avail discounts.
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Campaign to vote
The students of Creo Valley School of Film and Television, Bangalore have launched a new promo to encourage higher polling in the ensuing Lok Sabha polls. The campaign titled "Vote India Vote" is aimed at generating awareness of the vote. The students have featured lot of issues in Bangalore and say that how we need a decisive leadership and why people should head to polling stations to vote for the right candidate.
The students have also interviewed people from cross section of the society and taken their opinion as to why they feel that voting is important. The students who have made the video are available for interaction.
For more details, contact Divya 776059812