Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Apr 16: On Charlie Chaplin’s birthday, Rajan Kumar, India’s Charlie Chaplin-2 hero and an icon of the Election Commission of India, commenced a unique journey from Kashmir to Kanyakumari to raise voter awareness ahead of the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections.
Donning baggy pants, a coat, a cap, and an umbrella, he traversed the plains of Kashmir, amidst inclement weather, quietly bringing smiles to people’s faces and urging them to exercise their right to vote.
Rajan Kumar, arrived in Kashmir from Delhi, initiated the “Kashmir to Kanyakumari” journey from Lal Chowk in Srinagar, as part of the National Voters’ Outreach Programme, in an event organized by Kashmir Performers Collective, Pattan Kashmir.
Expressing the purpose behind the journey, Election Commission icon Rajan Kumar emphasized the importance of motivating citizens to participate in the electoral process. “I am undertaking this journey to raise awareness about voting,” he said.
He holds the distinction of being the first Election Commission icon to employ such a method to inspire voter turnout. Prior to this initiative, Rajan Kumar had utilized the concept of a voting tree to disseminate voter awareness.
From Kashmir, his journey will take him to Chennai and then Kanyakumari, where he plans to visit Swami Vivekananda’s rock before returning to the capital, Delhi.
Rajan Kumar perceives the task of promoting voter awareness from Kashmir to Kanyakumari as a significant challenge. In addition to his roles as a film actor and filmmaker, he is also a poet and writer, having penned an impactful poem on elections titled “Don’t Miss Voting,” aimed at inspiring citizens to participate in the democratic process.
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