A FEW POPULAR HINDI crime-drama series on streaming platforms are rooted in college and university life in Uttar Pradesh. The antagonist or the protagonist is usually exposed to the world of politics in their campuses, which marks the turning point in their lives. Preetham Gampa, too, was introduced to politics at his campus—IIT Kanpur—and has ended up working for politicians. Though he studied chemistry, he decided to become a poll strategist. Looking back, the 28-year-old said: “My future would have been different had I graduated from any other IIT.”
Ahead of the 2017 assembly elections, IIT Kanpur saw a flurry of political activity—awareness sessions, discussions and party-sponsored meetings. A startup Preetham and friends had launched on campus around the same time took on a political hue as his seniors sub-contracted promotional work for a national party to him. Soon, Preetham appeared for the campus interview of Prashant Kishor’s I-PAC and cracked it. At the renowned political consultancy firm, he gained invaluable experience.
Preetham, who hails from Telangana, was involved in two of the biggest padyatras in recent years in the Telugu states. In 2018, on behalf of I-PAC, he was on the ground coordinating with local leaders of the YSR Congress Party during then opposition leader and current Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy’s padyatra in Andhra Pradesh. Between 2021 and 2023, as an independent consultant and strategist, he was in-charge of the route map and other logistics for YSR Telangana Party founder Y.S. Sharmila’s padyatra in Telangana.
Denne historien er fra October 22, 2023-utgaven av THE WEEK India.
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Denne historien er fra October 22, 2023-utgaven av THE WEEK India.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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TAKING WINGS AGAIN
Telangana plans to redevelop Warangal's Mamnoor airport, built by the Nizam and destroyed by the Indian Air Force during Hyderabad's annexation in 1948
Identity tracking
Without reading like a tutorial, The Tamils gives a comprehensive account of the community's history and culture
THE ART OF WINNING
The real drama of the Oscar race happens before the envelope opens
Kala cotton is pure magic
One of the greatest things about being a fashion journalist in India is that you are never just one thing. Your stories can take you to glamorous fashion weeks across the world, and they can also take you to the remotest parts of India, allowing you to tell stories of people whose voices have been quietened. Like the farmers of the indigenous kala cotton plant.
Revival mode
Jitendra Patwari has set off a generational shift in Madhya Pradesh Congress
No freedom in appeasement
Fearsome gods and kings are appeased, not opposed. Through history, this ingrained placatory habit is ordained by all religions and cultures.
NIA WILL TRY RANA FOR CHARGES THAT HAVE NOT BEEN DISCLOSED
A high-profile lawyer, Ujjwal Nikam has argued crucial cases for the government. He was special public prosecutor in the 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts case and the 26/11 attacks case. His arguments led to the conviction of terrorist Ajmal Kasab, who was executed in 2012.
Men, too, have glass ceilings
The more I read about rape, suicide, family troubles, unemployment, toxic masculinity, excessive religiosity and hysterical jingoism, the more I feel we have got hold of the wrong end of the stick.
Jumbo love
Laxmi, once forced to beg on Mumbai streets, found home and freedom at the Wildlife SOS - Elephant Conservation and Care Centre in Mathura
THE DEVIL AND THE DETAILS
The extradition of Tahawwur Rana, whom US President Donald Trump called a \"very violent man\", could tie loose ends related to 26/11 and lead to the uncovering of valuable intelligence on attacks planned on India thereafter
