Educating South Asian origin students to be involved in the political process, and to exercise their vote in the November elections started as a one-man initiative last year. Today, it has grown into a mass movement spanning five states and universities.

Tanzila “Taz” Ahmed, 25, is the brain behind the South Asian American Voting Youth (SAAVY), a nonpartisan organization that has mobilized hundreds of students in an organized group for voting awareness.

“I realized that not enough people were doing anything to get the South Asian students involved in the political process of the country,” said Ahmed, an alumnus of University of Southern California.

That prompted her to think up a plan to involve Indian American people in political meetings across the country and to create a forum for them to tell more people about the importance of South Asian vote. Her proposal was accepted by South Asian American Leaders of Tomorrow (SAALT), the group working for community service that is also bringing out a comprehensive report on hate crimes after the terrorist attacks of 9/11.

“SAAVY promotes politics as a tool to address our issues. The SAAVY campaign of registering and mobilizing voters is just one step in getting our issues heard,” says Ahmed.

Ahmed, who works full-time for SAAVY, says her life has changed since she formed the organization. After the elections, she plans to enroll for graduate school in sociology. She is hopeful that her experience in working for voter mobilization would help shape her career. Though Ahmed’s parents, who are from Bangladesh, were initially hesitant about her involvement in political activism, they have begun to appreciate her work.

“I always felt that no political party ever did much for the young people,” says Ahmed. I hope all that changes with the work of movements like ours, she said.

Though there are no official figures since SAAVY took off in April this year, more than 500 students have been registered nationally by the organization. Thousands have been contacted by outreach efforts and in turn they have informed others of the initiative. SAAVY also works with several local organizations in the four states to ensure wider networking. There are a total of eight fellows working for SAAVY in Michigan, Florida, Georgia and New York. In October, apart from the registration drive, the fellows in the states will also start an awareness outreach program, and hold panel discussions on campuses to analyze the candidates and the issues that are important to youth.

According to Ahmed, though the South Asian students tend to be liberal like the majority of students in the country of voting age, they are most concerned about five issues: hate crimes, racial profiling, high cost of education, affirmative action and globalization.

Jaya Soni, 21, a senior at the University of Michigan and a SAAVY fellow, says the work she is doing for the organization is an important one. Recently Soni and her co-coordinator Shiny Mathews registered voters in Ann Arbor at a local Raas dance competition. They have been working with over 50 South Asian campus groups.

“It is a great opportunity to contribute in the best possible way,” says Soni. She also got other students and teachers in Michigan to hand out literature on voter mobilization in their class rooms.

The University of Florida Fellows, Akash Kuruvilla and Satish Kunisi have organized a performance theatre event with hip hop and spoken work artists to educate students.

In Athens, Ga., Fellow Krishan Bhima brought together a group to discuss the tragedy of September 11, 2001 and its backlash resulting in hate crimes. Bhima and SAAVY Fellow Karthik Nishan registered more than 100 South Asian voters in Atlanta on Indian Independence Day.

SAAVY Fellows have been using ever new methods to reach out to the youth community, registering voters at South Asian clubs, working with South Asian fraternity Sigma Beta Rho, coordinating with National Gandhi Day efforts, and working with local mosques, gurdwaras and temples.

Aneri Patel, 18, of Raleigh, a student at University of North Carolina traveled to Orlando for SAAVY’s training and said it was life altering.

“There is a science to campaigning and SAAVY taught it to me,” said Patel. “In Orlando, we devised and tested a plan and learned the art of making a real difference. I’m going to take these lessons to my South Asian community at school and at home.”

Veteran political operative Toby Chaudhuri helped train SAAVY students in Orlando. Chaudhuri pointed out that South Asian Americans are among the fastest growing populations in the US, according to recent Census figures.

“Half of all South Asians in America are above the age of 30,” said Chaudhuri. “The other half holds the power to fight for the secure retirement for our parents, good jobs with good benefits and an economy that works for working South Asian people. Our future is in the hands of our younger generation.”

Nina Baliga, another training participant, spends her days organizing on important political issues. Baliga noted that the SAAVY training was the first opportunity she had to help organize South Asian Americans.

“Grassroots organizing makes a difference when people’s hearts are committed to it,” said Baliga. “Didn’t realize that South Asians and grassroots organizing could go in the same sentence before I knocked on dozens of doors with a team of desis.”