V Margatham from Cuddalore, had decided some time last year that she was going to contest as an independent candidate in the upcoming assembly election. What she didn’t know was how. “I had no idea how to reach people,” she says.Which is why when she heard of ‘Thenkoodu’, a political training and mentorship initiative supported by Harvard Kennedy School and launched by The Penn Collective (TPC), a Chennai-based non-partisan organisation, Margatham signed up. The programme aims to equip women aspiring to contest with political knowledge, campaigning strategic tools, and leadership skills.She was joined by Nilavazhagi S, an independent aspirant from Tiruvallur, who decided to contest after she studied the functioning of her village panchayat for her master’s research. “Women were formally represented but decision-making remained in the hands of men. I want to change that,” she says.“Women are usually pushed into electoral roles as proxy candidates or enter politics late in life due to caregiving responsibilities. Most political training is offered only after women are elected,” says Poorani C, founder of TPC, who works in the area of gender and labour rights. “They don’t have public spaces such as tea shops or street corners, where politics is openly discussed. Thenkoodu is designed for women who want to contest but lack access to preparatory spaces.”The free nine-month programme is open to women and transwomen aged 21 to 45 from all political parties as well as independent candidates. It includes a one-week residential training followed by modules on governance, election procedures, campaigning, fundraising, budgeting, public speaking and civic engagement.“One of the most important campaigning strategies we will be teaching the women is, engaging with the community. For example, during a social mapping of Budur village in Chengalpet, TPC found that women were harassed when they had to defecate in the open due to lack of public toilets. A political candidate of this panchayat can work on solving this issue,” says Poorani.Alongside local case studies, TPC will discuss contemporary political campaigns such as that of New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, focusing on how he mobilised public support and funds. To register for this free programme, those interested can reach out to 9629020856 for more details.
