Ranchi, July 11: Blending local culture with voter awareness, a Circle Officer in Jharkhand’s Palamu district has adopted an unconventional approach to promote the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls by composing and singing songs in the Nagpuri dialect. The creative campaign has attracted widespread attention, clocking over one million views on social media within a day.
The officer, Marwari Sahu, has been travelling to villages and performing self-written songs in Nagpuri to explain the significance of the electoral roll revision exercise and encourage villagers to actively participate in the verification process.
The musical campaign encourages eligible voters to verify that their names are correctly included in the electoral roll and urges them to extend full cooperation to Booth Level Officers (BLOs) during the ongoing house-to-house verification exercise being conducted by the Election Commission.
Explaining the idea behind the initiative, Sahu said communicating with people in their native language helps establish a stronger connection and makes public awareness campaigns more effective.
“The message reaches people only when we connect with them,” Sahu said. “As the songs are in Nagpuri, villagers are listening attentively, understanding the importance of the exercise and actively participating in the SIR process.”
According to Sahu, the response from villagers has been encouraging, with many listening closely to the songs and showing greater interest in the electoral revision process. He said the initiative has helped improve public awareness and participation in the campaign.
Sahu said the inspiration for the initiative came from his earlier experience during the COVID-19 pandemic, when he worked as a high school teacher and used Nagpuri songs to spread awareness about health and safety measures among rural communities.
“This time also, I thought why not do it and started making people aware about the SIR drive through songs in the Nagpuri dialect, which did wonders,” he said. “It was widely circulated by the people on social media, generating more than a million views within 24 hours.”
Currently serving as Circle Officer, Sahu was posted to Ramgarh block in Palamu around two weeks ago and was given additional charge of Panki block shortly thereafter. During a visit to Loharsi village, he interacted with residents through his self-composed Nagpuri songs, highlighting the significance of updating electoral rolls under the SIR campaign.
The innovative awareness drive has also earned praise from the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Jharkhand, which described the initiative as an effective way to connect with people at the grassroots level and improve voter participation.
Chief Electoral Officer K. Ravi Kumar praised the campaign, saying, “I have watched the video of the song sung by the Circle Officer, and it is truly impactful.” He added, “I have asked him to compose and sing another song and share it on social media so that the message reaches and benefits a larger number of people.”
Officials believe the campaign demonstrates how regional language and folk traditions can be effectively used to communicate important public messages. By combining music with voter awareness, the initiative has emerged as a unique example of grassroots outreach aimed at strengthening democratic participation in Jharkhand.
