City Pulse

Among the several mobile applications that aim to connect citizens to make Bengaluru better, ‘SWAR’ (SwarnaBegur Welfare Association of Residents) definitely stands out. Known as Bengaluru’s first ward based app, it not just imparts necessary information but is heading to become a platform that enables over 80,000 residents of Begur to connect socially.

With the app SWAR, citizens can connect to solve civic issues, organise cleanliness drives, volunteer to become a blood donor, women entrepreneurs can list businesses, senior citizens can connect with each other and cycling enthusiasts can plan trips here.

Designed by technical architect and Swarna Begur Secretary Nilesh Kumar, the app was born overnight after Amit Kumar – President of Swarna Begur, told him the challenges the community faces while maintaining Whatsapp groups.

“Swarna Begur, is made up of active Begur residents, resident welfare associations, over 100 apartment associations, schools and hospitals in the neighbourhood and started in 2017. Communications with the members took place on whatsapp groups but became a challenge when numbers started increasing,” Amit Kumar tells IChangeMyCity.

He further points out that one could not connect on issues of interest in a common Whatsapp group and maintaining multiple groups based on people’s interests was not feasible.

Nilesh Kumar, an IT-expert realized that the only way out is a mobile application. Amit says that Nilesh rolled out the beta version in just one night. After testing and further developing, the app is now available for android versions. 

SWAR – Aims to become the voice of community   

One can find four major icons in this app. The ‘Swarna Begur’ icon gives information on activities towards civic change in the ward, information and phone numbers of civic agency officials, voter registration details and also allows residents to float petitions.

The ‘Swachh Begur’ icon provides information on cleanliness drives which will be taken up in the ward along with GPS location of area being cleaned. Details on public toilets in the ward with GPS location is another highlight. The community has completed 53 weeks of Swachh Begur.

The ‘Swasth Begur’ icon is an effort to create a community blood bank. One can volunteer as a blood donor and a person in need can raise requirement for blood, with volunteers being alerted via notifications.

The ‘Surakshit Begur’ aims to create vigilant citizens and provides information on fire department, police department and traffic police phone numbers in Begur.

Apart from the major icons, the app allows citizens with various interests to connect. The ‘TWAAH – Two wheels and a handlebar’ icon is meant for cycling enthusiasts who want to set out on cycling expeditions. The ‘Golden Years’ helps senior citizens of Begur to connect with each other.

Nilesh says the latest addition ‘Swarna Begur Women Empowerment’ icon allows women entrepreneurs to list businesses. “I wanted to buy a cake for my wife’s birthday but chose to order from a woman who makes cakes at home and had listed her business on the app. The cake tasted wonderful, much better than the one sold in bakeries,” said Nilesh hoping more women make use of the app and hence connect with the community.

Nilesh says the app has received a positive response with over 500 downloads. In the coming days, he plans to upgrade the app and add more icons, helping citizens to connect for a better Begur.

How Swarna Begur started

Amit Kumar, a Certified Financial Planner, having two decades of experience in Financial Services, felt the need to create a forum that represents the entire ward and ‘Swarna Begur’ (formerly known as Beautiful Begur) was the result. The initiative was launched in April 2017, with a mega event which consisted of a cyclothon, walkathon and activities that involved ward residents and schoolchildren. 

But what prompted the Swarna Begur Team to start such a forum was people’s lack of knowledge about their neighbourhood. “Begur has a rich history dating back to over a 1500 years. It was prominent place during the rule of Western Ganga Dynasty and later the Chola kingdom. But the residents here hardly know the fact,” rues Amit.

Secondly, they felt that people approached the civic agencies and people’s representatives only when their apartments or area faced issues. “Begur lacked that united representation. We decided to create a forum, where the entire ward is represented and hence we have better chances of being heard,” he adds.

Hence, Swarna Begur was formed with a core working committee of Amit Kumar as President, Shilpa Ganesh and Gangadhar S as Vice Presidents, Nilesh Kumar as Secretary, Mahesh Agrawal as Joint Secretary, Mohan D Dharwadker as Treasurer and Shilpa Sujir Salian as Joint Treasurer.

In the past two years, the association has worked towards positive change and Amit claims that the efforts of making the ward plastic free have worked. “Neither the residents ask for plastic bags nor do the shopkeepers use them. This is the result of continuous awareness drives.”

Since the past one year, the forum has organised cleanliness drives every Sunday without fail.

Currently Amit is working on collating history of Begur and the places of interest, while Nilesh is working on integrating the same in the app. SWAR will be formally launched on March 31.