Dubai: The last time Keralites idolised a district collector was when Malayalam superstar Mammootty set the silver screen on fire as a feisty IAS officer in his 1995 blockbuster ‘The King.’
But now the object of that collective adulation is a real life Collector who is making the on-screen hero pale in comparison in both popularity and mass appeal.
Kozhikode District Collector Prashant Nair who assumed charge in February 2015, is no less a cult figure, not just in his administrative province but across the south Indian state. He is ‘Collector bro’ to the nearly 200,000 followers on his Facebook page ‘Collector Kozhikode,’ which he manages personally.
No post goes unanswered here; whether it is an inane question about school exams or a genuine concern about civic issues — Nair responds almost instantly addressing his young Facebook fans as ‘bro’ in return. His rejoinders to criticisms and cheeky comments are often playful banters borrowed from witty movie dialogues.
This jeans-clad and sunglass-totting tech-savvy officer of the 2005 IAS batch is redefining transparency in government administration by using social media as the main medium of communication.
“Gone are the days when you will post a circular in the village office notice board to announce a new decision. Almost everybody has a smartphone and that is where we can reach out to people easily,” Nair told Gulf News in a telephonic interview.
“The real purpose of social media is two-way communication. I make a difference because I personally interact with each and every one of them. And I cannot act like a boss online because social media is a level playing ground where everyone is an account holder,” Nair said.
And what makes him a superstar collector is the panache by which he uses social media to galvanise public action for common good. His posts — office circulars, welfare schemes, charity projects etc — are clarion call for thousands of youth who spring to action and throw their weight behind him. For instance, a recent post by Nair urging his followers to clean up public ponds in Kozhikode in return for a Biriyani treat by the Collector was a runaway success.
Tapping into the milk of kindness in every human being has been Nair’s prime strategy in bringing about change. In his own words, “Every human being has the spirit of compassion inside them. I try to appeal to that willingness to help others in evolving community-owned solution to many of our problems,” said Nair.
His brain child and pet project ‘Compassionate Kozhikode’ is a brilliant example of this. The volunteer-based crowdfunded project that address a range of issues from poor roads to crowded buses to hunger issues, is owned, implemented and funded by people with the district administration only acting as a facilitator. The project recently won international acclaim when ‘Compassionate Kozhikode’ was picked as one the 50 Inspirational projects from around the world at the 50th anniversary of ITB Berlin, world’s biggest travel trade show.
The project’s flagship initiative ‘Sulaimani’ (spiced tea popular in Kozhikode) is run in partnership with nearly 100 hotel owners in the city who offer free food for the hungry in exchange of food coupons. The coupons are distributed by student volunteers at bus stops, restaurants, government hospitals etc.
“Suliamani is based on the concept ‘food with dignity.’ It is a discreet way of handling hunger without poor people having to beg for food,” said Nair.
Some of the other initiative under ‘Compassionate Kozhikode’ include ‘Savarigirigiri’ that aims to solve the bus commuting problems of students and Project4N for better road maintenance through sponsorships.
Nair’s popularity has not always gone down well with some politicians who get irked by his social media obsession. He has also rubbed some business lobbies on the wrong side by refusing to bend rules. But with social media on his side, Nair is not flinching.
When he posted about the intimidation and threats he faces from the quarry lobby in the district recently, his Facebook wall exploded with compliments and support from people: “Ningalu barikku bro. Nyangal koode undu” (You rule brother. We are all with you!”
- February 15, 2015 — Took charge as Kozhikode District Collector
- Private Secretary to Home Minister (Dept of Home & Vigilance) between January 2014 to January 2015
- Managing Director, Beverages Corporation of Kerala from August 2013 to January 2014
- Entered Indian Administrative Service and underwent training at Lal Bahadur Shashtri National Academy of Administration (2007 to 2009)
- MBA from Asian Institute of Management in 2012
- Bachelor of Law from University of Kerala in 2005
- The writer is senior reporter, Xpress, a sister publication of Gulf News
