Kanan Dhru, Founder, Research Foundation for Governance in India (RFGI)

Saturday March 28, 2009 , 3 min Read

In the world's largest democracy, it is unfortunate that government and politics have become despicable words. People believe that decent people should not join politics since the ‘system’ is dirty and corrupt. Kanan Dhru believes in breaking the myth. Dhru belongs to the rare species that not only knows but has learnt from the words of Aristotle, the ancient philosopher, who said - All who have meditated on the art of governing mankind have been convinced that the fate of empires depends on the power of their youth. A practicing lawyer and visiting scholar at Stanford University, Dhru has worked with the World Health Organization, the National Knowledge Commission and is currently associated with the government of Gujarat on several initiatives.

Formed in 2009, the Research Foundation for Governance in India (RFGI) studies the patterns of governance in India while focusing on how law works as a tool in governance. It is a non-party, neutral and independent Foundation that does not subscribe to any political ideology. In a country of 250 million young people, Kanan Dhru is determined to harvest the power of the youth and engage them in the process of governance by spreading awareness, studying the issues related to governance patterns in India and working closely with the government on developmental issues.

One of the primary objectives of the foundation is to spread awareness on issues about governance and law amongst the citizens of India. RFGI endeavours to make people think about politics in a more positive way through making presentations in schools and colleges, organizing discussions and debates, and by getting more and more people interested in the process of governance. At the Foundation, activities include examining and undertaking research on issues concerning politics, law, governance, infrastructure, functioning of public institution, welfare related issues, including those pertaining to elections. RFGI seeks to find ways and means to evolve ‘good governance’ at various levels in the political structure of India, though the research work. It also get directly involved with government projects and initiatives through consultancy. This involves working closely with different government departments and organisations.

Dhru believes that research is an integral aspect of education. By engaging the youth in research activities, she aims to spread awareness on issues related to government and politics. It's not just the government, its departments, the student community, the legal community, and researchers who will benefit from the activities of the Foundation. The primary beneficiary of the Foundation is going to be the society at large and the common Indian man.

RFGI involves ordinary people through its various initiatives like events, public forums and surveys to analyse the present system. The idea is to make everyone think about the systems that govern us and how to make them better.

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