'What is the highest officer rank in the Indian Navy?’, my phone screen reads and I can see the seconds ticking by as I struggle to think of the correct answer. I’m pretty sure it’s ‘Admiral of the fleet’ and holding my breath, I tap on the option with my finger. ‘Correct answer’, it reads now and I exhale. The one rupee added in my Reward Wallet doubles the joy, not just because I’m a rupee richer but because I know that my expanding wallet is going to make a difference in somebody’s life.
And that’s what Awarathon is all about! Ever since the social awareness app that combines the thrill of gaming launched on it’s Unknown Soldier Campaign this Independence Day, more than 50,000 questions have been answered on the Indian Armed Forces. The brainchild of Harvard Law School graduates Harshal Shah and Bhargavi Zaveri, who were supported in their endeavour by Rahul Ghatalia, Awarathon aims to create a platform for social awareness, but with the added fun element of gaming.
The first campaign
Shah tells us that the idea for the first campaign came to him when he happened to attend a friend’s brother’s funeral. “Her brother was in the armed forces and had died a martyr. That’s when it struck me how little we know about our own armed forces. Since we were at that time trying to decide which campaign to begin with, we zeroed down on the Unknown Soldier Campaign to make people more aware of the various aspects of our Indian armed forces, including the various wars we have fought and the ranks among others,” says the 31-year-old.
The challenge, says Shah, was to keep it informative, yet, entertaining at the same time. “It’s a game after all. The idea is to get people addicted to it, so they keep learning more and more,” he states, adding that a bank of over 5,000 questions was created especially for this campaign. Along with the game, the makers of the app will also keep posting videos of interviews with war veterans on their social media accounts to add a human touch to the campaign.
Play it on!
Once the app has been downloaded on your phone, a series of questions on the Indian armed forces follow. A 20-second timer starts and if you answer correctly, the app adds a rupee to your Reward Wallet. At constant intervals, the app asks you to either redeem the prize money for a gift card or donate it to a cause. “We are supporting three causes for this particular campaign. The first is supporting the disabled veterans of the Indian armed forces, especially those who don’t come under the government of India’s programme. The second is an early intervention for differently-abled children, while the third one is four differently-abled cases who are in desperate need of physiotherapy,” Shah informs of the campaign that ends on September 1.
Taking it ahead
While the makers are more than the happy with the kind of response it has generated, they hope that people will be as excited about their next campaign too, which is Swachh Bharat. “Urban cities in India face a huge waste management problem and the next campaign that launches on October 2, aims to make people aware of the problems we might face in the future because of that. The campaign will also provide users with knowledge on how to make a difference on a micro as well as a macro level,” says Shah.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "App-titude")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}