Mobile app for info about Maratha silent marches

Mumbai: With the Maratha community's state-wide silent marches making news, a group of techies have developed a mobile App to provide better communication about the rallies.
A Kolhapur-based software firm today launched the App named 'EXYnow' for Maratha Kranti Morcha which has received over 500 downloads so far.

"The app is going to be used for holding of all future rallies across the state, including the Mumbai rally for which stalwarts from the community are holding rounds of meetings," EXYnow Pvt Ltd founder Vinayak Bhogan told PTI.

"I am testing the app for the October 15th rally, which will be organised in Kolhapur city. I can make some changes into it as per the requirement so that it would be extremely useful for the crucial Mumbai rally," he said.

A 'war room', is set up at Dasara chowk in Kolhapur which is coordinating routes, communication with people from various villages, towns and legal permissions such as use of drones, cameras, video recordings among others, he said.

The team behind the app call themselves "digital volunteers" and aim to reach out to the Maratha community through social networking sites, track news appearing in the mainstream media and spread the message about the rallies.

With only ten days left for the rally, the Maratha organisations have stepped up efforts to reach out to a large number of people of their community to participate.

The rally in Kolhapur will be the last one planned at the district level.

More than 20 rallies have already taken place across the state over the last one-and-a-half months. The final rally or the 'maha morcha' will be organised in Mumbai, and is likely to be held after Diwali.

Once registered for the application, a person can upload photos, videos, comments and also get help from the volunteers if they are stuck somewhere along the rally route.

The application will work as a communication platform among volunteers during the rally.
The organisers believe the rally will see a higher turnout as compared to other rallies that have taken place in the state.

Historian and activist from Kolhapur, Indrajit Sawant said Mumbai rally is crucial not for showing the strength but also for managing the crowd coming from various parts of the state as most of them are unaware of roads in the metropolis.

In such a situation, the App would be a support to small groups coming from remote areas, he said.