Seventeen-year-old Hriday Tulsiani might have to wait for the next general elections before he votes, but he is already setting an example for other eligible first-time voters. For the last few weeks, Tulsiani, a Class XI student of Dhirubhai Ambani School, has been visiting schools across the city, to create awareness about voting rights.

"I always wanted to do my bit to help bridge the social gap. And, understanding one's rights and duties [as a citizen] is the first step towards this," he says. Tulsiani decided to talk about the 'right to vote', because he felt that people did not know how important this right is, for a democracy to function smoothly. "Only 66 per cent people in India, and just 51.5 per cent in Mumbai, vote. But this is our first duty as citizens."