KAHIHI

Bespectacled, a wrinkled face and a familiar nose - Anna Hazare, the Gandhi for today’s youth. At 71 years of age, his fast unto death campaign to eradicate corruption has made everyone from a young toddler to an old compatriot go berserk. Our deep slumber ended on 5th April. This man, with his party of handful followers, started an epic fast for getting the Jan Lokpal bill approved and it phenomenally turned out to be a voice that everyone needed, a leader that everyone was waiting for. Perhaps, people are now realizing that it was either now, with this Gandhi of ours, or never.

We have been hearing about corruption ever since, many of us have probably been victims of corruption. Everyone wanted corruption out of the system. We saw many scams that put our country to shame, we read well-written essays by few eminent personalities, we saw media having moron panel to discuss/debate and howl on TV sets, bloggers writing about corruption, children speaking about anti-corruption in school elocutions but never a step taken of such magnitude was seen.

Then why does it matter now?

After facing corruption, even getting involved in it at times, why does it matter now?

Why has the issue of Lokpal Bill being discussed now when nobody took it seriously for 42 years?

Why is every Indian irrespective of age, out on the street shouting “I am Anna Hazare”?

The answer lies in the simple fact that we never had a bold voice speaking so resolutely against corruption. Even if we had any, we never saw any action being taken and as an activist puts it “This old man here is ready to put his life on a struggle to have a better India ready for the youth” – India where politics could become a career option for the educated rather than hooligans and half witted people (like now) mobbing it and exploiting the nation for their vested interests. He is ably providing a voice to help us channelize our fight and build a better nation for ourselves.

Just before his campaign, the God of Cricket, Sachin Tendulkar and the Indian team bought whole of India together in celebration. Now this man has accomplished a historical feat, a mass drive across hundreds of cities, with thousands of people (majority of which is youth) – truly an iconic crusade worth emulating.

A mellow voice, a shy smile on his face but the sheer grit to get corruption out of India has overwhelmed me, and most certainly the entire nation. Seeing the teenagers (surprisingly) with posters pasted on their t-shirts displaying “Anna Hazare hum tumhare saath hai” sends frissons in me from head to toe.

The night India won the World Cup 2011, those on the streets would have swore that it looked like a revolution, like India having achieved independence yet again – with Indian flags fluttering on every car, people shouting “Bharatmata ki Jai” slogans, et al.

Hopefully we should revive the same emotion now to honour the efforts of that 71 year old man. This time we have a new Gandhi to lead, a vision set and the enemy lies within for whom you don’t need guns or swords or canons – our own government, comprising the same people we elected with lots of hope will now be responsible for every action they take, will now be answerable for every question we ask. They will now, after almost sixty years of independence and having the tag of “the world’s largest democracy” will understand what it will mean to be really governing a country. And as for us, we will see a dawn of new dimension of politics, understanding the fundamental rights of a citizen, a cleaner system to get our questions through, a right knowledge of whom to elect and why to elect, knowledge of our basic right of knowing and questioning all the decisions taken.

This will be a result of a revolution, not a fight like the one we had sixty years ago, a revolution in the real meaning of the word. Possibly, the whole governing system will be changed, it will evolve to be better place to dwell and the mindset of society will change towards politics and towards the people that govern us. Having “ruled” the country for years, hopefully they will now learn how to “govern” it and govern it to the benefit of the people.

This all being the efforts of one man – Bespectacled, the same thin frame round spectacles, a familiar nose and those deep sunken eyes so endearing and willful.

In all good hope that we don’t let that man lose, make him look weak & lonely there; let us pledge our support for him and the cause he has put up. Let us for once, keep oneself aside and think about our nation – a nation that has in its own way and to best of its capacity conferred some privileges on us.