6-points Anna

Post India’s unreal cum surreal independence on August 15, 1947, the nation claimed to have achieved its ‘real independence’ finally on August 27, 2011.


With the resolution passed in the house of parliament complementing the anticipation of making the Jan Lokpal Bill (JLP) into law, 'People’s Democracy' is established across the country… turning Mahatma Gandhi into Anna Hazare and vice versa!

Thanks to almost all news channels, and precisely on Times Now, we have come to know that ‘Anna took a sip from two girls’ and broke his fast to augur a new history of India… on and from August 28, 2011.


When the history will be manufactured in the workshop of time and task; toil and test, let’s look into the points that have already made Anna Hazare – the biggest Human Brand in India, after Gandhi.


And that too, when the historians on various TV channels have excavated ‘People’s Democracy’ by digging quite deep into the floor of the parliament and corruption!

Point 1: Issue

Nothing, absolutely nothing could’ve been a better issue than corruption to address, attend and act upon in the present context that Anna Hazare chose to dabble in.


One hand when the JLP’s been lying unattended in the parliament for over 40 years and on the other hand when the UPA government in centre has been all at sea, given the Big Ticket corruptions like Commonwealth Games; 2G scam, etc., THIS simply sent tsunami waves of ineptness from the epicenter of the govt. vis-à-vis the parliament to every Indian’s disgust and despair.


In this situation, though the imprisonment of Kalmadi and Raja took place but the efforts of the UPA were par below than average and considered by the majority of people… only as ‘too late for too little for too long’ affairs.


As a result, an anti-corruption stance perfectly suits everyone to raise a voice against the on-going corruption and then when someone like Anna came forward to lead from the front; it’s actually made a lot of sense to follow him rather blindly.

Point 2: Remedy

What we see is what we get.


Since most of us are neither blind nor visionary, which is quite natural in fact, it’s never necessary in life to try to see the roots of a tree while the tree is so distinctly visible with its stem, branches, leaves, etc. wide spread.


Also, it’s the sight, not the vision that is one of the five senses we have and are expected to put into use.


Therefore, when all of us have known that the tree is corrupted and there is an axe called JLP Bill at our disposal; it’s more than apt to bring it out and chop the tree, immediately, with the axe!


And, for that matter, it hardly matters whether the roots of that tree still remain into the ground or not.


Hence, it’s not surprising that who dared to get hold of that axe with great intent and purpose, we found him the messiah against corruption.


Thereby Anna: the first turned Mahatma Gandhi: the second to personify India in flesh and blood.

Point 3: Background

In India – not sure though, if the same applies in other countries as well – whoever works in army is a soldier. Even if the person works in a military canteen or drives a truck or does some paramedical work… is a military, and a probable martyr. So his sacrifice for the nation is not to be forgotten.


In case an army man kills his colleague over a silly exchange of words, or rapes a civilian woman in Kashmir, or sells off subsidized liquors from the canteen in the black market, or beats his little son to death with a belt, or does something else or similar when there is no war or terrorist attack or natural calamities, well, still his sacrifice for our lives and security cannot be ignored.


Irrespective of the fact neither you nor I have ever asked anyone to be a soldier and turn shahid for us in the process, if he dies at all in war, albeit both you and I should always be grateful and look up to him because he is a soldier and we are not.


Sometimes it really baffles me while I get compelled to think who actually makes more sacrifice in a day-to-day life! A common man who’s principally, morally, socially, nationally and humanly detained to acknowledge a soldier and his sacrifice for everyone at the drop of a hat or a soldier who’s destined to be great only, even if he loses a battle of life badly and dies from that defeat.


Plus, I’m not sure why it’s perceived all the time that a soldier always sacrifices his life for our families only, as if his family members don’t belong to the nation!

Not surprising then, if a huge number of fanatics and activists join Anna Hazare because that simple and honest man was a soldier too lest we hate to admit that he was actually a truck driver of a military convoy in Indian army.

Point 4: Age

At 3.00 am, is it possible to demand for a hot cup of tea from your newly married daughter-in-law in December? Possible! Is it possible to fart aloud sitting amid many people and then expecting everyone will appreciate this gesture of yours with a heartening smile? Possible! Is it possible to stage a rudali show all day long for a year and more, so that your daughter leaves her husband and gets divorced? Possible!


All those things are possible along with many others, if you are above 60. And you may jolly well call it ‘senior citizen privileges’ provided by an Indian society as part and parcel of your democratic rights.


And based on these rights, you can do anything at home or outside because you are more experienced than anyone else, so automatically entitled to blow off your ego out of proportion or play emotional tricks to any length, breadth, width and depth.


If it’s to put simply, others’ black (or coloured) hair should always be raised and accountable to do the tango with your grey hair or bald head in India.


This is respect! And owing to his 70+ age, Anna Hazare is also someone from that grey brigade, who’s automatically qualified to command (if not demand, apparently) the said respect from the Youth of India.

Point 5: Method

Gluttony is truly Indian! So the food for tummy does pave the way for the food for thought. Since childhood, an Indian knows if he doesn’t eat, he can certainly achieve an edge instantly… drawing everyone’s attention on himself.


Reason is simple. If someone doesn’t eat, he is bound to fall sick eventually. And when someone is sick others will become more than willing to take him and his cause seriously.


So fasting is a well-orchestrated and sure-success formula in India to get things done in one’s favour while a normal way of execution is unlikely to produce a yield. This can also be termed as a democratic and non-violent process of sheer blackmailing.


In a family, if we get to see that a person has not been eating for more than a day, we generally get perturbed. So, obviously, if we get to see that someone else – however, who's not a family member – has been on a fast in a public place where media cameras are monitoring his blood-pressure drop, weight loss, etc. on a minute-by-minute count then we, as responsible citizens of a democratic country like India, are liable to react and get concerned for this guy and his health.


Thus the magnitude of support Anna Hazare receives on account of his hunger strike is nothing but natural in line with humanity and, may be, sympathy to some extent.

Point 6: Target

If you can’t target your next generation, you are nowhere in your own generation. Any intelligent person with a little bit of commonsense understands that.


The future is the best gift you can promise to someone who’s following you at present. If you can take someone into the dreamland of the future, he won’t mind to forget his present.


Then the person is almost hypnotized by you and won’t want to come back to the ground reality.


This hypnotism or hallucination gives rise to a rebel mindset, which is often cunningly misinterpreted as revolution, exuding a new sense of freedom.


A freedom from corruption; a freedom from laws; a freedom from rules and regulations; a freedom from system; a freedom to argue and debate; a freedom from day-to-day affairs and a freedom from self… with BIGGER hopes to renew life, living and lifestyle, immediately!


The euphoria of this freedom for a Ramrajya seems to be very much in vogue to viability for the Youth who are more concerned about their future than the present. Because they know they are supposed to live more into that future they are dreaming of than their ancestors thanks to their younger age.


And when this future is easily available in India, precisely in the form of an anti-corruption avatar i.e. the JLP Bill; why not get it! And get it with Anna!

The Youth of India support Anna Hazare because Anna could pick up their minds, pump their hearts and pamper their souls and sell a ‘future-perfect’ India to them, which neither Congress led UPA nor BJP could do earlier or even now.

To sum up, what Anna has done is remarkable no doubt but still we need to wait and watch how far India can afford to move ahead on the tides of just the JLP Bill. For, Indian democracy is like Titanic sailing through the ocean of people’s power wherein the iceberg of corruption is very much present and prevalent from the time immemorial, showing only its tips to Anna Hazare and the civil society… at this point.