Anna Hazare has been voted as the Person of the Year / The Indian of the Year by many news channels and newspapers recently. Even international press has noted him as one of the top news makers of the world in 2011. And why not? After all, this 74 year old Gandhian has changed the way Indians look at corruption and given all of us hope that this disease can be removed from our country. As I wrote in a poem, he has come as our Messenger of Hope in 2011.

Below are what I feel are the top 5 take-aways from this movement so far -

1. Strengthening of Democracy

Anna Hazare has spend all his life promoting the decentralization of power in democracy and his asking for a Lokpal, free of any government control, is another step in this direction. By directly involving the people in his protests, and highlighting the point that the people are the real masters and the politicians only public servants elected by them, he has made it clear that they should proceed in accordance of the will of the public.

He and his team have taken the issue of Lokpal to the people in small… Read the rest

I have been hearing many questions in the minds of people regarding the ongoing movement against corruption. In this post, I have tried to document and answer (according to my thinking) some of the most frequently asked questions. These questions have been asked on social media websites or on my blog on the articles I have written related to the Anna Hazare led movement.

Q – I do not identify myself with no corruption. Can those lakhs of people pledge on their life that they will never ever engage in corruption?

A -  It is very important to see people who give bribes (for small/individual corruption) as victims and not culprits.. I think most of the us will prefer not giving bribe if work can be done without it. Big corporate and large scale corruption is another matter altogether. They use corruption for their own advantage, while the common man mostly has to shelve money to get something which is his/her right, like getting the passport, or a birth or marriage certificate, etc.

Q -  It’s a part of our mindset. Its more of a psychology thing. It can be reduced, but never totally eradicated.

A – Yes, it… Read the rest

In April , the government agreed to a joint drafting committee for a Lokpal Bill as they were ‘bound by duty‘ of the people to do so. They promised to discuss the points raised by Anna Hazare, Arvind Kejriwal and others and present a Lokpal Bill in the monsoon session of the parliament. August is here, four months have passed since Anna Hazare galvanized the whole nation with his fast, but has the last four months been anything but a hogwash by our politicians?

The talks never got anywhere because both sides blamed each other before and after every round of talks. The demand for televising the talks was never accepted by the government. Even after numerous round of talks, there was no consensus on the various contentious points of the Jan Lokpal Bill. This was very visible in the press conferences by both parties after every round of fresh talks. It was clear there was no trust between the two sides of the drafting committee, from the very beginning. Without mutual trust and respect, expecting a positive outcome from the committee was like expecting Tom and Jerry to become friends because they were on TV.

Finally, the government is ready to… Read the rest

Anna Hazare began his fast unto death yesterday in support of a stronger Jan Lokpal Bill to fight corruption. He is fasting in front of Jantar Mantar, Delhi and asking the government to create a joint committee with top members from the government and civil society to draft the bill. In support, thousands of people from over 400 cities in India and abroad are sitting on similar fasts. A few members are sitting on a fast unto death while many are doing relay fasting. People from all backgrounds, students, professionals, activists, are participating in the fast for one cause, a stronger anti-corruption bill. Many people are fasting from their work or home in support of Anna ji.

The media coverage of his fast has been very good and heartening to see. It will surely help in spreading awareness about the issue to the general public. Here are five reasons I think thousands have joined in support of “ India Against Corruption ” and why you should also join and contribute to this movement.

1. Fast for your country
We all fast, at different times, for our religion, some festival or for someone. Fasting holds a very important place in… Read the rest

He is going on a fast unto death,
Anna Hazare has declared!
Let us say with our every breath,
The corrupt will not be spared!!

We demand the Jan Lokpal Bill,
Will not settle for anything less!
Let them not test our will,
It is time our problems they redress!!

All of us have come together,
And fasting on 5th Apr/16th Aug in unity!
Sacrificing our meals for the future,
We demand retribution for the guilty!!

It is the Ramlila Maidan in Delhi,
And the Freedom Park in Bangalore!
Join the fast venue in your city,
To show you care, and will not ignore!!

Or fast at your workplace,
And wear a badge for the cause!
Invite others you see and face,
High time we replace the old laws!!

By fasting in every town and city,
It is time to make a statement!
By taking collective action we,
Will turn this fast into a movement!!

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As you know, Dandi March II walk was held in Bangalore on 26 March 2011 in support of the Jan Lokpal Bill . Over 400 people walked over a distance of 11 km under 4 hours. To my surprise, many people walked the full distance, completely overcoming the physical boundaries . After the march, I asked a few of them to detail how / what it was like while they walked? What did they feel? Anything which they wanted to share. I have got replies from a few of them and I am sharing them below.

Prasann Garg (walked full distance)
At least for me, It was first time experience of participating in any such event. And really felt the best way to start the weekend despite little pain in the legs. Honestly speaking, I was expecting little more younger people there considering the number of people from middle or above aged participated. When I heard about this Dandi March 2, like every other person, I also felt how it is going to help ? And once we finished it, it felt we achieved a lot. One thing is for sure, it was never to blame the government or bring down the government. We… Read the rest

81 years after Gandhiji did the Dandi March to shake the British Empire, it’s happening again. Concerned citizens of India all over the world are marching in over 80 cities against corruption in India. Corruption has become the new colonialist in India. The politicians, bureaucrats and other officials are engaging in corruption without fear or shame. They have exploited the democratic system and the huge poverty in India to their advantage. It has become almost impossible to remove them from their offices, leave alone punish them or recover the money lost due to corruption. The demand and objective of this Dandi March 2 is to pressurize the Indian government into enacting the ‘ Jan Lokpal Bill ‘ which has been advocated by noted social activists like Anna Hazare, Kiran Bedi, Arvind Kejriwal, and others.

Dandi March 2 is happening all over the globe. Check out here and find out if it is happening in your city. If not, you can take the lead in organizing a small march in your own city. Remember, it is the collective intention of Indians marching in different cities that will help put pressure on the government to take action. Here are five reasons why you should join the Dandi March… Read the rest

Update on 18 Oct – I have tried to answer some commonly asked questions about this movement , and also written about  what all it will take to become an Anna Hazare ..

I thought it right to write a post describing what Jan Lokpal Bill is and why is it needed. To give a brief history, Lokpal Bill was first introduced in parliament in 1968. It has been brought in parliament on eight times on later occasions, but has never been passed by the parliament. It is a bill that is supposed to give powers to citizens to sue the people responsible for corruption. A similar kind of independent agency disappeared corruption from Hong Kong a few decades ago.

The government is again thinking of introducing a Lokpal Bill in parliament this year, and the National Advisory Council (NAC) chaired by Sonia Gandhi is considering it. But as it stands today, the bill is riddled with loopholes, defeating its very purpose. Social activists have remarked it to be a toothless bill and not at all acceptable. An alternative bill, the Jan Lokpal Bill has been drafted by Justice Santosh Hegde (Lokayukta of Karnataka), Prashant Bhushan and Arvind Kejriwal after series of consultations with public and social activists. This bill is supported by Kiran Bedi, Shanti Bhushan, Anna Hazare, etc.

… Read the rest