My father, on the Anna Hazare Saga.
My dad worked with the State Trading Corporation for a good part of his life. Childhood memories included being told not to use the phone – the Govt. paid for it – and sending back sweets during Diwali. In STC he dealt with News Print, Pharma and Petroleum. If he had made 0.25% of the order – we would have owned Andheri 😀 …but, he didn’t. My dad quit six months before he should have -an admin error – to join the Private sector. He needed to earn decent money to take care of his family. Today, he has no pension. You would think that someone like my dad would be a natural base for the Hazare movement. But, it isn’t the case
My father on Anna Hazare:
And thus ended one of the most stupid sagas eve in the history of free India on ——–
A saga started by a diminutive, not very known man from the outback’s of Maharashtra to the national and international scene, thanks to the bevy of media cameras focused on a once non-entity.
Like many others, I too was at one stage proud of him when he started his crusade against corruption, thinking it would be a mass movement across political lines. I too once worked for the Public Sector. Never did I take a bribe. Nor did I ever give one.
However, like many others, I was as much disillusioned when I saw him on TV on August 15th, spitting venom, venting his spleen again politicians and the government and whoever he felt he should target his anger against.
He was backed by, and still is, two frustrated and failed beaurocrats, who have been goading him and catapulting him onto the world stage.
And to back them, was the unemployed youth of Delhi who were there at the Ram Lila grounds more for the free fare than for any conviction of ideals and ideology.,
In Mumbai, some support for the movement and for Anna Saheb at the Main Maidans was there. Nothing much elsewhere, except for the shopkeepers and bhajiwalas sporting the ‘Gandhi’ Caps inscribed with “HUM ANNA……..”
This great national movement had it support in just two major metros
How many in this movement can truly place their hands on their hearts and say, “I have never been corrupt”.
Meanwhile, true to its fashion, the UPA Government shot itself in its arse day after day, (Had it been in the foot, it could have hopped along; In the arse, it can’t even sit!). A plethora of spokesman each talking at cross purpose, finally bungling to its best ever by arresting Anna and throwing him in Tihar Jail, so that he gets even more support from the masses..”Poor Anna!”
The biggest joke was the support from industrial houses and later from Bollywood for this anti-corruption movement. The two main sources of black money and corruption in the country.
Talks failed. They had to. They were never intended in the first place. The two ‘stalwarts’ in Anna’s Team saw to that.
Finally, another Maratha like Anna, Shri. Vilasrao Deshmukh was the one who got the talks rolling and making Anna see reason.
And it was taken in Parliament for discussion.
Now it is history.
The movement was called Gandhian.
Never could one trace any Gandhianism in it.
Anna was along venting his spleen. Gandhi never…never once did he show anger or resentment against his adversaries.
Even during his ‘fast’ over the fortnight, Anna used to stand up and was spitting venom for hours against everyone. Where did he get his ‘energy’ from? Gandhi’s fasts were fasts and were mostly silent.
Gandhi’s fasts were purifying himself.
Anna has been traveling by air and in air-conditioned cars everywhere. No sign of Gandhism at all.
Yes. Anna and Gandhi had one thing in common. The cap.
But Gandhi never wore that.
While the MSM has definitely been guilty of vastly exaggerating the support for Anna movement, I am afraid your dad is guilty of doing exactly the opposite. I think it is fair the say that Anna has a reasonable level of support base among the urban centres, especially in the North. Have a look at the recent Star TV-Nielsen survey – apparently, Anna beats Rahul baba hands down in a popularity contest (78:17)
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1110904/jsp/frontpage/story_14462625.jsp
would tend to agree – but these are his views, wrong of me to edit them. But, he has always been black and white (as you can tell from the ‘dont’ use the telephone – the Govt. pays for it’ attitude ….:D
am thinking of getting him his own WP blog – on the main domain …
on the TV stats wouldn’t be surprised. if you covered me for 80% of the news schedule nationwide – i will be popular too 😀
last sentence.. agree partially with you.. media hype definitely played a major role. . But the point remains the stat proves that Anna’s movement was popular with the masses, whether it is was media-driven or otherwise, is beside the point.
Being an IIM alumnus, I am proud to be directly associated with Anna movement. Your dad has every right to dissent, but not a single point of him can stand on its own feet.
thank u – IMHO they do
Your criticism seems toothless and without any substance. Waste of time article. If your dad is not corrupt it does not let go the need to deal wother corruption. And are you as angry when politics led agitations of burning busses is carried out. If yes, you are just angry with any agitation. You will be happy if we all sat around drinking tea and not do anything for fear of retribution.
thank you.
What is your point indeed? Do you have problem with Anna getting symbolized as Gandhian, Anna getting TV coverage? I think Gandhi was lucky as there was no TV and social media. Otherwise I don’t think freedom movement could have survived. So many attacks to malign one movement for a genuine cause. No one is perfect in this world. But that doesn’t warrant anyone to do something good for this society. If you want only some holy spirit to come and solve corruption problem in this country, then please dont pay any attention to news but pray God. Everyone is trying their bit to better our society, all that we can do is support a cause and leave it to destiny to take it’s course. But sure nothing can be achieved to curb corruption by criticizing someone. Unfortunate that you didn’t find any purpose of the movement. Hope you will find sometime in future.
thank you …
Hello buddy,
loved your Dad’s comment & found it similar as my dad is just the same. He too never bribed or took one. Nor did let us believe in that principle.
To be honest, even I was a part of the movement at first, coz I’d never read the Bill..But when I did I was shattered to find that this Lokpal is first gonna be an axe on the heads of only Gov.t Sector, a sector where my dad served with honesty. Now I failed to understand that when today the maximum corruption is at the bigger levels & mostly in private sectors why shud only Public Sectors be targeted..?? This made me see reason & now I no longer support this drama…
Also I dont think that 12 day FAST-A-THON was really genuine..!!
thank you.
it must be something about that generation & their values.
Likewise. i supported the bill, till i read it ….
People get to emotional with Anna’s movement because his cause this time around finds resonance with all of us.. his ways, well not quite so. We are still very casual, most of us haven’t even read the Draft Jan Lokpal to see what merits it stands own.. whatever we know has been what the melodramatic news channel have been feeding us.. None us us wearing the i’m anna cap would come out for his other cause of ” Stop Drinking” .. though one might say it is ok.. but yet we might argue that it is every individual’s choice.. we are getting excited by this 2nd freedom movement but we do not bother that subverting the parliamentary process we are open a can of worms.. tom. a separatist group from J&K might use the might of the fast.. or could be someone organization from north-east.. Mr. Anna should have understood the big picture and used this support to garner consensus through the parliamentarians.. this blackmail policy shows the dept and vastness of his intent..
@ Yogita:
I am an Aluminum Alumnus and I think you can stand on your two feet.
My alma matter before Aluminum was Copper. Then there was Silver. And Gold. My neighbors’ were Zinc, Cadmium and Mercury. They had no aluminum and so they supported Anna Hazare.
hahahahahhahahahah! Loved it. 🙂
Wish could speak to the Sir and try tell him some much more which he possibly missed on watching on TV Screens. On one point I agree: Anna is not Gandhi. Thanks God he isn’t. Perhaps ‘we’ need Gandhi no more, I am sure we don’t want any more Mohan Dass Karam Chand.
BTW, said before and say again, God Forbid if MDKCG was alive today and sat on fast, he too would have met the same criticism. 🙂
Finally,Sir need be told- please do on my behalf, will U – that all those who supported Anna are/were in his words “was the unemployed youth of Delhi who were there at the Ram Lila grounds more for the free fare than for any conviction of ideals and ideology.”
Very Respectfully Sir, I disagree.
Humbly Yours,
Prudent Indian.
he is now blogging on calamur.org/siargi …
Harini,
I support the need for LP and i am tending to lean more & more towards NCPRI’s solution. However, i credit Anna, Arvind & co for bringing the issue to national focus. I find many things admirable about them but i am dead against their usage of Gandhi. In fact, it amounts to abuse.They had a great chance at Ramlila grounds to communicate with people about the need for “self-purification” or at the least, a debate on JLP. Instead, silly rhetoric left a sour taste.
I think India would be better off without people pretending to be Gandhians. Not everyone can be and it is not an insult to accept one is not. I think Anna & co lost a great chance in accepting the truth that movement has a long way to go in terms of being a satyagraha.
From my understanding of Gandhi, he demanded more of his followers than of his opponents. He never wanted to use the enemy’s immorality as a reason for one’s own immoral actions. Satyagraha was born out of that. And as your father points out, their lifestyle and spleen venting were un-Gandhi like. In fact, he gifted hand-made sandals to his first jailor in South Africa.
But again, just because they advertised themselves to be Gandhians and were actually not, has been a good enough reason for critics to mock the movement. Don’t we buy Fevicol knowing well that it is not going stick people to buses ? Many critics themselves have been equally petty in indulging in personal slander et al.. Sadly in the era of colour television, our perceptions and views are becoming more and more black & white.
Harini,
I support the need for LP and i am tending to lean more & more towards NCPRI’s solution. However, i credit Anna, Arvind & co for bringing the issue to national focus. I find many things admirable about them but i am dead against their usage of Gandhi. In fact, it amounts to abuse.They had a great chance at Ramlila grounds to communicate with people about the need for “self-purification” or at the least, a debate on JLP. Instead, silly rhetoric left a sour taste.
I think India would be better off without people pretending to be Gandhians. Not everyone can be and it is not an insult to accept one is not. I think Anna & co lost a great chance in accepting the truth that movement has a long way to go in terms of being a satyagraha.
From my understanding of Gandhi, he demanded more of his followers than of his opponents. He never wanted to use the enemy’s immorality as a reason for one’s own immoral actions. Satyagraha was born out of that. And as your father points out, their lifestyle and spleen venting were un-Gandhi like. In fact, he gifted hand-made sandals to his first jailor in South Africa.
But again, just because they advertised themselves to be Gandhians and were actually not, has been a good enough reason for critics to mock the movement. Don’t we buy Fevicol knowing well that it is not going stick people to buses ? Many critics themselves have been equally petty in indulging in personal slander et al.. Sadly in the era of colour television, our perceptions and views are becoming more and more black & white.
Yaaaawnnnnn….LAME !!!!
Target the media if they compared the movement with the Mahatma Gandhi’s movement !
And who ever thinks the movement was only in 2 cities…. *Cuckoo*
Another person who thinks nothing will change…Probably it won’t for him !
Anyways….YAWNNNNN !!!
Very well said by your dad. I agree for the most fo the part. Leaving apart the comparison between these two, Anna hazare has become threat to our freely elected democracy. Forcing the laws down the throat of govt by blackmailing is never justified in a democracy.
On the contrary, Gandhi ji always believed in moving forward hands in hands with the British govt and Indian people. That’s why Britishers left the India in a very peaceful manner, the partition was though made bloody again with the nasty politics by other politians.
A great read..
Agree and disagree with your dad. Agree that the revulsion and hatred towards politics by politicians is counter-productive. There are many corrupt and questionable characters in our political class, but the solution to it is not to hate politics, but change the way politics is conducted. Bad politics can only be corrected by good politics and not no politics. If we truly care for freedom and democracy, there cannot be a substitute to politics. Ultimately, peaceful and long-lasting change can happen only through politics and by good people entering politics, the very people who have abdicated their responsibility and rather chose to remain silent for far too long. Sadly Anna and his team have forgotten this basic principle and spreading hate for politics.
However I wouldnt agree that the movement is not popular and is creation of media. The cause and the timing has stuck a chord with people across india. With media’s non stop coverage, the illusion that lokpal is a panacea for corruption and by cashing in on the hatred of politicians by people, Anna’s movement has grown to a proportion that I have never seen in my lifetime. What is critical for the future of the nation is whether this movement has woken the sleeping middle class which sees politics as dirty and untouchable. Whether they now actively participate directly and indirectly in democracy and reclaim our lost republic.
i appreciate the awareness that this movement has garnered amongst people but the methodology adopted of blackmailing the goverment is not justified at all. Come contest elections and if we the citizen of India approves then only u get the right to do something for the society and the people at large.
I do not support Anna. If he contests election then I may vote for him but now doing such act of black mailing the goverment is not approved at all. Anna uncle pls change your modus operandi. God has given us people many good things to eat and not to use it to fast and blackmail goverment.hope you understand.
by the way anna uncle you are not photogenic. Gandhi was and is photogenic.you do not look good in the photos we see in newspaper. Innocence is way away from your looks. The corporate world can not even use your face for any ad.
By the way I don’t think u r Gandhian.you struggled so less so far.way to go uncle.
I’d say this article has a carp of reasoning, meaningless facts and purely unjustified statements put together to concoct some sense. A very meaningless article.
While your father might have been a honest person all life, but one corrupt person is enough to make life miserable for hundreds, Some people here say, corruption is much more in private sector, that is true only in cities where private players have impact. At a village level, not many private companies work. India’s majority of population lives in villages, PDS and MGNREGA are the most corrupt schemes they impact millions of poor families of farmers. While your arguments on Anna not being Gandhi are correct, but his movement was very peaceful and had no violence, What he has done cannot be narrowed down to his talks on stage and dismiss his ways. I don’t agree with some points in JLPB, but surely the movement against corruption has to go ahead. You said “two frustrated and failed beaurocrats ” could you give why you felt that way and what you meant by failed..??
such ill-informed half-baked opinions, doesn’t deserve a read. wasted my time!
Your father is entitled to his opinion, but most of the statements are not substantiated.
1. A saga started by a diminutive…..
I do not understand the relevance of this statement? Is it your father’s contention that short people from rural areas should not achieve prominence or are somehow not worthy of heading a movement?
2.Like many others, I too was at one stage proud of him…….
Please convey to your father my deepest admiration for him for never having taken a bribe in his career. But again, I fail to see the relevance. And whatever may be his opinion it certainly was and is a movement cutting acrosss political divides as evidenced by the unanimous resolution of Parlament.
3. However, like many others, I was as much disillusioned when……
I agree with you that strong language was used by many in the movement, but doesn’t your father want to consider that it could probably be because of 65 years of pent up frustration and anger?
4. He was backed by, and still is, two frustrated and failed beaurocrats (sic)….
This is entirely an opinion. I would say that the bureaucrats referred to were extremely successful and any perceived failure is due to the system that blocked their honest efforts. Anna does not seem to be the sort of person who can be goaded or led.
5. And to back them, was the unemployed youth of Delhi…….
Again sheer unsubstantiated conjecture. Did your father conduct a survey at Ramlila grounds? To state that Delhi youth were present to eat the modest food provided at the venue is an insult to the young people of India. And even if it were true the reason for their unemployment and empty bellies is mainly corruption.
6. This great national movement had it support in just two major metros…..
Opinion again. Since your father is now blogging and is probably internet savvy, please ask him to search for some figures and places.
7. How many in this movement can truly place their hands on their hearts and say, “I have never been corrupt”…….
So? People cannot change or reform? One angle to the movement was asking people neither to take nor give bribes.
8. The biggest joke was the support from industrial houses and later from Bollywood…….
The support was not from groups but individuals. As there are many honest politicians, there are also honest individuals in industry and Bollywood.
9. Talks failed. They had to. They were never intended in the first place. The two ‘stalwarts’ in Anna’s Team saw to that…….
Very irrational statement. The talks were a success. Otherwise, how would the resolution have been passed in Parliament? The Anna Team compromised on most of its demands
I really do not want to comment on the rest of this completely opinionated piece except to state that the final conclusion is a non sequitur.
Since Gandhi never wore a Gandhi cap how can that be the one common thing between Gandhi and Anna?
@ Yogita: What does your being an IIM Alumnus have anything to do with your comment?
Thank You for sharing your and your dad’s viewpoint. I completely agree with both of you. There was no Gandhism in the goons who were riding around Delhi those nights-banging on car bonnets (with the national Flag-no less) and shouting ‘I am Anna’ !!
It was a night or two before Annaji broke his fast that Amitabh Bachan’s KBC had a special programme to honour ‘Real Heroes’ and had Rukhsana Kauser from Srinagar (who saved her family from a gun-toting terrorist) on the hot seat.After winning a few lakh rupees, she had to quit. And the question which stumped her? ‘ Anna Hazare is campaigning for? (a. Jan Lokpal Bill b. Right to Education etc etc).
In a small way, it showed that a few thousand/lakh people at Ramlila Maidan do not represent India at all.
Why did the media focus on him? It was because Anna aroused the public. It is nit Anna’s fault if any of his followers can’t say they had never been corrupt. There is no bsis to dub Kiran bedi & A.Kejrival as ‘failed’. It is your father who is spitting venom, and is impolite.
Agree with majority of your Dad’s view. Media hype and UPA’s missmanagement of the issue has helped making Anna a wannabe Mahatma. This hysteria is dangerous for our democracy and unfortunately our Media and political parties seem to lack the courage to state that
Appreciate your Dad’s thoughts. More than half the supporters who had gathered at Ramlila ground have not read / understood what Jan Lokpal bill is. I blame the media for all the hype. I support the cause for anti corruption and I credit Anna for creating the awareness but against comparing him to Gandhi. I wonder who funded those caps, flags, pamphlets, hoardings, ac car etc. There are drawbacks in the Jan Lokpal bill of Anna team. I hope the Parliament will take the suggestions from all other sources as well and implement a strong, effective Lok Pal bill.
Yes, bollywood, industrialists are the main source of black money. People break traffic rules and bribe the policemen instead of demanding receipts. Unless there is a change in our attitude no law can be effective. And I fear, 25 years down the line we may to bribe govt. officials on one hand and Jan Lok Pal members on the other.
Supported the bill till i read it
I am convinced that only military rule can save us now
Hi
I m partly agree with the article. See
http://www.anupamtimes.com/2011/09/india-against-corruption-and-lokpal.html
First, ur fathers opinions count for little
many govt servants are honest… my father was and he was very bitter because he suffered for his honesty under the Indira regime… he worked for a dept which is now famous for exposing this govt in many many matters …
That said,
Anna can never be gandhi .. even anna knows that, the world knows that
Anna is not all non violent , how he implemented his alcohol ban in ralegaon siddi shows it.
Gandhi was not a saint he was portrayed to be , yes he was brutally frank, and i admire him for many many of his qualities… but parts of his public advise and some of his acts were deeply deeply flawed and i see hypocracy in them, some lead to sweeping of genocide like direct action day under the carpet and we all know who gave the seed money for the first indo pak war.
All said and done, ur father offers no solution and parts of what he says seems hollow…
Does ur father have a better way out to get rid of the grinding inflation and horrendously large amt of corruption the aam admi is suffering and this govt is perpetuating ?
Sadly NO is the answer…..
ps in the 3g case things are coming out…
http://www.ndtv.com/video/player/the-buck-stops-here/2g-scam-where-does-the-buck-stop/211498?pfrom=home-topstories
The hands of the govt right till the pm seem to be in the honey jar as i had assumed.
Atleast Anna and Bhushan have done something in courts to fight the corrupt
what has ur father done ? except nitpick ?
Why the govt drama ?
Why is the Mauritius route still open ?
Why is the PN route still open … most of it is round tripped money
Funny thing is that an aam admi pays taxes like state stamp duty, STT, Capital gains , Service tax have to give declaration fulfilling kyc mandate for every investment he makes.
Mutual fund KYC takes 2 to 3 months to be properly verified by cvl…
The climate is such that person can invest 500 crores in the markets, without going through half of the paperwork or paying taxes if he/she has some influence or contacts follows the mauritius pn route.
No wonder
Swiss banking whistleblower Rudolf Elmer has said even cricketers and filmstars hold secret accounts. While refusing to give out names of tax evaders, Elmer accused the Indian government of not doing enough on the black money front.
Why is the Mauritius route still open ? Why did the SEBI not ban PNs which it wanted to ban for a long long time.
Why has the govt not passed a law or incorporated a declaration in the IT Forms that makes it mandatory for citizens to declare all their foreign bank accounts…
Just shows how much will this govt has…
Us has done far far better, and the swiss now force us citizens to pay it tax which it forwards to the govt….
Courtesy:a Fb frnd