Friday 19 August 2011

Tihar Jail to Ramlila Maidan!

As I stare at the television, following the release of Anna Hazare, my heart swells with pride on seeing Dr. Kiran Bedi, encouraging people with slogans and patriotic songs, urging them to chant for a JanLokpal Bill, on the Ramlila grounds. For me it's like an Independence Day celebration continuing forever! Because frankly, as far as I can remember, the only days I've seen people feeling patriotic or heard songs like 'Ae mere watan ke logo' and 'Vande Mataram' being played in public is on 26th January and 15th August! Sad, but true.
 Once Anna's protest had been given a green light yesterday, I thought the crowds would now decrease and the support movement built up all across the country would fade away. How wrong had I been! It's gathering pace rather than slowing down!
This morning, the famed dabbawallas of Mumbai announced a strike in support of Anna! What further proof does one need of the nation-wide unity? The dabbawallas who braved the massive floods of 26/7 or who fed the city while mourning for a 26/11, and have never stopped working since they started in 1880, decided to call a day off!
As Anna moves from Tihar to Ramlila, people are coming out in hundreds to follow him and move with him to Ramlila. According to the estimate of a leading news channel, the crowd stretches to almost 2 kilometer! I'm glad I was wrong...
Meanwhile the Government is still trying to figure out how to save themselves from their imminent doom! The Congress says they want to remove corruption from India too and are working towards it. Can they please enlighten us on why do we have A Raja and Suresh Kalmadi in Tihar Jail? Who had thought that the party who has in its history seen leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Nehru and Indira Gandhi would try to curb public demand in such a way? While figuring out how to control the damage done, they're further going deep into the mess by trying to break the civil society along communal lines and by dropping hints about Anna being supported by USA and RSS!
When will they realize that the only thing we Indians care about right now is an Act, which will help India curb corruption?



Are you with Anna Hazare?

2 comments:

Ishita Shah said...

yes! and with you too:)

Anonymous said...

something like "women reservation bill" or "Lokpal bill" would take years of waiting. On the other hand, bills issues like increasing the "no of relatives a neta can take overseas " or "the increase in free tele calls from 25,000 to Rs 1 lac" are passed on voice vote only !!