The Unsung Mahatma

At 74, he is not sitting on a cozy couch admiring the rains through the window pane. Instead, he has taken charge to initiate a movement against the biggest enemy of the nation. As India celebrated it’s 64^th Independence Day, Anna Hazare initiated another freedom struggle. Decades ago, the Mahatma started the Quit India Movement to free India from the clutches of British. In 2011, the unsung Mahatma is trying to free India from the clutches of corruption.

The end of British Raj gave way to a new Raj of Bhrashtachar. It has been growing, and strengthening it’s roots since then. We have known it’s there. Movie makers have released hundreds of movies taking the audience to a ride, creating fantasies with anti-corruption movies. We all love to fret and regret that our country is going to dogs over a cup of Nescafe and a pack of Lays in front of the TV sets. But one man chose to take action… and stand still against all odds. He took the Government head on, and challenged the highest authority of the nation – The Prime Minister. His demands…? A strong Lokpal Bill, which he calls as the Jan Lokpal Bill, which will facilitate a more transparent and unbiased check on corruption. He is undeterred with all the challenges and obstacles the Government is trying to put in his path. He co-operated with the authorities during the arrest, spent hours in Tihar Jail, and when it was time for him to set free, refused to walk out of the jail if he was not given permission to resume the indefinite fast at the JP Park. Such is his determination..!

Anna’s drive against corruption received an overwhelming support from across the states. There were rallies conducted and people gathering in enormous numbers on streets in support of Anna’s cause. The tech-savvy generation sported their support on through facebook status messages and posts. Yet, some politicians cite this as an opportunity to earn political publicity. Yet, there are few youngsters who see problems in stronger corruption law. And yet, there are leaders making statements like – “Corruption is like diabetes… it cannot be eliminated, but can be reduced”. It reminds me of the kind of opposition that was met against POTA (Prevention of Terrorism Act), a strong act devised against terrorism. Whenever there is an attempt to find solutions to problems, we tend to find problems in the solutions. The solutions are abandoned and the problems prevail.

A much needed drive against corruption has been initiated at a national level. Instead of frowning that corruption cannot be uprooted, or if you cannot propose a better solution to corruption than Jan Lokpal Bill, endorse Anna Hazare’s cause and be a part of this freedom struggle.

It’s our privilege that we have this opportunity to stand by another Mahatma in the making. We already have ‘Father of the Nation’. Now it’s time we have ‘Father of Corruption-free Nation’.