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I got the content in this post in an email. The credit goes entirely to the one who collected the facts.
Anna Hazare
1. Who is Anna Hazare?
An ex-army man. Fought 1965 Indo-Pak War.
2. What’s so special about him?
He built a village Ralegaon Siddhi in Ahamad Nagar district, Maharashtra.
3. So what?
This village is a self-sustained model village. Energy is produced in the village itself from solar power, biofuel and wind mills. In 1975, it used to be a poverty clad village. Now it is one of the richest village in India. It has become a model for self-sustained, Eco-friendly and harmonic village.
4. Ok,…?
This guy, Anna Hazare was awarded Padma Bhushan and is a known figure for his social activities.
5. Really, what is he fighting for?
He is supporting a cause, the amendment of a law to curb corruption in India.
6. How that can be possible?
He is advocating for a Bill, The Lok Pal Bill (The Citizen Ombudsman Bill), that will form an autonomous authority who will make politicians (ministers), bureaucrats (IAS/IPS) accountable for their deeds.
8. It’s an entirely new thing right..?
In 1972, the bill was proposed by then Law minister Mr. Shanti Bhushan. Since then it has been neglected by the politicians and some are trying to change the bill to suit their theft (corruption).
7. Oh.. He is going on a hunger strike for that whole thing of passing a Bill ! How can that be possible in such a short span of time?
The first thing he is asking for is: the government should come forward and announce that the bill is going to be passed. Next, they make a joint committee to DRAFT the LOK PAL BILL. 50% government participation and 50% public participation. Because you cant trust the government entirely for making such a bill which does not suit them.
8. Fine, What will happen when this bill is passed?
A LokPal will be appointed at the centre. He will have an autonomous charge, say like the Election Commission of India. In each and every state, Lokayukta will be appointed. The job is to bring all alleged party to trial in case of corruptions within 1 year. Within 2 years, the guilty will be punished. Not like, Bofors scam or Bhopal Gas Tragedy case, that has been going for last 25 years without any result.
9. Is he alone? Who else is there in the fight with Anna Hazare?
Baba Ramdev, Ex. IPS Kiran Bedi, Social Activist Swami Agnivesh, RTI activist Arvind Kejriwal and many more. Prominent personalities like Aamir Khan is supporting his cause.
10. Ok, got it. What can I do?
At least we can spread the message. How? Putting status message, links, video, changing profile pics. At least we can support Anna Hazare and the cause for uprooting corruption from India. At least we can hope that his Hunger Strike does not go in vain. At least we can pray for his good health.
It has been a few months now after the day of the ‘Ayodhya Verdict’. More than anything, people (including me) at work were very happy to find a surprise half-day at office. Again, there was fear. Everyone was trying to reach home and be safe. Everyone was genuinely alert. Outside my office, I saw a very beautiful scene though; something which could have relieved many a people from that fear. I saw a lady with a burqa and a lady with saree getting in to an auto-rickshaw. More than anything about what the verdict had for their own religion(s), they wanted to go home and be with their family. There was definitely something in what I saw which gave me a feeling that everything is going to be okay; that somewhere in our hearts, we (all) still believe that all human beings are of the same genus and species.
Recently when my elder sister returned from a nice holiday trip to Hongkong, Bangkok and the south China, she was short of words to describe how good those places were and how well-organised their tourism is. I could well figure out what she meant from the photographs too. But, when it came to metro transport, somehow I just could not make myself understand how any other netowork be better than the ‘Mumbai Suburban Railway’.
Every working day, I commute to and from my office by local trains. More than once I have felt that these local trains can give someone the worst experience of a train journey. More than once, I have been kicked and punched by the crowd and tried to reciprocate with the best of strengths. I understand that I have not seen what the Bangkok Metro has in it but I still think there is no match to the local trains in Mumbai. I say so because I can somehow feel in what constraints of resources it works on; the density of population it carries and the sincerity it maintains under difficult circumstances.Wikipedia says -
The system carries more than 6.9 million commuters on a daily basis and constitutes more than half of the total daily passenger capacity of the Indian Railways itself. It has one of the highest passenger densities of any urban railway system in the world.
One evening when I was in a bus, returning from office, stuck in traffic as usual, I heard a very loud sound of explosion. It was not only me who was scared; everyone in the bus looked numbed for a few seconds. In places like Mumbai, you can’t be sure of anything. But then, looking through the window, everyone knew that it was the celebration for ‘Murti Visarjan’ after Ganesh Pooja. No one discussed anything about it but everyone seemed to have taken a sigh of relief after knowing what it was, and more importantly, what it was not. Moments of this kind, which may not seem worth discussing with anyone, makes you thank God for everything you have got in life, the beautiful life.
It is more than eight months now at Mumbai. Now I don’t have to ask strangers to confirm which railway station I am in; I don’t have to look into the map on the back cover of ‘Pocket Local Mail Train Guide’ every time I get out to some place. It is a phase when one starts advising people about the places, routes, markets and timings. In the small hotel where I have my breakfast on weekends, I don’t have to ask for the ‘Cutting Chai’ (still wondering what ‘Cutting’ is all about…) after I have two tasty samosas; they ask me if I needed. Similarly, I don’t have to ask for a cold coffee after the dinner on weekends in another hotel. It feels nice when people start recognising you at unknown places; does not matter if that is concerned with business interests.
I have noticed an extra-ordinary sense of dining etiquette in the people in Mumbai. It may seem funny to some people but really, they use spoon and fork to a very great effect. I had never imagined how someone could have samosas using a spoon, but now I know it. They can even have rotis with spoon. Another thing I noticed is the way the fast food is served in Mumbai – it is really an example for others to follow. You can notice the hygiene they maintain around, with clean gloves in hand while serving pani poori, and with cooks’ caps on all the time.
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Gandhiji and Netaji
In some ways they were of (the same) opinion. In other ways they were not. In the 1930s Gandhi clearly worked against him. Very often Gandhi is portrayed as a saint, which he was not at all. In my opinion he was a very shrewd politician. He was a lawyer who really knew how to work the system and manipulate people in a positive sense. He certainly made my father resign as Congress president. My father respected him very highly in spite of that and was always anxious to hear Gandhi’s reaction to what he did and what he said. It was my father who called Gandhi ‘Father of the Nation.’ The INA slogan ‘Jai Hind’ is still the greeting used in the Indian Army today; my father picked the Indian national anthem. It was first played in Hamburg at a gathering. So there are still a few symbolic remains from his activities in India which people tend to forget. Gandhi and my father were of the same opinion regarding the partitioning of the country. Both of them were dead set against it and in some context my father said, ‘The British will try to partition the country.’ He and Gandhi were very much against this.
Complete interview : http://www.rediff.com/news/2005/may/11inter.htm Read the rest of this entry »