Problems galore for Anna and his team

New Delhi: This seems to be a weekend fraught with problems for Anna and his team as the anti-corruption crusader is brought down by a severe bout of cold and a case is filed against his team for allegedly insulting the tricolour.

Ahead of his three-day fast in Ralegan Siddhi from December 27 to protest against a "weak" Lokpal Bill, Anna Hazare has caught cold but his associates say it is no major cause for concern.

"Anna has cough and cold. However, there is no reason to worry. He is taking medicines. There is no cause for concern," Hazare's aide Suresh Pathare told reporters.

Meanwhile, Delhi Police was pulled up by a court on Saturday for its failure to take a categorical stand on a complaint accusing Anna and his team members of insulting the tricolour during their anti-graft protest in August.
"Why is it taking so much of time? Tell me an exact date on which you will file the report," Metropolitan Magistrate Tyagita Singh said, while directing the police to file its report on the complaint expeditiously.
The police, which had earlier said it had sought the legal opinion on the complaint from its prosecution branch, said on Saturday "opinion received from the prosecution branch in the matter was not clear whether the offence was made out or not."

"Therefore, the matter was again referred to the prosecution branch for specific opinion and further action will be taken upon receipt of the opinion," the police said.

"The investigating officer has not filed the status report till date and submitted that more time is required as report has been sent to the prosecution branch for legal opinion. Matter be expedited. File report as soon as possible," the court ordered.

The complaint had been filed by advocate Ravinder Kumar seeking registration of an FIR against Hazare, Kiran Bedi, Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia and six others for allegedly showing disrespect to the Tricolour during their anti-graft
demonstration.

He had also annexed his complaint with pictures showing Kiran Bedi, a key member of Team Anna, waving a torn tricolour and other protesters demeaning the national flag by mishandling it and even painting it on their bodies.

Anna Hazare strongly opposes parliamentary panel's 'weak' Lokpal Bill draft

Ralegan Siddhi, Dec 9: Veteran social activist Anna Hazare today strongly lashed out at the Central government and Parliamentary Standing Committee for 'betraying' the people by drafting a 'weak' Lokpal Bill.

Addressing mediapersons here, Hazare said: "The issues and provisions that appear in the draft released by the Standing Committee are same as those in the government version of the Lokpal Bill.

  "The Standing Committee's draft mirrors what has already been said by the government. This proves that the Standing Committee has betrayed and misled the people. The Standing Committee's draft will not in any way help eliminate corruption from this country," he added.

Hazare further questioned the need to bring out a 'weak' draft.

"The government had always promised to frame a strong anti-corruption legislation, but it has come up with this weak draft. Who is the brain behind this tactic? The Prime Minister had sent me a letter assuring me on the three main conditions laid down by us," he said.

"A resolution was also passed in the Parliament. This resolution was also forwarded to the standing committee by Pranab Mukherjee himself. Now, the Standing Committee says we never received that document. Is it a government or a trader's shop?" he added.

He also said that the government must frame a legislation that envisages a corruption free India.

"There is no use in bringing out a weak draft just for show off. Neither would it help national interest nor would it help eliminate corruption. Till the time corruption remains prevalent, the country cannot progress. Can't the government see that out of a rupee, not even ten paisa is reaching the rural areas? How will this country progress? Due to graft, even ten paisa cannot reach the villages out of a rupee, money from development funds is siphoned off, poor people are suffering and inflation is at its peak. Is the government not aware of this?" he said.

Hazare had earlier said that he would stage a one-day strike in New Delhi on December 11, if the tabled anti-graft bill reflected a weak institution of Lokpal.

The Bill is seen as a weapon to root out corruption and nepotism from the government machinery and in public life.

The proposed Bill envisages the setting up of a national anti-corruption watchdog to check financial mismanagement and corrupt practices that have deeply pervaded several democratic and civic institutions of India.

Views | Crossing the Rahul line!

Earlier this month a low profile member of Parliament from Kerala, P.T. Thomas, was in the news for his attempted mediation between anti-graft activist Anna Hazare’s representatives and Congress’ apparent future prime ministerial candidate Rahul Gandhi. Thomas had earlier visited Ralegan Siddhi, Hazare’s village, in his “personal capacity” to “learn” about the village and Hazare’s style of functioning. Many party leaders had frowned on the visit, asking if it was proper for Thomas to go there without the permission of his party leadership, especially when there was a growing discomfort between Hazare’s team and the party-led government.

Thomas, who was trying to be an apostle of peace, had to apologize to the representatives from Hazare’s village saying there was a “communication gap.” Because, the ‘proposed’ meeting did not take place after Rahul Gandhi’s office clarified that there was no such meeting scheduled.
Politics is often referred to as the art of the impossible and Thomas tried it in his own way. The fact is that in India no political party entertains such personal overtures. Cadre-based parties like the Communist Party of India-Marxist or Communist Party of India would consider it as anti-party activity, which can even invite disciplinary action. Everyone has to follow the ”party line.”

A former MP of the CPI-M (again from Kerala) A.P.Abdhullah Kutty was thrown out of the party for praising Gujarat CM, Narendra Modi. Kutty, who later joined the Congress and became an MLA, tried to be more progressive than the Party by praising Modi. In the BJP, there have been instances of party leaders airing their differences in public - Yashwant Sinha still survives, Jaswant Singh returned to the party after a brief stint outside. That means, for different parties, yardsticks are different when it comes to crossing the ”party line.”

In Congress too, anti-party comments are allowed or not allowed depending on the stature of the person who makes it. Though a novice in politics, former union minister Shashi Tharoor would have got away with his controversial tweets and comments if the media had not followed them eagerly. Party general secretary Digvijay Singh keeps airing his “personal views.”

In 1965, when Tamil Nadu was protesting against the government in New Delhi, then Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri adopted a ‘wait and watch’ policy. Many other senior party leaders including K. Kamaraj, who hailed from Tamil Nadu, decided to keep a distance from the violence-hit state. According to one of her biographers, Indira Gandhi, then information and broadcasting minister --- she was very junior but was made the fourth most senior minister of the cabinet by the PM – “decided to fly down to Madras to quell the trouble, without telling the prime minister about her trip” – a move Shastri termed as ”jumping over his head.”

Indira’s grandson, also has recently attempted to don the cap of a rebel. At a time when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his trusted cabinet colleagues were toiling day and night to make peace with Hazare and his camp, Rahul came down on the activist’s movement during a zero-hour mention in Parliament saying a “tactical incursion, divorced from the machinery of an elected government that seeks to undo the checks and balances created to protect the supremacy of Parliament sets a dangerous precedent for a democracy.” Incidentally it came a day after Singh praised and saluted Hazare and his struggle for an anti-corruption legislation.

By trying to emulate Indira in his own way, what Thomas crossed was not the party-line but the ”Rahul-line.” And, not understanding that was the real ”communication gap.”

Anna's old companions want him to widen team's scope

AURANGABAD: Perturbed by the controversies surrounding Team Anna, old companions of social crusader Anna Hazare  have decided to meet in Parbhani, Marathwada, after he ends his 'maun vrad' (silence vow), and request him to broaden the scope of his team.

"Anna is, at present, observing 'maun' at Ralegan Siddhi, but has consented to attend the gathering in Marathwada. Among his old companions are also persons associated with different political and social outfits. Many have been actively associated with Anna for 10 to 15 years," said Praful Patil, a doctor and an educationist from Parbhani.

Patil was president of the Parbhani unit of Anna's Bhrashtachar Virodhi Jan Andolan Nyas for three years.

Speaking to TOI on Wednesday, Patil said, "We will request Anna not to aim his movement against any particular party or organizations, because it could cause confusion among his supporters in those parties," said Patil.

"We will urge him to support only good candidates who believe in eradication of corruption, irrespective of their political affiliations. Anna has already done it, about eight years ago, when he supported good candidates, irrespective of their political parties. He had supported former Union home minister Shivraj Patil Chakurkar, state home minister R R Patil, Anantrao Deosarkar in Omerkhed and Vinayak Patil in Ahmedpur. He had addressed public meetings too in this regard. As a result, Deosarkar and Vinayak Patil had won elections," said Patil, who is also a part of NCP's Parbhani unit.

Patil said it was strange that those who came to know Anna just six months ago or a year ago, were authoritatively talking to people about him.

"All we want is that Anna's movement, that was launched in Maharashtra years ago, find its purpose. We don't want that movement to have a limited effect. We already communicated our feelings to Anna on October 21" said Patil who had also led a delegation to Ralegan Siddhi.

About 100 prominent activists from Marathwada, particularly the office-bearers of Anna's Bhrashtachar Virodhi Jan Andolan Nyas, and freedom fighters, including Gangaprasad Agrawal, the noted Sarvodaya leader, are expected to attend the meeting. This group comprises freedom fighters, young activists and professionals, Patil said. Taluka office-bearers appointed by Anna in Marathwada will all be invited to attend the crucial meet.

Sarpanch of Anna Hazare's village fails to meet Rahul, returns home

NEW DELHI: Upset over not getting an appointment with Rahul Gandhi, the sarpanch of Anna Hazare's village and his colleagues on Tuesday decided to return home saying now even if they get an appointment, the village will decide whether to meet the Congress leader or not.

Congress MP P T Thomas, who had interacted with them and had reportedly fixed the much-talked about meeting, however apologised for the "communication gap" that led to the confusion.

"We have come here after being told that we have an appointment with Rahul Gandhi on October 18 at 9 am. We came here believing the words of the MP. Now the MP says there was a communication gap. We are returning home."

"We have said in our letter seeking appointment with Gandhi that we want to meet him as suggested by the MP. We were contacted by Thomas' office several times. Even Rahul Gandhi's office called the sarpanch several times," Suresh Pathare, a close aide of Hazare, told reporters here.

He said now they are not meeting Gandhi as it appeared that there were some "ego problems" and "the village panchayat will decide whether to meet him if an appointment comes in the future".

His comments came after the six-member team from Ralegan Siddhi led by sarpanch Jaisingh Mapari met Thomas at his residence this morning to sort out the matter. Mapari also claimed that he received several calls from Gandhi's office on the issue of appointment.

Thomas said his office "mistakenly" asked Mapari to come to Delhi after October 15. "There was a communication gap. I apologise to the sarpanch and others for this," he said.

However, he denied Pathare's contention that it was at his insistence that they decided to meet Gandhi.

Thomas said he had gone to Ralegan Siddhi a month back to study the rural development programmes initiated by Hazare there.

"There I interacted with the sarpanch and others during which they suggested that they wanted to meet Gandhi. I assured them whatever help I could do, I will do. They sent a letter which was forwarded to Gandhi's office," he said.

"Unfortunately in my absence, my office asked the sarpanch to come to Delhi. There was a communication gap," he said, adding that he was not trying to get an appointment for the delegation with Gandhi anymore.

Patare said they did not come to Delhi with a political agenda and their proposed meeting had nothing to do with Jan Lokpal Bill, for which Hazare is leading an intensive people's movement.

He said Thomas was impressed with the programmes in Ralegan Siddhi and wanted them to discuss it with Gandhi who is also interested in rural development programmes.

After reports about the meeting came in media, Thomas sought to set right the "confusion" and "rumours" yesterday by issuing a press release saying though the sarpanch and the deputy sarpanch of the village had made a request to him in this regard, no meeting has been confirmed with Gandhi.

Meanwhile in Pune, Hazare's nephew Vinayak Deshmukh said that the Gandhian has not given any invitation to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to visit Ralegan Siddhi.

Reacting to reports that the Gandhian had invited Rahul to visit his native village in Ahmednagar district, Deshmukh told PTI that if the Congress MP expressed his wish to see the developmental work in Ralegan, Hazare would not be averse to it.

"There is no invitation from Hazare to Rahul Gandhi to visit Ralegan...if Rahul shows interest in visiting Ralegan to see various projects there, Hazare would be not averse to it," he said.

Signs of a thaw? Anna Hazare invites Rahul home to Ralegan Siddhi

NEW DELHI: Anna Hazare has invited Rahul Gandhi to Ralegan Siddhi to witness rural development in his village, indicating a thaw in the bitter relations between him and Congress.

"Anna's message is clear that Rahul is welcome to Ralegan. He has high expectations from Rahul about the leadership of the new generation," Vinayakrao Deshmukh, Hazare's nephew, told TOI, quoting the Gandhian.

Vinayakrao, who incidentally is Congress in-charge of implementation of UPA's flagship schemes in Maharashtra, is in the capital.

The improving vibes between the fierce Lokpal campaigner and Congress come amid recrimination over Hazare's "defeat Congress" call in Hisar bypolls. Congress leader Digvijay Singh accused him of carrying out RSS agenda to target the party with a flurry of letters.

But Vinayak said the 'RSS front' charge was baseless. "In our place, when some elder dies, a mourning person does not wear a cap and stays barefoot for 10 days. I still remember when Indira Gandhi was assassinated, Anna did not wear topi and chappal for 10 days, such is his respect for the Nehru-Gandhi family," he said.

In contrast, he said, Hazare was offered a Rajya Sabha nomination during NDA regime but he turned it down.

Vinayak said the slanging match between Congress and Hazare was a result of "bad communication" because the Gandhian was fighting against corruption while Congress leadership agreed with it.

"Anna is never against any party but is only for an issue... I think the days ahead are good for Congress-Anna partnership if a strong Lokpal bill is passed in the winter session of Parliament," he said.

"Now, after PM wrote to him assuring that the bill would be brought in the winter session, he has postponed his UP yatra," he said.

Hazare's nephew said there were no major differences between his uncle and the Congress leadership. "It will be good for Congress in future. Anna can help guide the Centre's rural development programmes through his associations," he said.

Anna Hazare begins 'maun vrat' at Ralegan Siddhi

RALEGAN SIDDHI: As controversy dogs his team, Anna Hazare went into silence mode today beginning an indefinite 'maun vrat' at his native village in Maharashtra for 'atma shanti' (peace of soul).

"Anna began his indefinite maun vrat (vow of silence) this morning. He is sitting under a banyan tree near the Padmavati temple here," Hazare's close aide Datta Awari told told PTI.

Awari earlier in the day said the 74-year-old anti-corruption crusader's vow of silence is for one week. He later clarified that it will be for an indefinite period.

'India against Corruption' activist Shyam Asava yesterday said Hazare will be observing 'maun vrat for one week.

Hazare will stay in a 'kuti' (hut) during the maun vrat, Awari said.

Hazare had been continuously interacting with people after ending his 13-day-old fast for a strong Lokpal bill in Delhi on August 28 and this has put a lot of strain on him, Awari said.

Suresh Pathare, another associate of the social activist, said Hazare is not meeting anyone at present.

More than 1,000 people have visited Padamavati temple since he began his 'maun vrat', he said.

The vow of silence came close on the heels of the recent attack and controversy involving key 'Anna Team' member Prashant Bhushan, who had advocated plebiscite in Kashmir.

Hazare subsequently distanced himself from Bhushan's statement saying he did not agree with it and that it was the senior lawyer's personal view.

Notwithstanding Hazare's clarification on the status of Bhushan in his anti-corruption struggle, serious differences appeared to have cropped up in Team Anna on some important issues facing his campaign.

Hazare's latest position that the Core Committee of his campaign will meet and decide whether Bhushan will continue in his team or not has surprised the other Team Anna members, sources said today.

In two days, Hazare has changed his stand on Bhushan, who is in the eye of the storm for his advocacy of plebiscite in Jammu and Kashmir, thrice, much to the dismay of some of his team members.

Government planned to crush my agitation: Hazare

Anti-graft crusader Anna Hazare on Tuesday said the Union government had planned to crush his agitation, by putting him under house arrest in his village Ralegan Siddhi, right after he came out of Tihar Jail.

Mr. Hazare said the Centre had also kept an Air Force plane ready at the Delhi airport.

Addressing visitors in Ralegan Siddhi, Mr. Hazare said: “The idea was to airlift me from Delhi airport, where an Air Force flight was waiting, to Pune. From Pune, they would send me to Ralegan Siddhi, where I would not have been allowed to go anywhere.” He called the government's plan a part of a “betrayal.”

The Delhi Police had arrested Mr. Hazare on August 16, hours before his slated hunger strike for the Jan Lokpal Bill at the JP Park. Within hours, the police withdrew the charges against Mr. Hazare, who however refused to leave the jail premises demanding unconditional permission to fast on the Ramlila grounds.

The activist earlier alleged that his arrest was planned at the Home Ministry level, even as the government denied the charge.

Commenting on Parliament members allegedly taking money for vote during the confidence motion, Mr. Hazare said they should be “hanged.” “If anyone in the Assembly or Parliament takes money for asking questions or casting votes, there should be stringent punishment for them. In fact I feel they should be hanged.”

Mr. Hazare refuted charges levelled by Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh that Mr. Hazare was a “mask for the RSS.”

Mr. Singh said in Jammu that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and the Bharatiya Janata Party used Baba Ramdev and Anna Hazare as their mask, to divert people's attention from the arrests of RSS activists in terrorism and corruption cases.

Reacting to Mr. Singh's comments, Mr. Hazare said, “Those who are making allegations should first produce evidence.”

After Ramlila, all roads lead to Ralegan Siddhi

Ralegan Siddhi: Letters land up just by Anna Hazare's name. Tourists now include this hitherto unknown village in their itineraries even as authorities struggle to manage the overwhelming crowds. Most politicians avoid it.

Ralegan Siddhi, social crusader Anna Hazare's native village in Maharashtra's Ahmednagar district, suddenly finds itself in the midst of unprecedented limelight, thanks to the media play that he and his movement has got in the last few months. It has now been catapulted to the country's pilgrimage and tourist circuits.

The septuagenarian anti-corruption activist has scaled new heights of popularity and admiration from people across the country and even abroad.

A majority of people visiting Shirdi's Sai Baba Temple, Shani-Shingnapure Temple in Ahmednagar district or even Pune and its Bhimashankar peak and Malshej Ghats, make it a point to visit Ralegan Siddhi, according to locals.

Kishore Mapari, the manager of a local museum-cum-infomedia centre, said that till March an average of 500 curious people used to visit the village daily.

"This has changed after his two agitations and hunger strikes in New Delhi. Now, we get over 1,500 people daily which includes students, academicians, researchers, tourists, pilgrims and commoners," Mapari told.

But most politicians tend to stay away. The Anna Hazare movement against corruption has consciously kept politicians at bay, with some Team Anna leaders like Kiran Bedi also publicly lampooning them.

Besides going around the village - converted into an eco-friendly model of self-sufficiency and prosperity by Hazare - they express eagerness for information on his strategies which changed the lives of the villagers.



The visitors also grab two of Hazare's books -- "A New Freedom Struggle" and "My Village: My Place of Pilgrimage" -- available in Hindi, Marathi and English which are picked up at the counters.

Mumbai youth Rajesh Patil said he was impressed to see how the village has prospered under Hazare's guidance. "Makes us wonder why such simple strategies cannot be replicated all over the country," he said after his second visit in six months.

K.R. Dwivedi arrived from Lucknow, only hoping to get a 'darshan' of Annaji. He succeeded but from afar last Saturday when Hazare came to address the gathering briefly on two occasions.

The local post office bears testimony to the fact that Hazare's fame indeed has spread worldwide.

"Letters are addressed to him simply by name, or some by the village or district name; no other address is required to write to him," post office manager R.D. Gosavi said smilingly.

'Respected Anna Hazare', 'Annaji, Ahmednagar', 'Hazare Saheb, Ahmednagar' or even 'Annasaheb, Ralegan Siddhi' are sufficient to ensure that any communication reaches him without fail.

Gosavi said that in the past few months, mail addressed to Hazare has jumped manifold to around 800 per day. These mainly include open post-cards or letters, accounting for around 80 percent of the post office's daily load.

Admitting that it was a tough job handling so much workload, the post office manager is happy that the tiny village with a population of around 3,500 is now famous all over India and even outside the country thanks to Hazare.

Many victims of corruption write or come to meet the activist with their complaints, hoping for a redressal. Nobody is turned away and he patiently listens to them in small groups at the Padmavati Temple or Yadavbaba Temple in the village.

"Outsiders see in Hazare 'a messiah' who has come to relieve them of all evils confronting the country. His simplicity is striking and endears him to all," said Pankaj Shah, retired state government employee from Surat, Gujarat, who attended Hazare's first rally in the village last fortnight.

However, all the attention and focus on Ralegan Siddhi has the village authorities worried about the lack of infrastructure to cater to the hordes descending daily.

Village head M. Jaisingh told mediapersons that many people want to stay for at least two-three days, but there are hardly any facilities.

"In the next gram sabha meeting, we will take up a proposal to build some dormitories or dwellings for the people to stay overnight or for a few days," he assured.

Currently, a majority of people stay overnight either in adjoining district of Pune or Ahmednagar town or Shirdi, preferring to make a day-long trip to Hazare's village and catch a glimpse of the leader if he is around.

The anti-corruption crusader's 12-day protest fast at Delhi's Ramlila Maidan saw people turning up in tens of thousands from across the country last month.

I don't need security: Anna Hazare

Pune:  Three days after social activist Anna Hazare reached his village in Ralegan Siddhi, the state government is making arrangements on the Centre's proposal to offer Hazare special protection by Z security. However Hazare has drafted a letter to home minister stating his disapproval.

The Z security agency that usually provides protection to cabinet ministers and high profile people has been assigned the duty. But Hazare, who has been advised to take complete rest after 13 days of fasting, feels that the security is unnecessary and does not want it.

Jaisingh Mapari, sarpanch of Ralegan Siddi and a close aid of Hazare confirmed that Hazare has already drafted the letter where he has mentioned that revolutionaries like Bhagat Singh and Rajguru never felt the need for security. Moreover, he feels taxpayers' money should not be wasted.

But despite Hazare's refusal, the district police headquarters at Ralegan Siddhi have sent 12 policemen, who are standing guard outside Hazare's residence. Hazare has lost 7 kg during his 13-day fast, claim villagers.

Doctors have advised complete rest, as the crusader had become weak and needed to regain his lost weight.

Ready to fight
Meanwhile, Hazare visited the village temple on Sunday and told his supporters, "Doctors have advised me to gain 3 kg, but my fight is far from over. People should be ready to go to jail, as the fight against corruption has not stopped. Ladai ke liye mein phir tandurust ho raha hoon (I am gaining weight to start the fight again)."

Currently, Hazare and his supporters are interacting with the villagers and school students. Starting yesterday, Hazare has been formally meeting people thrice a day between 11 am, 1 pm and 5pm.

Meeting Notes: Anna Hazare and Sharmila Irom

It was 1997, the year India was marking her 50th year of Independence. There would have been many celebrations of this momentous occasion but only one unique observation of this historical timeline stays on with me: a NGO based in Mumbai was taking about 250 young people from India and across the world to places of India’s history and future in a train specially reserved for the purpose! The announcement was made on a popular cultural TV program (which we don’t see the likes of now) called Surabhi beamed on Doordarshan and various other newspapers. It was a happy moment when I got confirmation that I was to be one of the said young people on the train that would ultimately travel for 11 days across the country facilitating interactions with people who were inspiring: Mark Tully, Abdul Kalam (then with ISRO and who talked us then of the possibility of an Indian moon mission which did become a reality!), Bunker Roy of Tillonia (married to Aruna Roy and behind hugely successful rural enterprises, water harvesting, adult literacy among others in Tillonia in Rajashthan), Kiran Bedi (much before her controversial stint in Mizoram) and Anna Hazare who was known at that point of time mostly for his pioneering work in Ralegan Siddhi, a village in Ahmednagar district, Maharashtra.



The said rail yatra was mainly organized to instill in young people the essence of leadership, innovation and social development. The routine was that we would be traveling in the train non-stop till we reached the places we were meant to be and then getting back to the train for the night. So, there was an air of curiosity when we were told that we would have an overnight stay at Ralegan Siddhi to meet a Gandhian who had taken up rural conservation and community work. The villagers took us around the place and we were told how small canals had been dug up to generate water flow. But it was two things that impressed me greatly: a school for juvenile children and the practice of Shramdaan or volunteer work as a form of social charity. The school had classrooms but if the children so wanted, classes would be held under the shade of trees in the open. There were yoga classes for “anger management” while most constructions in the village: the small dams, solar panels, wells, places of worship were all built through Shramdaan.

In the evening, we sat in a community hall and then, in walked Anna who spoke of his “second life” (he was the lone survivor during an enemy attack during an India-Pakistan war). We talked then mostly of philosophy and working for social upliftment. Like many of my fellow yatris, we thought nothing much about questioning his rigid stand against alcoholics (they were beaten up, period) and I even piped in my two bit and told him how Nishabandi women in Manipur were also doing the same! It would take me some years to understand the concept of public health and harm reduction and see that the greater crime of punitive measures on substance abusers only marginalizes them and do nothing about addressing the dependency. Anna Hazare’s activism against corruption started later and one cannot say much of what happened in between. But personally, the posturing Anna that one sees on TV (wagging fingers and dictating terms) is a very different person from the Anna I met all those years ago. The Anna then actually asked us young people on what we thought he should incorporate more into his work in his village in terms of forest and water conservation etc. The Anna one gets to see now refuses any kind of disagreement with his thoughts and beliefs.

November 2000 and a young woman called Irom Sharmila decided to fast to protest after 10 civillians were gunned down at Malom. My first reaction then (and I am/ not ashamed to own up to this now) was that it would be some token fast. Some days later, there was the “fast against AFSPA till the act is taken off” context and I thought that hers was an illogical/irrational and totally crazy stand to take. I also shrugged it off as “some group must be behind her” motive. I totally bought the “AFSPA is necessary till there are insurgents” theory for quite a long time till my own readings on militarism and armed conflicts around the world and conflict resolution/reconciliation processes made me sit up and engage in some serious questioning.

The first meeting happened in March 2009 during her customary yearly release. It was total chaos: there was a meeting of over 50 odd woman journalists from all over the country happening in Imphal and they all wanted to meet her. And then, there was the usual local media attention too. The first meeting was more of a brief sighting especially since I did not believe I needed to add my own questions to the many that were being addressed to her.

The second meeting happened in a unique setting: something that I have only shared with a few friends but one that can be let out in the public domain now. January 2010 saw me with very high fever after a trip to Bangkok and my Uncle, a doctor asked me to get a swine flu test done. Since he was with Jawarlal Nehru hospital then, I went there. Those who follow news would be aware that I was tested positive for swine flu but much before that news broke, I was raising hell over the state of the isolation ward at the hospital. What I did not want to call attention to the media then was that while I was standing outside the isolation ward with the face mask on, waiting for hospital staff to find the keys to the room (they took about an hour and a half!) I saw a familiar figure some 10 metres away from me. It was Sharmila Irom! My heart plummeted inside me: here was this one person I wanted to talk with and I was supposedly at risk of an infection that I could pass on to her. I have a small face and the mask covered most of it and I saw Iche Sharmila looking quizzically at me. I rolled my eyes at her and hoped that she would not come near (I did not want to be responsible for her health!). When eventually, my test results came in positive, I wasn’t too worried about my own health (I did not take Tamiflu medication) or my family (they did not have any fever) but I obsessively kept an ear open for any news on Sharmila’s health!

In May 2010, I got third time lucky and I had a long meeting with Iche Sharmila. I was going along as a sort of translator for a journalist and writer. We talked mostly of non-political issues: of her books and poetry we talked at great length. And then she took both my hands and said solemnly, “remember when you were at this hospital with your mask on?” And then she laughed and told me, “you don’t know the amount of activity and consternation that happened here after you left!” There was no air of moral superiority following the status of icon-hood that has settled on her: I was face to face with a unique person yes but also a normal human being, a young woman kept in isolation but very aware of the world around her.

End-point:
Many people have pitched Anna Hazare’s crusade against corruption and Sharmila Irom’s stand against AFSPA. But their stands are different and the battlefield totally apart from each other. My own interaction with both of them happened at different times and stages of their journey. But what stays on following my interactions with Iche Sharmila are the little ways in which she is so much a person than an icon. It is something that one does not get to see in other people who take on the mantle of greatness.

Anna Hazare spits fire at govt, dubs it cunning

RALEGAN SIDDHI: Anna Hazare may have won the latest round on the Jan Lokpal bill but his anger against the government hasn't subsided. On Friday, in a speech to a gram sabha at Ralegan Siddhi, the Gandhian spewed venom on the UPA dispensation, singling out Union home minister P Chidambaram for the strongest attack.

He also asked the Centre to stop "playing around" with his associate Arvind Kejriwal, who has been slapped with an income tax notice, warning that civil society may rally to his defence.

In the first public address after his release from hospital, Hazare slammed Chidambaram, using shockingly crude language. "He is not speaking the truth. He is the real 'khodsal' (mischief-maker) behind my arrest even before I could start my fast. The DIG told me that they (cops) got orders from the top," Hazare said. "This government consists of a mob of "labaad" (cunning) people," he said in Marathi.

Addressing the media, he strongly defended Kejriwal. "What they are doing with him is wrong. I am forced to say civil society will have to travel a different path," Hazare said, demanding to know why the a four-year-old tax issue had been resurrected.

"I have known Kejriwal for eight to ten months. His character, thoughts and actions are pure. I have seen his sacrifices, and he is not selfish. Kejriwal ke saath sarkar khilwad kar rahi hain. Yeh baat barabar nahin (the Centre is playing games with him. This isn't right).

He has dedicated his life for the cause of the nation and it is my request to the government to stop the game it is playing," Hazare said. The Gandhian said that just like him, Kejriwal does not have a bank balance. "Had he wanted to, he could have earned in lakhs," he said.

Earlier in his speech, Hazare accused the government of duplicity during the events before and after his arrest. "First they said they will give us J P Park. Then they refused to give us space for the fast and imposed Section 144. The police came to my house and arrested me saying I would to breach the peace. I asked them how would I disturb the peace when I was at home. The police then told me that they will release me if I paid Rs 10,000 to get bail, which I refused and told them to take me to jail. They took me to jail at 4pm and by 7pm they told me that I have been released," he said, recalling the events of August 16.

Hazare said the Delhi police were getting orders from the topmost quarters of the government. "When I asked them what had happened in the three hours to prompt the decision (to release him), the DIG said the orders had come from the top. He told me that since I was released, I cannot go back to jail. I told him that I will continue to sit in his office and hold my agitation. I sat there for three days. What kind of government is this?" he said.

Insisting that the movement for a strong Lokpal was needed, he said, "The government needs to be given a jolt time and again, like the one we gave during the nationwide agitation for the Jan Lokpal bill. The government has now realized the power of the people. The jan sansad (people's parliament) is higher than Parliament." Hazare said the government must decentralize power to stop corruption. "If the sarpanch becomes corrupt, make a law which can dismiss him. We need law to improve the lot of farmers and labourers to give them justice. We also need a law to stop commercialization of education. It seems as if they have opened shops. They demand donations, and we need a law to prevent this. The exploitation of natural resources needs to be checked by enacting another law," he said.

Addressing the criticism that Dalits had stayed away from his movement, the Gandhian said, "Politicians have created the rift based on caste and creed. At Ralegan Siddhi, the entire village offered voluntary labour (shramdaan) to repay a Rs 60,000 loan taken by a Dalit farmer. It is the bullock owned by a Dalit in our village that is worshipped during the bailpola festival."

I am feeling well and recovering fast: Anna Hazare

Ahmednagar: After an overwhelming reception on his homecoming in Ralegan Siddhi in Ahmednagar, anti-corruption activist Anna Hazare on Thursday said he was recovering fast. "I am feeling well...recovering fast and am grateful to all who are wishing for my good health," Hazare, who is taking rest at the Bhakta Niwas in Padmavati temple at his native village

The 73-year-old Gandhian will take rest on Thursday and will interact with the people and the media on Friday, his personal assistant said.

Hazare arrived in Ahmednagar in the early hours following his discharge from a Gurgaon hospital where he had been undergoing treatment after breaking his 12-day fast on the Lokpal issue.

A 'gram bhojan' has been organised for 10,000 people by the villagers on Friday in view to celebrate Anna's "victorious" return.
The assistant said a meeting of Team Anna, including Arvind Kejriwal and Kiran Bedi, is scheduled on September 10 and 11 in Ahmednagar to discuss the further course of action on the Lokpal Bill.

Ralegan dances to patriotic numbers

Victory flags were put up in almost every house in Anna Hazare’s village Ralegan Siddhi where celebrations erupted as the 74-year-old activist broke his 12-day fast at Ramlila Maidan in New Delhi on Sunday.

As Anna broke his fast, thousands assembled to celebrate. “Today is an Independence Day. We have won the second freedom struggle today,” said Subhash Pathare, a school teacher.

Sarpanch Jaisinghrao Mapari added, “We are celebrating a successful revolution. We were not there when Gandhiji fought for our country’s freedom struggle. But we have experienced it while working in this second freedom struggle with this Gandhi of our times.”

The residents of Ralegan Siddhi have fought every struggle that Hazare took up in the past and have celebrated his every victory. But the celebrations on Sunday were unprecedented.

In each household a gudi was hoisted along with a Tricolour and rangolis were drawn in front of the doors. Almost everybody assembled at Yadavbaba Temple ground and danced to patriotic songs including Mere Desh Ki Dharati,Yeh Desh Hai Veer Jawano Ka and Kailash Kher’s song on Jan Lokpal Ambar Tak Yehi Naad Gunjenga. “Even the August 15 celebrations were not as good as this,” said Pawan Auti, a class 12 student from Ralegan. “It’s not as if someone has told us to celebrate with such enthusiasm. We feel like doing it.”

“We have celebrated Anna’s victories before but this is first time women are dancing, shedding all inhibitions,” said Kaushalya, daughter-in-law of Anna’s brother Maruti Hazare.

People in Ralegan Siddhi come together in support of Anna Hazare

“This is not the age to fast. He should spread his message through dialogue”

The celebrations are on at the main village square. But inside Anna Hazare's brother's home here the mood is sombre.

On Friday afternoon, the news that he has he has left the Tihar Jail for the Ramlila Grounds in Delhi reaches Mr. Hazare's family, all huddled in front of the television set.

“He hasn't eaten for four days. The government should agree to his demands at least now. This is not the age to fast. He should spread his message through dialogue,” Mr. Hazare's sister-in-law Kantabai tells The Hindu. The pride that the family feels for him as the television anchor says that “he is now ready to lead the nation in its second struggle of independence” does not hide the anxiety. “He has always been adamant. Once he takes up an issue, he will always fight for it till the end. Our mother used to fast with him in the earlier days, but even then he wouldn't give up,” says his brother Maruti Hazare.

“I was in Delhi for the last three days, but I hardly got to see him. We haven't spoken to him on the phone since the last two weeks,” says Anna's nephew Ganesh.

Kantabai says the family has not cooked for the past two days. “We don't have any option but to watch. But he is doing this for the country. I am sure the fight will be successful,” says Ganesh.

PROCESSION OF DEITY





Outside the Yadavbaba temple, which Mr. Anna Hazare has made his home, and at the main square, the stage is set for the celebration of ‘freedom from corruption.' Slogans in support of Anna are a constant throughout the day.

The focus of Ralegan Siddhi residents is on the happenings in Delhi. In the morning, the locals participate in the procession of the village deity, Yadavbaba. “Anna worships Him, and so do we. This will give him energy to go on,” says Shanta Gaikwad.

People from various villages come to Ralegan Siddhi to show solidarity.

S.T. Padhir, who came from Hiwre Bazaar, a village in Ahmednagar district that has emulated the principles of rural development for which Ralegan Siddhi stands for, says: “Our village has benefited from Anna's ideals. So we had to come here in support.” Later in the day, the villagers take out a candlelight march.