Of all the things that have been excavated in the past few weeks since Anna Hazare spearheaded the Lokpal Jan Bill agitation, it is the power of the middle class that has been dug up and feted. This middle section of India's society takes great pride in its diversity- religious, lingual and geographical. The Indian middle class is known for its adherence to security, education, ambition and 'value for money'. And if the last few weeks are any proof, it turns out it can also rattle the core of the country's existence. Until now the Indian middle class has been notorious for alienating itself from politics, governance, not being very enthusiastic about exercising their voting rights and other escapist strategies that they employ for their livelihood. They have been accused of cutting themselves off from the realities and problems that ail grass- root India.
The Indian middle class has also been tagged as RNIs or Resident Non-Indians for their escapist attitudes. More than a sizeable chunk of this middle class has chosen to step out of the system to make their homes abroad either on a temporal basis or a more permanent one. These are the NRIs' or Non-Resident Indians who have an inherent sense of being an Indian but with little practical choice because of geographical limitations. In spite of all these accusations against them, the Indian middle class finds itself at the forefront of the limelight that India is experiencing. Not just because it gives credence to the nation of more than a billion people by making the country notice its presence but also brings an elected government to its knees. "The will of the people", says our Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Rightly so.
The recent surge of righteousness, a call towards the Gandhian principles of anti- corruption, transparency and honesty led by the Anna Hazare movement has awakened this section of Indian society like no other cause before it. The movement has garnered support not only from the middle class but from the youth- the Generation Y, the old, the young at heart and all those who still believe that something can be done to turn things around in India. As it turns out, there are more who believe this than those who do not. They see in Anna a leader who is willing to give them and the truth a voice, make Mahatma Gandhi's dream come true, and take this country forward into the millennium not as a follower but a leader. So how do NRIs take part in this historic chapter of the country and make their voices heard across the oceans? How do they shout their support for what many term as 'the biggest success after Independence'?
The sizeable NRI population, made up majorly of the middle class, whether it is higher or lower, wants a say in what's going on in India. It wants to champion the Anna cause and wants to be able to voice reservations that it might have against it or some elements that surround it. Thanks to technology and the blurring of geographical boundaries, it is able to do so. From being able to email the Supreme Court directly to holding demonstrations outside Indian embassies in their adopted countries, expressing their thoughts through Facebook, Twitter, websites or community gatherings, speeches and debates, NRIs are hardly missing on the action that is playing on back home. Posts on social networking sites, group discussion and chats prove that the indifferent middle class including the NRI population is willing to be part of the process, without actually hitting the street.
Mobilizing support in a highly sedentary world which spends more than half the day in front of laptop screens is proving to be easier and productive. Discussions, brainstorming sessions, half-hourly news feeds by some enthusiastic individuals are just some of the ways that people in India and abroad are contributing towards the anti-corruption movement.
As the ball is set rolling to establish practical anti-corruption laws in place, time will answer the many questions that lurk in people's minds. Will there be concrete results to be tasted after these mass protests? Will India once again aspire for the greatness that it did after gaining independence in 1947? Anna Hazare has chosen to symbolize the Indian middle class by opening his fast accepting coconut water from a Dalit and a Muslim girl, in front of a cheering, diversely unified crowd. It is now up to this very middle class, we the NRIs included, to take this movement forward in our individual and collective efforts and to see it carried through to its successful execution.
