‘Are you Anna?’ … ‘Sorry, I am not.’

[Disclaimer : comments, not debates are requested. I am exhausted with debates over the days 🙂 ]

A letter to Mr. Anna Hazare

Dear/Respected Mr. Anna Hazare

I am a young citizen of India. I spurn corruption. And I support you in your movement against those brazen brats of government race.

I came to meet you with prospects of assurance in the Ramlila Maidan too, yesterday. You were busy reciting ‘Raghupati Raghav’, sitting alone on the grand stage, with a carnival mob of thousands in front of your eyes down the level, and a 25 cross 25 portrait of Mahatma Gandhi behind you. I have some issues with that though, I will come to it later.

I, on behalf of the young student community, the middle class and the upper-middle class community, the exhausted and the deprived community and the morally raped community, hereby, extend support to you.

I want to salute the spirit of a seventy four year old veteran who took to the challenge of Action and Initiation. In a country where everyone is a first in ‘criticizing’, ‘denouncing’ and ‘lambasting’ who-so-ever comes in their way, it were you who ACTUALY took a step forward. And, that too, in a stupendous fashion: 64 years of prolonged carnage after independence, and today you unite millions of ‘Indians’ against the reason of every plague: corruption.

The government is brainless. It is all set to lapse sooner or later. The opposition is spineless and fragile than ever. Next elections, you might have to stride yourself in the absence of a leadership. My vote is with you.

I can’t vote Rahul Gandhi.

I won’t vote Advani.

I forgot here to mention, in the midst of all of this drumbeat ……. like everyone in this country …….. that there exists some Bill for which you are taking fast. Hope you get your work done and get us rid of all nuisance soon.

Don’t worry, I will support you.

Sir, I have certain issues to sort clearance from you.

I won’t comment on how effective Jan Lokpal is or can be or will be. There are profound and capable people sitting there with you out there. They surely know better than each one of us. We trust you here. Don’t betray that trust.

My first concern: I would like to raise questions on the sanctity of your movement.

You began with the voices against corruption. You proceeded by hitting on public sentiments of grievance and defeat (nothing wrong, this was the only way). You raised yourself by raging a war against a government for its ridiculous behaviour in combating the bias (of course, nothing wrong again).

But the war that should have been between ‘the oppressed mass of the nation’ and ‘the oppressors and their oppressing policies’ has turned out to be a war between ‘Anna Hazare’ and ‘the government’. The war has lost its way. The war is no longer a movement. It looks more like an adamant tussle between two groups. The masses are blaming Congress for all the hardships the country has faced ever. The masses are looking towards you as the Gandhi of today’s. The reaction is unarguably exaggerated. In fact, too much exaggerated.

And you have enjoyed the process so far.

Your Ramlila Maidan is the new picnic spot. Juice shops and ‘annual-mela’ typos are becoming the primary concern for mob. You say the mob belongs to upper-middle class. No sir, the queue for free food and bananas is anytime way longer than the assembled flags in front of the stage. Policemen are taking 100/- bribes from Auto-walas to allow them near the vicinity of the ground. Parents are taking their kids to your ground to buy them Anna caps and ice creams. Outside, there runs a surge of bikers with tricolours whole day with slogans of ‘Anna Zindabad’ and ,Vande Mataram’. The bikers can’t be controlled however rash they drive (most of them drive drunk). In fact, no one can be controlled whatever is done in Delhi today. Police is helpless. There are no rules. Because ‘we are doing it for Anna’. People party all night at India Gate being drunk and raising slogans of India and anti-corruption. Tomorrow, girls can be raped anywhere and people will say ‘Sorry, we were supporting Anna’.

Girls from DU are of course there in processions for glamour quotient. They shout vehemently, ‘Anna, we are with you!’ . But it is no more a struggle for corruption. It seems more of a party time for them. There are photo sessions like they do when they attend Rendezvous (our cultural festival, do come, we will have a few more in the mob).

I searched for ‘the seriousness’ and ‘the cause’ for a complete hour in your Ramlila Maidan. The only seriousness I found was near the stage where thousands of tricolours looked like exhibiting some purpose. I joined the shouts. I joined the ‘support’. They screamed against the government. I did. They bellowed against the corruption. I did. They cried for the people of India. I did. It is already happening in every part of India for years. What was new?

They shouted for Anna Hazare. I took a pause. I did it too. I waited for more. There was nothing else that was new.

Announcements were being made to maintain the decorum while you stand in queue for “Anna’s Darshan”. I am sorry sir, but I have no interest in taking your blessings. What I want is a corruption-free India and a strong Jan Lokpal Bill that inhibits maximum possible means within the constitutional boundary to combat the corrupt and provide needful to the needy. I respect you, but don’t think I will come to the ground to seek you and sing songs with you. I suddenly pondered what I was doing standing there.

That brings me to my Second Concern: the Caps.

I have a small and feasibly logical request.

Millions of caps/topi, ribbons, props, balloons. T-shirts are being distributed across New Delhi (not distributes exactly, marketed in factual terms) carrying the words ‘Anna is India’ and ‘Are you Anna?’ and ‘Kya aap Anna hain?’ and ‘We are Anna’.

I just want that these slogans be changed to some like

‘We want a Strong Lokpal Bill’

I assume that might strengthen and support your cause equally, if not more strongly.

I am exhausted; haven’t written a letter for long. My third and last concern: the Gandhi portrait behind you on the stage.

I could figure out two implications.

It could be that you are being looked upon as another Gandhi. I hope this is not the frame of reference. If, it is, then it is unfortunate. Pity on the protestors; they can’t be more idiotic. Pity on the Congress; they had a Gandhi once. And pity on the Indian masses; why are they letting this happen.

It could also be that your movement is being looked upon as a Gandhian movement, i.e., an assemblage and approach on similar lines to Gandhian tactics.

If it is, I don’t find it so. A commercialised and market movement giving employment to thousands, a movement that is taking time out of our own economy, own governance and own people was not the way what Gandhi did. [This is sensitive topic sir. Gandhi has always been a controversy and an infinite debate. You better keep yourself away from him.]

Hmm ….. I don’t think I have more to say. I won’t come to your Maidan again. You should take care of your health. India’s best doctors are by your side. We pray for your well-being and well as the nation’s.

We want a strong Lokpal Bill.

We are tired of corruption. We want to minimize it, if not finish it off.

We don’t want ‘Anna vs Congress’ if there is no cause left.

Thank you.

Yours sincerely.

Audience.