Hazare khwaishein aisi, the dawn of a revolution
TNN | Apr 8, 2011, 01.55am IST
BANGALORE: Inspired by Gandhian Anna Hazare, the youth is ready to throw its power behind the fight against corruption. They are standing up for a clean India — it could be the fragrance of the Jasmine Revolution seeping into the country, or it could just mean that they've had enough.
'A revolution should happen today and now' — these were the words of hundreds of students from Bangalore, who gathered in support of Anna Hazare's fast, demanding implementation of the Jan Lokpal Bill.
Students from across the city, who joined the protest by the hundreds, cheered when L S Tejaswi Surya, a student leader of Arise India, said: "We want a change and we want to see the change now. The youth has supported every movement in the country. Now, it is time for Clean Revolution. Dirty politics has to be changed. The youth of Karnataka and students of the entire country are showing their real power."
Students applauded as Tejaswi, a student of Bangalore University Law College, said: "The youth have woken up. It is a death-knell for the corrupt. We want leaders who are honest and educated, and not corrupt."
Perhaps it is the right formula — a wise old fighter backed by the energy of the youth. More than 300 students from various colleges — Vijaya Composite College, New Horizon College of Engineering, Jain Group of Colleges, BNM Institute of Technology, Krupanidhi College, NMKRV College, and Bangalore University Law College — participated in the protest at Freedom Park.
"We are expecting the number to go up by 1,000 in the evening. Students have turned out to be our strength. When we started the anti-corruption movement, we thought it would be difficult to mobilize students against corruption. But, they have proved us wrong," Ajit Phadnis, a member of India Against Corruption, and one of the organizers of the campaign in Bangalore, said.
All the students chanted the name of Anna Hazare. Roopak K, from Vijaya Composite College, said he found out about the movement online. "We went through indiaagainstcorruption.org. It was Anna Hazare's act that influenced us. He called upon the youth to be part of the movement. We are here to prove our power," he said.
Fighting odds, girls also participated. Vishnu Priya AH, second-year PU student of Vijaya Composite College, said it was difficult for girls to participate in protests. "Though our parents support the anti-corruption movement, they were not willing to send us. They were scared there might be a lathicharge and told us we were too young for all this. But, we don't think so. We convinced our parents of the importance of participating," she said.
Nagendra C, another student of Vijaya College, said: "We felt that if this soldier of great calibre can go on a fast at his age, the youth has the power to do much more."
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment