Who is Anna Hazare?
NDTV Correspondent, Updated: April 06, 2011 21:36 IST
(AN EX-ARMYMAN TURNED STAUNCH GANDHIAN,SIMPLE AND PRINCIPLED MAN,LIVED LIFE FOR OTHERS....WAS VERY APT MAN TO BE FACE OF THIS "MUHIM-FIGHT AGAINST CORRUPTION OR JAN LOKPAL BILL!!THIS IS WHAT ATTRACTED MY ATTENTION TOWARDS THEM-THIS CAUSE AND ITS FACES!!!ANNAJI'S LIFE SKETCH I HAD READ BUT NOW REVISITED IN HIS LIFE HISTORY.HIS PERSONALITY AND LIFE IS A MESSAGE FOR MANY.I AM VERY INSPIRED THOUGH HAD FEW APPREHENSIONS AND DOUBTS ABOUT ANDOLEN IN MY MIND EARLIER.
AND ALSO... AS I AM RETHINKING OF COMING BACK IN FULLFLEGED WORK ON FIELD.
WHENEVER ANY BIG STEP HAS TAKEN PEOPLE HAD QUERIES,DOUBTS,APPREHENSIONS,RELUCTANCE,FAULTS,AT TIMES MISUNDERSTANDINGS OF SITUATIONS,OR LACK OF INFORMATIONS,INDEPTH KNOWLEDGE,OR EMOTIONAL OUTBURST OR GETTING CARRIED AWAY IN MOVEMENTS.
MOSTLY IT BECAME VIOLENT IF YOU CHECK THE HISTORY OF MOVEMENTS.
SO ONE NEED SELF CONTROL ON CHARGED EMOTIONS IN SUCH TIME AND SHOULD NOT BEHAVE LIKE JUST A 'HYSTARICAL MOB' OR LIKE 'HYPNOTISED BHEED',BUT AS A THINKING UNIFIED JANTA AND WITH HEAD ON THEIR SHOULDERS.TAKING STEPS CAUTIOUSLY BUT FIRMLY AND FORWARD, IS NOT BAD!!...TAKE REVERSE STEP IF ITS IMPORTANT,REMEMBER OLD SIMILAR INCEDENTS IF IT HAPPENED EARLIER AND THAN TAKE STEPS FORWARD AHEAD OF THAT INCIDENTS BY LEARNING FROM PAST ACHIEVEMENTS AND MISTAKES ALSO.
...WE ARE(OUR FAMILY) HONEST AND UPRIGHT PEOPLE WITH FEELINGS OF INTREGITY AND SOLIDARITY...AND ARE PROUD INDIANS.
I PERSONALLY DO BELIEVE IN "GANDHIJI'S AHIMSATAMAK SATYAGRAH",BUT DO HAVE INFLUNCES OF OTHERS FREEDOM FIGHTERS,RELIGIOUS THINKERS,SOCIAL REFORMERS...BIG ACHIEVERS...OF PAST AND PRESENT.
SINCE CHILDHOOD I WAS INFLUNCED AND IMPRESSED BY SUCH BIOGRAPHIES,LITERATURE,INCIDENCES,HISTORY AND SCIENCE WITH LOGIC...INCLUDING PEOPLE WHO ACHIEVED AS A FREEDOM FIGHTER,GREAT LEADER,SAINT POETS(RABINDRANATH TAGORE/KABIR/RAHIM/TULSI ETC),SOCIAL WORKERS AND REFORMERS OF OUR COUNTRY AND EVEN OTHER COUNTRIES.... OLD AND CONTEMPORARY ...LIKE YOU ALL/ANYONE!!
AND HAS INFLUNCES OF ALL IDEAOLGIES OF DIFFERENT TIMES AND PERIOD IN MY THINKING!!!
I...WOULD BE PREVILEGED TO WORK WITH HIM(ANNAJI) SOMETIME...)
I COULDN'T MEET ANNAJI YESTERDAY,BUT NOW TAKING OPPORTUNITY TO EXPRESSING MYSELF.I DO NOT HAVE FORMAL TRAINING OR DEGREE IN SOCIAL WORK,BUT AS AN AWARE PART OF SOCIETY I ALWAYS HAD THIS URGE TO PAYBACK TO SOCIETY...AS AN INDIVIDUAL,KID,YOUTH,FAMILY PERSON OR PROFESSIONAL AS I WAS A JOURNALIST(NOW YOU ALL KNOW)...AND EVEN IN OLD AGE IN FUTURE!! AS I AM SURE I'LL LIVE LONG TO GIVE MY SERVICE...AS EVERYONE HAS "RIGHT TO SERVE OR DOES SERVICE" TO THE COUNTRY...AND CAN WORK MORE THEN ONLY FAMILY PERSON,BUT FAMILY AS A UNIT)!!
ONE CAN EVOLVE AS A CONSTRUCTIVE UNIT OF SOCIETY AND COUNTRY AND THUS HUMANITY WITH TIME.AND I HAVE THIS "STRONG FEELING" THAT GOD HAS CHOSEN ME TO DO MORE AND MORE!!
OUR NGO ADITIFOUNDATION HAS OBJECTIVE OF--
"Aditi “The Infinite is a goddess of Sky, the past, the future and fertility”. She is also the mother of the Hindu gods. For us ADITI means ‘ A RAY OF HOPE’.
Aditi is a movement of awakening. It is a mission to churn our society and make people more humane. It is a resolution of awareness to spread humanity and self respect in each person to inspire and motivate them to become self – reliant. Thus, our motto is to make a society free from three ‘P’s – Psychological, Physical and Professional problems and provide love, respect and dignity to all. It can only happen when all of us work together hand in hand and think about making every individual healthier, progressive, skillful, more human, full of respect… and self – reliant. As wise people say, ‘boond – boond se samudder banta hai,’ each and every effort will make the world better place to live in. This would be our contribution to humanity."
(ITS A PLATFORM WE CREATED AND A WEBMAGAZINE-AWAAZ.ADITIFOUNDATION.CO.IN(AN INITIATIVE TO EXPRESS VIEWS ON SOCIAL DEVOLOPMENTAL ISSUES)HAS THE SIMILAR MISSION AND OBJECTIVES BUT IT IS NOT "AGAINST ONLY POLITICIANS" BUT IT IS AGAINST ALL ILLS AND WORKING TO CREATE AWARENESS ABOUT CAUSES,RIGHTS TILL GRASSROOTS.
ITS ABOUT- TO BE A SOCIAL DOCTOR OR SOCIAL EDUCATOR AND BY CONSTANTLY CLEARING POLLUTION IN ATMOSPHERE,MIND,SOCIETY CHAINED WITH WRONG RITUALS,TRENDS,RITI-RIWAAZ,PHYSICAL HEALTH PROBLEMS AND,PROFESSIONAL HEALTH SO THAT ONE MUST BECOME SELF DEPENDENT,SELF RELIANT,FULL OF SELF RESPECT...AND THUS A FAMILY COLLECTIVLY BECOME "SUKHI,SAMARTH AND SAJAG"...AND THUS THE COUNTRY OR HUMANITY!!!
...HOW TO DO IT ...THIS IS WHAT I AM WORKING ON!!WANT TO BE EXAMPLE OF WHAT I PREACH OR ADVICE OR SUGGEST IN MY WRITING AS MY VIEW,MY PERSPECTIVE.
I THINK,....IF RIGHT NOW I AM NOT WHAT I SAY...DEFINITLY WORKING HARD TO BE ONE..."NO KATHNI-KARNI MEIN FARQ WHICH ONE SAY BEING DIPLOMATIC IN GENTLEMAN'S LANGUAGE??? ...THAT LET OTHERS TO JUDGE....INSIDERS AND OUTSIDERS ALONG WITH THEIR PREJUDICES AND PERSPECTIVES!!
....I DO BELIEVE GANDHIJI'S THEORY OF MAKING EVERY VILLAGE AND VILLAGERS SELF RELIANT SO THAT THEY DO NOT BECOME BURDEN ON URBAN POPULATION AND DEMOGRAPHY(AND GOT BEATEN UP)...AND HAS TO RUNAWAY IN ACCESS NUMBER FROM THERE VILLAGE OR RURAL PLACE,KASBA DUE TO POVERTY,LACK OF OPPORTUNITIES,AND BASIC FACILITIES/AMENITIES TO LIVE AND GROW ....OTHER THEN THEIR FACINATION FOR BIG CITIES GLAMOUR...DUUR KE DHOL SUHAAVNE JO LAGTE HEIN!!
CORRUPTION IN RURAL AREAS ARE QUITE DIFFERENT FROM URBAN AREAS OR LOCALITIES.
AS I HAVE BEGUN FROM OUR NEIGHBOURHOOD URBAN AREA,BUT OUR TARGET AND MORE EMPHASIS WILL BE ON PEOPLE FROM RURAL BACKGROUND WHO ARE LIVING HERE WITH OR WITHOUT THEIR FAMILY IN MEAGRE LIFE FACILITIES AND CAN GO BACK OR MAKE IT A BIG HERE OR THERE AFTER GETTING READY FOR OPPORTUNITIES!!!
ADVOCACY WILL BE ANOTHER PART OF IT.
IT CAN BE POLITICAL BUT NOT POLITICS!!!
LAST POINT IS---ANOTHER MEMBERS OF OUR FAMILY,
IF THEY WANT TO DO ACTIVE AND FULL TIME SOCIAL WORK,
OR TO JOIN POLITICS AND HAS VISION OR INTEREST IN IT,CAN GO AHEAD AND DO SO.
(AS I AM BATTING FOR SOCIAL WORK AND ITS INTIATIVES...AS FORM OF DIFFERENT PROJECTS.I HAVE MY OWN SET OF THINKING,MISSION,OBJECTIVES,RULES AND REGULATIONS JUST LIKE ANY OFFICE AND ITS SEPERATE WORK!!!
...DON'T NEED TO FOLLOW ANYONE ELSE OR GET FOLLOWED BY ANYONE EXCEPT WHO ALL WILL WORK WITH ME IN ANY PROJECT.)
...THEY HAVE TO TAKE DECISIONS,STEP FORWARD ON THEIR OWN.NO ONE WILL DO SPOON FEEDING.
AS I THINK KIDS NEED HELP,BUT GROWN UPS AND BORN LEADERS NOT.
DEFINITLY THEY'LL GET GUIDENCE BY EXPERTS,IF THEY WANT AND WHERE EVER THEY'LL WORK.
BUT IN MY OPINION,ITS THE RIGHT TIME TO DO SO.
He once contemplated suicide and even wrote a two-page essay on why he wanted to end his life. Anna Hazare was not driven to such a pass by circumstances. He wanted to live no more because he was frustrated with life and wanted an answer to the purpose of human existence.
The story goes that one day at the New Delhi Railway Station, he chanced upon a book on Swami Vivekananda. Drawn by Vivekananda's photograph, he is quoted as saying that he read the book and found his answer - that the motive of his life lay in service to his fellow humans.
Today, Anna Hazare is the face of India's fight against corruption. He has taken that fight to the corridors of power and challenged the government at the highest level. People, the common man and well-known personalities alike, are supporting him in the hundreds swelling to the thousands.
For Anna Hazare, it is another battle. And he has fought quite a few. Including some as a soldier for 15 years in Indian Army. He enlisted after the 1962 Indo-China war when the government exhorted young men to join the Army.
In 1978, he took voluntary retirement from the 9th Maratha Battalion and returned home to Ralegaon Siddhi, a village in Maharashtra's drought-prone Ahmadnagar. He was 39 years old.
He found farmers back home struggling for survival and their suffering would prompt him to pioneer rainwater conservation that put his little hamlet on the international map as a model village.
The villagers revere him. Thakaram Raut, a school teacher in Ralegaon Siddhi says, "Thanks to Anna's agitations, we got a school, we got electricity, we got development schemes for farmers.''
Anna Hazare's fight against corruption began here. He fought first against corruption that was blocking growth in rural India. His organization - the Bhrashtachar Virodhi Jan Andolan (People's movement against Corruption). His tool of protest - hunger strikes. And his prime target - politicians.
His weapon is potent. In 1995-96, he forced the Sena-BJP government in Maharashtra to drop two corrupt Cabinet Ministers. In 2003, he forced the Congress-Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) state government to set up an investigation against four ministers.
Maharashtra stalwarts like Sharad Pawar and Bal Thackeray have often called his style of agitation nothing short of "blackmail".
But Anna Hazare has soldiered on relentless. From one battle to another in his war against corruption. He fought from the front to have Right to Information (RTI) implemented. He is now fighting for the implementation of the Jan Lokpal Bill, an anti-corruption bill drafted by leading members of civil society that envisages speedy action in corruption cases against everyone, including ministers and senior bureaucrats.
More than 30 years after Anna Hazare started his crusade, as the 72-year-old observes a hunger strike in Delhi against large-scale corruption at the national level, nothing really has changed except the scale of his battle.
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