Anna Hazare – the Man of the Times

“It is experience that gives the direction but it is youth that gives the drive to every plan.” Anna Hazare

 

Photo Source(AFP) from DeccanChronicle.com

The Year 2011 seems to be the Year of the People. It saw the Arab World in turmoil courtesy the dissatisfied ordinary citizen. Among others there was Egypt whose people ousted Hosni Mumbarak and ended his thirty year rule.

In India it seems that the Time of Anna Hazare, who epitomizes RK Laxman’s humble citizen, has arrived. He seems even more relevant than Gandhi!

The guy was a truck driver in the Army and so is in sharp contrast to recent Army Chiefs who have been arraigned for moral turpitude amounting to corruption!

The current crises which put him on the National Stage is the fact that the Indian Anti Corruption Bill has been hanging fire since 1969 when the Rajya Sabha rejected it. Now on 5 April, Anna Hazare initiated a movement for passing a stronger anti-corruption bill. When his demand was summarily rejected by the Prime Minister, he began his fast.

According to Anna Hazare, “The dream of India as a strong nation will not be realized without self-reliant, self-sufficient villages, This can be achieved only through social commitment and involvement of the common man.”

This briefly then is Anna’s story.

In 1940, Anna was born into the family of an impoverished unskilled daily wage labourer who fought a losing battle trying to retain his meager land holding. By nature socially aware, he was involved in brawls with antisocial elements. He subsequently became a truck driver in the Indian Army.and during the Indo-Pakistan War of 1965, he was the sole survivor in an exchange of fire.

He has been inspired and has become a social activist courtesy the writings of Vivekananda,Gandhi and Vinoba Bhave. READ MORE…