With the ongoing revolution and uprising against corruption for the Lokpal Bill, led by ANNA Hazare against the UPA Government, covered extensively by the media that gave him the epithet The New Gandhi, there is no question that the retired army soldier with a frail physique is doing a commendable job in the awakening the nation since Independence.
Every media is vying for headlines on ANNA Hazare who is digging up the issue of a corrupt nation, looking forward for a bright future from a hazy past. He has suddenly become a beacon of light for the unguided, a ray of hope for the disillusioned, a flicker of a lamp at the end of the tunnel for the misled, a leader for a better future for the young, an icon to follow and an idol to be revered for the whole of India which has been drowned to its nadir by the corrupt rulers.
The main support today flocking behind ANNA has been the youth from urban and rural India alike. They are the future of India, the generation which is going to lead the nation forward after cleansing its gut from the decay culminated from greed and selfishness of political parties. The same youth which was without an ideology and ambition to raise or rise for their rights.
Then there came a revelation turning into a revolution which was till then subdued by years of negligence and intolerance by all the despotic governments which ruled India.
The fast by Anna was termed as the second freedom struggle, which awakened the nation from its slumber.
Now how did a sleeping nation wake up to the old man’s call for starvation and protest? Does it mean starvation could wake up a sleeping tiger?
If yes, what about the starvation and protest carried out by Medha Pathkar, Swami Nigamananda (who unceremoniously died in the same hospital where celebrity Ramdev was, before the drying up of Ganges) and the continuity of Irom Sharmila Chanu and many others.
Did the youth force who hardly remembered, knew or read about Mahatma Gandhi in school, who may have observed October 2 as another national holiday (or as a dry day for tipsy ones), who may not have heard or watched Attenborough’s “GANDHI”, the self-immolation of the youth Rajiv Goswami on the Anti-reservation Bill, really take the plunge into the protest led by ANNA Hazare (who incidentally started long back unknown in Ahmednagar and rose to regional protests in Maharasthra to the present national one as the Lone Crusader.)
I presume it has something to do with Indian Films which have mass coverage and reach throughout India. They have made some influence on the present generation relying on electronic and digital media which could make or mar, mould or break the psyche of an Indian. Let’s rewind the scene some years back.
The film Rang De Basanti created a stir among the Indian Youth (the candlelight protest being one for sure!). Then came MUNNA BHAI, who spoke and professed “Gandhigiri” to the public, which suddenly caught the imagination of the whole country and the youth, who were fascinated and swept off their feet by the simplicity and effective results of non-violence. Gandhigiri seemed workable but how, was very vague and obscure. This in turn stirred the lava inside the Indian soul which was dormant or almost dead. The Indian who was dumb and deaf to his corrupt and scum surroundings started taking notice with the unfolding of events and scandals doing the daily rounds, which were quite difficult to assimilate due to the magnitude or scores of zeroes involved.
The youth of India started to see the ideals of Gandhigiri (till now seen on screen with Munna Bhai), come true with real and life-size ANNA, with whom one could relate oneself (They found similarities with the retired old man in the film seeking pension while offering his clothes and belongings in return as bribe. They identified ANNA.)
The spirit of Gandhigiri stirred the unknown imagination of the ordinary Indian which was boiling up to a certain point and waiting to erupt. The first protest by Anna around April started the rumbling of the lava inside the whole of Indian youth. It took another eventful Independence day in the Indian history for the lava to erupt and overflow with the arrest of ANNA on August 16, with the hot lava flowing and increasing.
ANNA nurtured the seeds sown by MUNNA at the right time, to open the buds of ignorance to a full bloomed fruit called awareness by right. At the end of it all Indians would hope to see THE BAPU in front of us, not as a CHEMICAL LOCHA as in the film, but someone within us.
Whether the Bill is through or not as desired, the whole thing is between ANNA and MM Singh, two sides of a coin put out for a toss.
So finally as we wait,
Lage Raho Munna Bhai
Khadhe Raho Anna Bhai
Saath Khadha Hai Nanhe Bhai
In the mean time,
Munna bhai take a bow,
And don’t forget Sing