Fast of the furious
Ever heard of the granary that was guarded by the yellow hound? Legend has it that the hound had two assistants. The first one was a rat that counted the grains and grew suspiciously fatter each night. The other was a fox that, for the most part, did the hound’s bidding. But since the hound itself could not be trusted to be faithful, an elephant sat on a windowsill of the granary and occasionally peered inside. If it found the animals stealing the grain, it harrumphed.
You’ve probably never heard of this fable. I created it as a metaphor for Indian democracy, which is represented by the granary. The hound is the Legislative, the fox the Executive, the rat the Bureaucracy and the elephant the Judiciary. It’s no secret that the landlord (the Citizens) has been robbed blind by this mix of animals. It seems that the landlord now wants to solve the problem by introducing a new animal to the setting. In the real world, this animal will be represented by the office of the Lokpal. In the simpler world of metaphors, it will perceived as Godzilla or a kitten with attitude, depending on where one stands on the issue. Some may even see it as a determined Batman who will not rest until Gotham City is cleansed of undesirable elements. Perceptions apart, it is certain that this animal will hold a whip and lash hard. In other words, the office of the Lokpal will hold the specific responsibility of punishing the corrupt.
Since the 60s, the Lokpal Bill has been tabled 10 times in Parliament. On all occasions, one or both the Houses refused to pass it. Meanwhile, the scams in Indian politics have become larger and more unabashed. It’s never been a better time to be a neta, babu, qaazi or a daroga. India is shining and the Indian political system has turned resplendent in its arrogance and unaccountability. The public, it seemed, was living in a comatose state in the outhouse, having given up all hope of salvaging the granary.
It’s all the more surprising, therefore, that a remarkable event unfolded on 5 April at Jantar Mantar in Lutyen’s Delhi. On that day, Anna Hazare began a fast unto death, demanding the implementation of a Lokpal Bill with teeth. Over the years, Hazare has transformed Ralegaon Siddhi, a village in Maharashtra, and made it a mascot for agricultural prosperity and social inclusiveness. He won the Padma Bhushan, the third highest civilian award, in 1992. In the past decade, he has worked hard (and fasted in protest) to ensure that the Right to Information (RTI) Act remained potent. Yet, not many Indians were aware of his existence when he began his fast. So the man himself may not have expected an avalanche of support for him and his views. But that’s exactly what happened.
Perhaps people were infused with hope following India’s triumph in the Cricket World Cup. Perhaps they had concluded that even Sachin Tendulkar could only give them limited happiness. Perhaps locating the fast within spitting distance of the Parliament made a difference. Perhaps a nation starved of heroes saw one in Hazare. Whatever the reasons, Indians of all hues and choler got behind the cause. Facebook and Twitter servers groaned under the strain of two buzzwords: Lokpal and Hazare. The shrillest television channels in the subcontinent then latched on to the phenomenon and took it to the next level.
I happened to be in Delhi during this time and felt compelled to visit Jantar Mantar. The atmosphere was unbelievable. There were as many OB vans at the venue as one would expect to find at Saif and Kareena’s wedding! And the place had become a kind of pilgrimage for freedom fighters, schoolchildren, unemployed youth, working professionals, bored housewives, Bollywood celebrities, saffron-clad agenda-snatchers, academicians, Left Liberals and even a cricketing legend. Anybody with enough clout to reach the mike spoke about transforming society. Even as I watched Anna sahib lean forward to catch the words of fellow-activists such as Medha Patkar and Arvind Kejriwal, I knew that similar protests were being held in Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Chennai, Guwahati, Shillong, Aizawl and many other cities. This had become a pan-Indian movement. My head told me that this model was unsustainable, but my heart swelled with pride and anticipation.
On the fifth day, the government blinked and conceded all demands made by Hazare. Not everybody celebrated, though. An appreciable section of the media raised concerns about the form, content and consequences of the protest. Could a single man with an idea be allowed to subvert the democratic process and blackmail a nation? Do the galvanized masses know that Hazare considers flogging to be a remedy for alcoholism? Even assuming that the man was beyond reproach, did the masses really understand the issues riddling the Lokpal Bill? For starters, how could a quasi-Constitutional body be allowed to wield extraordinary powers?
Very pertinent questions, of course. But is there cause for extreme concern yet? One expects the Joint Committee that will draft the Bill – comprising of nominated Parliamentarians and citizens – to get the theory right. For now, the comatose landlord has registered a resurgent heartbeat on the monitor. I want to celebrate that. And I will hope that, over time, the galvanized millions will gain vertical knowledge on political issues while not losing the appetite for change.
Eshwar Sundaresan is a Bangalore-based writer, freelance journalist, ideator and entrepreneur. His works are Googlable.
The views expressed by this blogger and in the following reader comments do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Dawn Media Group.
Anna Hazare has shown us the light to overcome the dark tunnel of corruption. A small battle had only been won by him but the war against corruption in all spheres of life still remains to be won which requires co-operation of one and all Indians. God willing we shall prevail.
First was RTE(Right to education act), then was RTI(right to information act). RTI enabled us to bring scams in open. Now Lokapal bill that will punish the corrupt; Right to food act will be discussed in next session. Decriminalization of politics is a must. All those against whom chargsheet is filed cannot be candidates in an election. Then is required Right to recall. This idea was first mooted by JP. If morethan, say 50% electorate are against malfeasance of an elected representative, they have a right to recall. With better judiciary standard, CBI freed of political masters, police reforms & with RTI,RTE,RTF & RTR, India will truly become a mature democracy. Mr.Minhaz Merchant has eloquently wrote about the same.
In continuation above, hence the struggle has just started.
India starved of heroes ??which world are u living in ,my friend?True we hv several drawbacks,corruption being the most serious, but indian heroes are coming to the fore each day in ALL parts of the world.In comparison,perhaps the only 2 Pakistanis known the world over are Benazir Bhutto and Imran Khan !
"A nation starved of heroes"? India has more heroes then any other nation. From sporting.heroes such as Tandulkar to our Bollywood heroes. I the writer needs to go out on the streets rather then sitting in room making presumptions.
Dear A. Shah,
These people are heroes in their field and are representing India for different things. But may be only a few has truly worked for community reasons. I would not quote the names but these people even charge many times for even good cause.
By saying this I don't want to disrespect the name they gave to India on international platform. But at the same time there have not been enough movements run by them to truly work for the community. They have got the support from masses and every class, if they work for good people will back it up.
But in our history not enough work seen to have began from their end.
they are few incidences like this one with Anna Hazare ji and Lok pal bill, they come to just make there presence recorded.
Hi Jigar,
I totally agree with you. The Indian "heroes" have their priorities set to IPL more than that of Community services. But I am sure, The movement started by Hazare would wake up many more Hazares who are in their dormant sleep. And somewhere my heart says, that this is just beginning of the story.
Anna Hazare movement is NOT the uprising of starving lower class but of the middle class The lower strata of the society is being easily manipulated by giving very little and they are comfortable. But not the raising middle class who form the back bone of Anna Hazare movement. The net savvy educated mass of Indian youth finding their just demands are thwarted and corruption unchecked in every walks of life were indeed awaiting the arrival of messiah and Anna Hazare did not disappoint them. The Indian leaders must be complimented for their wisdom for seeing the writing on the wall unlike the rulers of Middle East. The turmoil across Egypt, Tunisia, Libya and Bahrain is caused by the inability of the ruling class to comprehend that the present generation has migrated from the industrial era of pyramidal top-down command and control empires and police states, into the information era where We the People can impose home rule and boycotts that restore morality and kin ship.
as we migrate from the as we migrate from the industrial era of pyramidal top-down command and control empires and police states, into the information era where We the People can impose home rule and boycotts that restore
Anna Hazare's movement has created a false sense of euphoria among the gullible youth. Let me give a reality check. (By the way, for the benefit of Pakistani readers, Hazare is a known Modi admirer.
1. The corruption in India is not restricted to just politicians alone. The entire society is corrupt. 99 per cent of our great youth will jump red signals . Almost none of them, care for traffic rules. Most of them won't pass a driving licence test. Almost 90 per cent of our youth get driving licence by bribing the licence authorities.
2. Entire education system is corrupt. Unless you are brilliant, the less-than 90 per cent marks scoring students stand no chance. They have to pay in thousand, if not lakhs, to get a decent degree. Our people will get heart attack if the bribery window is closed.
Bribery comes naturally to us. It takes away the pain of standing in queue, and it gives the advantage of headstart. Corruption is deeply entrenched in the habits of common poeple. It will never go away. For once, I will not blame politicians here !
What matters to Indians, is not bribes, but, someone who takes bribes and still does not do the job!
By saying that “perhaps people were infused with hope following India’s triumph in the Cricket World Cup.” the author is missing the woods for the tree and insulting the sensitivity of raising middle class Indian. The mass support to the movement was more to do as we migrate from the industrial era of pyramidal top-down command and control empires and police states, into the information era where “We the People” can impose home rule and boycotts that restore morality and kinship
Corruption in India has grown to an unprecedented level and agencies meant to check the menace and prosecute the corrupt have been rendered toothless by the political class. Post liberalization has seen the rape of natural resources rendering involuntary displacement of lakhs of the poorest people, leaving them on the brink of starvation and forcing many of them to join the Maoists. To call Anna Hazare proposal undemocratic and Jan Local a super cop is to swallow hook, line, and sinker the propaganda of the corrupt vested interests. No doubt the Jan Lokpal bill is small step in the arduous uphill struggle to create a just society.