My father, on the Anna Hazare Saga.

My dad worked with the State Trading Corporation for a good part of his life. Childhood memories included being told not to use the phone – the Govt. paid for it – and sending back sweets during Diwali. In STC he dealt with News Print, Pharma and Petroleum. If he had made 0.25% of the order – we would have owned Andheri …but, he didn’t. My dad quit six months before he should have -an admin error – to join the Private sector. He needed to earn decent money to take care of his family. Today, he has no pension. You would think that someone like my dad would be a natural base for the Hazare movement. But, it isn’t the case

My father on Anna Hazare:

And thus ended one of the most stupid sagas eve in the history of free India on ——–

A saga started by a diminutive, not very known man from the outback’s of Maharashtra to the national and international scene, thanks to the bevy of media cameras focused on a once non-entity.

Like many others, I too was at one stage proud of him when he started his crusade against corruption, thinking it would be a mass movement across political lines. I too once worked for the Public Sector. Never did I take a bribe. Nor did I ever give one.

However, like many others, I was as much disillusioned when I saw him on TV on August 15^th, spitting venom, venting his spleen again politicians and the government and whoever he felt he should target his anger against.

He was backed by, and still is, two frustrated and failed beaurocrats, who have been goading him and catapulting him onto the world stage.

And to back them, was the unemployed youth of Delhi who were there at the Ram Lila grounds more for the free fare than for any conviction of ideals and ideology.,

In Mumbai, some support for the movement and for Anna Saheb at the Main Maidans was there. Nothing much elsewhere, except for the shopkeepers and bhajiwalas sporting the ‘Gandhi’ Caps inscribed with “HUM ANNA……..”

This great national movement had it support in just two major metros

How many in this movement can truly place their hands on their hearts and say, “I have never been corrupt”.

Meanwhile, true to its fashion, the UPA Government shot itself in its arse day after day, (Had it been in the foot, it could have hopped along; In the arse, it can’t even sit!). A plethora of spokesman each talking at cross purpose, finally bungling to its best ever by arresting Anna and throwing him in Tihar Jail, so that he gets even more support from the masses..”Poor Anna!”

The biggest joke was the support from industrial houses and later from Bollywood for this anti-corruption movement. The two main sources of black money and corruption in the country.

Talks failed. They had to. They were never intended in the first place. The two ‘stalwarts’ in Anna’s Team saw to that.

Finally, another Maratha like Anna, Shri. Vilasrao Deshmukh was the one who got the talks rolling and making Anna see reason.

And it was taken in Parliament for discussion.

Now it is history.

The movement was called Gandhian.

Never could one trace any Gandhianism in it.

Anna was along venting his spleen. Gandhi never…never once did he show anger or resentment against his adversaries.

Even during his ‘fast’ over the fortnight, Anna used to stand up and was spitting venom for hours against everyone. Where did he get his ‘energy’ from? Gandhi’s fasts were fasts and were mostly silent.

Gandhi’s fasts were purifying himself.

Anna has been traveling by air and in air-conditioned cars everywhere. No sign of Gandhism at all.

Yes. Anna and Gandhi had one thing in common. The cap.

But Gandhi never wore that.