Unearthing the naked truth.

              “Anna Hazare”- a name on millions of minds, thousands of banners and hundreds of facebook statuses! No wonder, the 74 years old social activist has brought the entire country under his spell. I have been hearing this quote “United we stand, divided we fall” since childhood but I never really got to witness its authenticity. It's fascinating to note that a country like ours which is divided on several grounds- religion, caste, class, gender etc. needs just one reason to prove that quote right. I was totally captivated by what I saw last night; a crowd of over a thousand people marching with banners and candles in their hands in the streets of DU and shouting slogans in a true Gandhian Spirit. But I kept wondering whether their spirit was truly Gandhian. Well, as far as their approach to the protest is concerned, it is. However, apart from following non-violence and the path of truth, Gandhi Ji also used to say, “Practice before you preach.” I wonder how many in that crowd would come out clean if questioned about the same. I can't guess the exact number but what I can guarantee is that there will be a good number of corrupt or as they like to call it, “jugaadu”people in that crowd and hence, thousands in the entire nation.

                  I have come across a number of status updates, tweets, newspaper articles, notes and even chit-chats about all these “bloody” corrupt politicians (that's the adjective that they use). I guess, for many, the term corruption is directly associated with politics and for some, it is is equivalent to politics. But this is not the entire story, my countrymen. Corruption is so deeply rooted in India that attacking politicians only will not help. It has to start from the ground level. Let me give you a situation. A common man goes to buy a train ticket for himself but could not get any due to the unavailability of the same. At that very instant, he is approached by another man to buy the ticket from him paying 200 bucks extra as commission. The common man delighted at the proposal accepts it and returns to his home with a triumphant smile on his face assuming himself to be “jugaadu” instead of “corrupt”. A sort of similar story may have struck you in which you had the experience of being that “happy” common man.( Hats off to you if you don't have any such experience to narrate!)

                    Let us assume that the Lokpal Bill gets passed and a committee is set up to keep a check on corruption. Will India get rid of this menace? And lets face it, what is the guarantee that the members of this commission will work honestly? In a country, where, even a mafia, instead of kicking out, is worshiped if he stands for an election , can a layman who witnesses such evil be courageous enough to speak for the truth against someone who has power in his hands? Believe it or not, lighting candles or earthen lamps or wearing a common color code doesn't really signify a ray of hope (as i was told) to abate this loathsome predicament until we remove the darkness from our own minds by enlightening our thoughts. Now that my countrymen have started this revolt, they cannot stop it with the mere approval of a bill. It has to go on and on till eternity's end.

                    This anti-corruption movement doesn't need your slogans alone. It needs you to absorb and reflect every single word uttered in your slogan in your own lifestyle first. Anna Hazare is gallant enough to initiate the movement at the national level. We should display the audacity to at least customize our way of life in an ethical way. If one Anna Hazare can shake the throne of Corruption, just imagine what millions can achieve! One of the status updates on 15^th August went as follows, “Supporting Anna is the best thing that you can do this I-Day” I strongly feel, “Being Anna is the best thing you can ever do for your country”