The Anna Hazare phenomenon has caught up with the public off late. I had always seen educated youth in the developed countries hitting the roads and screaming their lungs out during protests. And I had always secretly wished for something similar to happen in my country. Boy, after many years, IT DID! The Jan Lokpal movement is not restricted to a particular strata of the society (unlike years ago, where morchas and rallies were monopolized only by a particular group and the so called white-collared folks would quietly sit at home sipping their chai, watching TV and doing nothing about what is happening around them). It is so good to see the youngsters from renowned and established educational institutes stepping firmly to make their voice counted. Streets are flooding with people shouting slogans or just protesting peacefully- for the same cause! Is it really India? Are we really waking up to the reality eventually? I’m not looking at scrutinizing the validity of the means Anna has selected to bring the reforms, nor do I wish to analyze the teacup storm brought about by a few intellectuals and a bunch of attention seekers. But I’m happy for the fact that it brought the nation together at some point, on some level. I’m basking in the joy of witnessing this equality I had only imagined of.
In the era where 75% youth have just given up on their nation and many of them making rounds of the visa offices of ‘developed countries’ just to go away from the mayhem, it is indeed comforting to see that they still have some hope left and want to pursue it. They inspire me not to give up. Even if I’m not planning to leave the country, the Anna phenomenon showed that I don’t need to live like a drag either. We knew that we have been taken for granted enough. I’m glad we are finally telling it loud.
So I would like to go and join the protests just once (at least). Not that it all ends there. But it’s a different experience. And I would also love to see more people joining in and giving their netas a teaching or two. Our generation is fortunate to have experienced such an unprecedented mass movement in their lifetime. Why not be part of it? This is something we can take with us for the rest of our lives. Something we can tell our children and grandchildren, see their wide eyes getting wider hearing the ‘awesome’ stuff their senior generation has experienced and feeling proud of their ‘Ma’s’, ‘Dadda’s’ and ‘Nani’s’ and ‘Dadus’.
Wouldn’t it be a nice keepsake to pass on than just some gadgets, games and fairytales?
