+1 Anna !!

So, we have come a long way with our support towards anti-corruption movement which in itself is a largest movement after the freedom struggle. And today there is furore amongst people across the nation over the arrest of Anna Hazare, the man leading the anti-corruption movement.

Lets take a step backwards and analyse few things here.

We hardly knew who Anna Hazare was until few months back. For the record, this great gentleman has reformed quite a number of villages in Maharashtra. So does that mean we were all sleeping until now? Or we just sailed along with the tide?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_Hazare should be a comprehensive link to know about his reforms and work.

The media is all pepped up whenever there is a sensation happening in the country. (Yes, I'm a tad disappointed over the way media is rooting in India. I have voiced them usually through my tweets.) So, why does media, including all popular new channels, run debates in support of only one party? The media needs to be neutral and needs to collate information from different parties involved and present it to the common man. Why takes sides? The common man is always confused and the media keeps "Breaking News". This is as dangerous as half baked pudding!

We have the opposition calling names and accusing the government of corruption. Guess they believe that grass is always greener on the other side of the fence!! They want more and more!! I hope they realize that Karnataka is also part of Independent India. We have the President of one of the political parties holding press meet to condemn the arrest of Anna Hazare, when he has accepted a gift worth Rs.40 Lakhs in some place in Karnataka a couple of days ago. What justifies that? Little does he realize he will be axed sooner or later or rather he knows ways of not getting axed!! Such are our present politicians and political parties.

And now, the Government of India run by the UPA, has taken a step that could only aggravate the matter. I suppose the government is highly supported by functionaries like bureaucrats and political advisors who warrant decisions made by ministers which affects the country on a whole. How non-corrupt or corrupt are they, each one of them? Are they helping decisions for their personal gains? That's really a big question and quite a mystery until there is another elected political party in power. More than half the time and money is spent on unfurling the misdeeds of previous governments or other political parties.

Lets accept the fact that corruption is deep seated in the country since or even before independence, I'm unsure about the events that led to its birth and so I also don't know its birthday! How quickly can you remove it from the very system even after Jan Lokpal Bill comes into existence? Will the ever smart people not find pseudo ways to escape? They will.

That reminds me that this fight is to have the Jan Lokpal Bill intstituted into the constitution. We might succeed in getting it in through a revolutionary movement. However, how successful will any revolution or policy be, unless we do not take that initiative of eradicating corruption from our lives through our day to day activities. Most of us do strive to fight back at the injustice we are meted with, at the very instance. But the tolernace level in India is quite high, so much so that we let it go because we just dont want to spoil our day or we can't wait long enough.

• Why tip the waiter when the restaurant enforces ~5-10% of service charges? (There is a difference between service tax or VAT and service charges)
• Why don't we ask for bills when we purchase something or anything from our neighborhood? (I'm not including shopping in malls and high-end stores)
• Do we even check if those bills have registration numbers of the shop or vendor?
• Do we demand for a bus ticket while commuting short distances, all the time?
• Do we keep a tab on those "jumping jacks" (read meters) while travelling in a rickshaw
• According to me, 98% of fuel stations in the city are corrupt, but they still exist, don't they?
• Do we follow the rules imposed on us? Eg: Traffic system. How pathetic are they?

These are few of the many scenarios that each of us cannot escape as we deal with them everyday, more or less. Do we take action or do we let go is the main point? How else do you think you can eradicate this menace from the society if we do not act upon when required, right then and there.

Long story short, there isn't any great difference to the nation if we extend our virtual support to all the revolutionary movements across all social networking sites, we need to live by those ideals, if not now then when????? Going by the depth of it, it would take generations and centuries to have a CLEAN nation, that we dream off.

The mother of all solutions to this problem is quality education which enables each individual to be a pillar of the nation. The innate quality to demarcate right and wrong. Great ethics and highly professional government. Politicians who are social reformers and work for the upliftment of the country. Ahh!! The thought looks like a re-birth of an ideal nation. I ain't an idealist and there are so many things that our country has in its belly, that I could never come to an understanding with that (Details of which in some other blog, may be).

So, educate, educate as many as you can, in a right way and impart right things, whenever such an opportunity knocks your door. And that is only through your activities. That's the country we would all love to be in.

Re-assess you'd know!!! Do it for yourself and for the country!! And someone noble once said : "You must be the change you want to see in the world." -Mahatma Gandhi.