Anna Hazare- India' s New Messiah

 Protests, rallies,marches,  demonstrations, strikes etc.  are  quite  common  in India,  the  world 's  largest  democracy. People  express  their  angst and  emotions through them. They  demand justice,  social action  and  government intervention. Most  of  this  public  activity  is  politically  motivated. Every  now  and then we  come  face  to  face   with   them.

But   the  month  of  August  saw  the  mother of  all  campaigns which  united  the   whole   of  India and  made  the   ruling  coalition government sweat profusely.

Anna  Hazare,  the  74  year  old  crusader against  corruption  lit  a  fire which   spread   all  across  India

Middle  class  Indian  society  joined  in to  oppose  corruption  and  scams which  have  caught several  politicians  and  VIPs  in their  net.
Mr  Hazare  went   on  a  fast  which  lasted   for  12  days  and  kept  everyone  on  tenterhooks and  glued  to  the  TV.
I  am quite   skeptical  of  the  Lokpal  Anti  corruption  bill which  is   the  bone   of  contention  between   the  government  and   social  and  civil  activists.
It  will  take  more  than  a  law  to  eradicate  or   at  least  lessen the  corruption an d moral  decay  which   has  seeped  into  our   society.  A change  of  heart  is  required.

I  took  some  photos   at  the  local  demonstration,  marches and   speeches  in  the  city  center.

(A  BBC  report)

Mr Hazare's campaign to strengthen an anti-corruption bill has received widespread support, with tens of thousands of people attending protests across the country.

The Indian government has been rocked by recent corruption scandals including an alleged telecoms bribery scam that may have cost the country $39bn (£23bn), suspected financial malpractice linked to the Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games and accusation that homes for war widows were diverted to civil servants.

Critics of the government say the scandals point to a pervasive culture of corruption in Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's administration.

A recent survey said corruption in Asia's third largest economy had cost billions of dollars and threatened to derail growth.

A  model  of  Anna  Hazare

The  horrific   face   of   corruption

Social  activists taking  a  stand

The  young  and   the  old  join  in  patriotic  fever.

Campaign  merchandise. I  bought  a  cloth  cap.

A  local  politician giving   an  interview.

I   am  calling  Anna  Hazare  , India' s  new  Messiah  because  he  was  able  to  rally  toegther  his   countrymen  of   all  ages, backgrounds  and  walks  of  life  together  for   a  common  cause. They   found   a  role  model  in  him,  an  idealist,  a Gandhi like   hero.