. If you are an Indian ,then there is no better time than the present time-frame to celebrate your 24-25th birthday . I have not seen the Quit India Movement ,just heard it, as if it was a fairytale, from my grandfather. Neither have I witnessed the emergency period, stories (rather incidents) of which I have heard from my parents. I always wondered what a movement is like , whether its tyrannical, lazy or exotic until I saw one.
The Gen-Y has termed this era as a revolution. I, being a part of the Gen-Y and a democracy disagree completely. This is not a revolution. A revolution to me, both literally and figuratively means a complete overhaul. An upside down strategy required when one has reached a dead end, when the thought process of a state has saturated and when the ideologies upon which the nation has strengthened its roots have deprecated.. What we as a nation want is a deviation in our thinking, a tilt, a subtle and gradual change in our ideology.
Corruption is a cancer ,no doubt ,and it is eating our country out, but then , there is a pending topic of red terror(in simple words, we call it Maoism which is drawn out of extreme poverty)., and also do we have the all time hit insurgencies by China and Pakistan on either sides. But then we can’t hide away from the fact that we are on our way with zooming economy and rock the stage when it comes to demographic dividend. So here’s a 3-dimensional situation with corruption, poverty-cum-terror and achievements as its subsequent faces. This is the rubics cube that we have to solve.
It would be a horrendous task to undermine our civil institutions and the clauses and phrases of our constitution , because they are the galleries of our republic that endorse the freedom to its citizens, freedom that has made this multicultural,multilingual,world’s largest electorate hold its democratic power, a power that has created the great Ramlila Maidan celeberation.
So do I admire Anna Hazare. Yes, I very much do. But having said that, I am not Anna. I am the citizen of India and I have a distinct spirit and have a distinct opinion , which , in all the good senses , is for the welfare of this nation. And perhaps Anna also wants such mentality to sprout. He doesn’t want us to blindly follow him, or write petitions in blood but ,put opinions, discuss the pros and cons of the bill. Never mind if a person is against the bill, he should have the confidence to put forward his issues if he has the zeal to regulate corruption., thereby really supporting him. This way we will strengthen our democracy and its institutions , where there is a rule of the public and which for the last 64 years has been shouting that this land is for the people, of the people and by the people.
In a country where corruption is channelized to each nook and corner and where conducting a referendum will end up being a wild goose chase, the educated youth, and the sensitive middle class should stand up, hold public discussions about the prospects of Jan Lokpal, extend the whole thought process to the villages and all the downtrodden. That will be the only way the Jan Lokpaal will truly reflects our democracy and will amalgamate the interests of the nation’s billion people.
And yes one more appeal, stop saying that we are against corruption, that will be analogous to running away from the truth. The honest and brave way will be to accept that “yes we were corrupt”, and “now we have the courage to reinvent ourselves”. That will be the right way forward, perhaps that will be Anna’s way
P.S. 'I”d rather not be Anna' was the title of a provocative article by Arundhati Roy. I being an ardant fan of her was disappointed by her take on the whole issue.and therefore this reprise versionis an apology anda fan’s take for that article.
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