The "Anna March"

Anna Hazaare is the name, which does not need an introduction today. He has started a spirit of revolution against corruption in the country. But every time I think about the way, people in India have adopted to fight against this corruption, there is one question that hits my mind hard.

Do the citizens of this nation really need to do what they are doing right now?

Will standing on the roads, causing jams, making human chains from east to west/ north to south of the city will really help?
Will just wanting to stay in a corruption free environment without doing anything concrete about it is the solution?

Many of us won’t agree, even many of my friends do not agree to what I say. But don’t we really need to re-assess the current situation and worth of the ongoing protest in the country. I personally feel that the untapped energy in youths is really being wasted over certain things, which is not going to make things better. One of the examples is these rallies or the “Anna March”, some manipulated version of Dandi March. The only difference being people have come out on roads with the so called reason of standing against the Govt. of India, but have they ever thought about the consequences. Most of them don’t even know why are they a part of the rally, most of the youths take it as an outing with friends and say..“Chal na yaar, we will have fun, aur attendance bhi to mil raha hai”. They are doing the rallies, but I don’t think they even feel the cause about which they are claiming to do all this. Second consequence, the traffic becomes still for certain hours, what if someone needs a quick medical aid and should be taken to hospital urgently. He/ She will die in between, on roads, won’t even reach hospital and get a chance to fight against death. Is it anyway fair to them?

People want a change in the current democratic set up of the nation, by simply relying on the Jan Lokpal bill, is this attitude fair enough? How many of us can take a guarantee that they have never let corruption flourish. I have a number of examples which people may consider as a must to do thing but have made corruption grow in one or the other way.

Most people would have used a cab/auto/taxi some or the other day, would have paid a fixed price, may be even double/triple of what the fair should ideally be. When we have clear norms of hiring an auto and paying on the basis of meter reading, why do we pay 50 bugs for going to the nearby market, which is not even a km or 2 away? Are not we strengthening the intentions of the auto driver to ask for 60 bugs from the next passenger?

Many people pay lacs of Rs as donation to some university/ college or even to schools now-a-days to get their children admitted.

People will pay more than MRP in super/hyper markets for many things quiet often, that too knowingly. They won’t even question this, because they think of their image, what other people will think if I ask for Re 1, which is charged extra. It does not go with my standards to ask for a penny.

People will throw garbage on the roads, spit on walls etc. and ask for cleanliness.

They will bribe just to get a BSNL sim card, electricity, water/ gas cylinder  connection, sometimes even for birth/marriage/death cretificate/ passport clearance and so on. So when we ourselves are not clean how can we ask others to be? Stop giving these bribes, supporting such acts, if no-one will, whom will they ask for bribes?  And not to forget one thing, those who take bribes are also a part of some or the other family, go correct your family members atleast, that will help and not these rallies.

It’s we, the citizens of any nation, who can actually bring a change by a deep sense of commitment and concrete attitude, by constantly working towards it and not some Jan Lok Pal bill.  If you can’t take a guarantee of yourself and your family of being corruption free, how can you even depend on the people who have framed or will be the part of the committee under this bill later?

What we need now is to assess the pain points, to remember our duties first and also contribute towards fulfilling it, because if you forget your Duties, you have no right at all, to claim your Rights..!!