There is no escaping the current wave of movement in India (and for Indians outside of it) concerning the status of #LokpalBill, #AnnaHazare and the #Futureofindiangoverningsystem. From the surge in news through the web of social media, one would think it is easy to understand the basis of this movement. Yet, to be very honest, I feel a bit disoriented about this entire episode. There are so many articles, discussions, forums regarding various standpoints on this movement – whether the Lokpal Bill is good for the nation or Anna Hazare’s movement needs to be supported or will these together harm the overall functioning (in its current manner – right or wrong) of the country. Anna Hazare’s fast seems to be the means to bring out this bill that has the ability to fight corruption at all levels. A true Gandhian would believe that ‘ends do not justify the means’ and this movement is another classic example (aside from the entire independence movement) of the quote. Bill or no Bill, I do not believe it will bring an overnight solution to the problem – it is not a magic wand (Loved your speech Mr. Jaitley and yes, there is no such wand out there!) that would remove the illegal systems that govern our country.
So in all of this, I ask myself whether I support Anna Hazare - Yes I do. Not the man per se but his means to tackle this problem is what I wholeheartedly value. This is a clear example of standing up to one’s principles and it requires a lot of conviction. In current day and age, our generation is so blinded by what goes on that it is rare to find situations that have such integrity and the fact that we get to live through such situations, the least we can do is be inspired and make a difference. There may be a lot of individuals/groups that do not support this man. And rightly so. If you do not believe in Lokpal or Hazare and do not want to support it, that is fine. Everyone has their own views and approach to what they believe in. But the point is whether we make a real impact to what we truly believe in. That in itself is more crucial than merely pointing fingers at those who are atleast attempting to ‘make a difference’.
I personally do not view this movement as a fight to destabilize the existing government or to find faults in the ‘foreign’ ruler. But it is to stand up to our own social and moral responsibilities. This fight is not only about the kind of corruption that goes on at the top level, but more importantly, how we would tackle those kinds of instances that run our day-to-day functioning – traffic violation, drivers’ license, school admissions, taxes, etc. If we do not fight these daily situations in the spirit of ‘Change’, the Bill will result into an even more dangerous entity. After all, it is we the people that contribute to such situations in the first place and not just the politicians and the bureaucrats.
It is not easy to take that first step – but we can use this movement to our advantage. This is by far the best opportunity we have to make the most of the time and its relevance (read = elections) and thereby pave way to ‘create’ a situation for the right kind of people/party worthy of support. Anna Hazare gives us hope – and all we have to do is take those baby steps – be inspired and make a difference.
