Alok surprised me when on enquiry on phone, he told me that the local young men are also holding protest rally in Karaghar Block of District Rohtas, Bihar. In evening again, I found a group of young men passing in front of my Noida residence on motor cycles with national flags shouting slogans for Anna again and it amazed me. How have Anna and his movement become so popular?
Arguments coming out of Congress spokespersons be it Manish Tiwari declaring Anna a corrupt, or Rashid Alwai claiming the Anaa’s movement a handiwork of Americans can’t save Congress. As reported, Rahul Gandhi has asked the spokesmen not to do that. I don’t if they will follow.

People of all hues and clans, be the students, lawyers or IT workers, men and women, young and old, folk artists and poets from New Delhi to New York, from remote block head quarters of Bihar to London and San Francisco, are on streets for supporting the mission of Anna in fight to create a corruption-free India. Are they serious about the eradication of corruption? How many of the people on the road will take a written vow against asking for or giving any bribe? How many of them will dare to be a whistle-blower against someone demanding bribe from any acquaintance?

Domestic as well as world media both print and digital are full time busy in exhibiting and providing all the details of the Anna’s protest. Foreign media such as New York Times and Economist have covered the event. Many times, the crowd on the street appears to be as holiday revels with all sorts of painted faces and pushing to come under TV frames. Can they avoid making any inconveniences for the regular movement of the people or vehicles? Will they complete their professional assignments and only after the office hours join the protest? The nation must not suffer.

Many a times, I wonder if whatever is happening today with the whole India on road against corruption and the government that doesn’t assure a strong bill against corruption, will badly affect the image of India. Perhaps it will enhance its image and the depth of its democracy, if the corruption level goes down and transparency index improves.

After Jai Prakash Narayan’s ‘sampoorn kranti’ movement, perhaps it is the first time that India is seeing a people’s movement on such a large scale throughout the country. Even the POIs in metros worldwide are demonstrating. And it’s all peaceful. I pray no amount of instigation by unscrupulous agents to provoke the people for violence to succeed.

I wish the government would have opened the channels of negotiations with Hazare and his team members so that the fast could have ended soon. Hazare continuance in Tihar shows another failure of the government. The government would have persuaded him to move to some respectable guest house. His stay in Tihar sends a wrong message to the illiterate masses.

I hope India emerges stronger after the movement achieves its mission and the governance becomes more accountable and efficient.