Anna Hazare's relevance

He’s not a Gandhi (by his own admission); he’s not a politician in the usual sense of the term (he has given enough indications of it); he’s not a VVIP with wide connections; he’s not a rich man either. Yet he counts. He has not only reinforced that it’s people’s power is the ultimate in Indian democracy, but the democracy which may be ripe for a revolution.
Mr. Hazare has emerged as a leader in his own right, trying to achieve the dreams of the ordinary Indian --- the foremost being the removal of corruption from top to bottom and across institutions.
His relevance to modern India --- despite his adoption of the traditional satyagraha --- and its people cannot be doubted. His peaceful agitation has ignited the minds young Indians whose conscience had already been tweaked by the former President Abdul Kalam. Dr. Kalam too had tried to band together the youth of the country for developmental purposes. His action plans and vision continue to guide the youth but on a different plane.
What the country needed was a spark for national-level action programmes and that came in the form of Mr. Hazare’s steadfast agitation against corruption – an issue that struck the right chord with all.
The people now realise that they need not feel helpless in challenging the monster of corruption. With able support from similar socially conscious people, Mr. Hazare took the centrestage and was the cynosure of all during the campaign that has reached greater heights.
He has sown the seeds of fearlessness, cooperation, and social dynamism among the people – the participation of lakhs of people in the movement vouches for that.
With the present government caught in a vortex of scandals and seen to be a face of corruption , the political course of the country is set to change drastically. Mr. Hazare and his team have revived the nationalistic fervour of the pre-Independence days.
If political intrigues succeed in stifling the people’s movement, it will be the saddest chapter in modern Indian history. If, on the other hand, people continue to support Anna and help achieve success in the fight against corruption and other ills of society, it will be the golden era for India.