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Understanding the Essence of Hazare’s Protest They say there may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest. That is what Anna Hazare did and succeeded and returned the essence of Gandhian way of dealing with issues wonder why any good news is not a news in India and why does hollow perspectivism follows linking even a praiseworthy task like linking Anna’s supporting Narender Modi or coming elections or deeming bill’s passage act as merely the job of parliamentary session, or an activity of creating an undemocratic exercise,etc,.Agreeing to his demand of introducing Lokpal Bill in the parliament for stringent anti-corruption measures, should not only be merely understood as the victory of Anna Hazare or of democracy but must be seen as the beauty of India as a nation par-excellence, though acknowledging that there should not have been the need of Hazare’s toil and a fast of ninety seven hours ,to get a nod to such a public friendly measure and government should have understood the need for the stringent anti-corruption policy after 2G scam, wrongful CVC appointment and Black money issues, etc,. However, respecting Anna’s protest and of those who followed and supported him in this cause, itself speaks of the country’s real concern towards addressing a genuine protest, paying heed to a senior citizen’s and activist’s ambitions and agreeing simply keeping his endeavour of serving the nation via his protest in view. Not only its beautiful environs but such a spirit makes the country rightful to be called as incredible India. I believe in the holistic south Asia, India is the only country which gives a plentiful space to activism, to the institution of protest, rational anti-government voices, bandhs and strikes and even tolerates anti-national behaviour of its citizens now and then by treating it as a simple angry outburst against the administration, shows concern to the hunger strike of a senior citizen and activist, mobilizes its government on a citizen’s fast and cares about his health by accepting his demands, promises anti-graft law bill’s realization and feels contented only after the strike is over, which shows a functional and timely concern to a demand by one of the sons of the soil, which makes India politically stunning and a real crown in the continent in terms of being a true democratic state. But we need not to be satiated at this only, still much more needs to be done and paid attention to. Despite it has proved that our government has the potential of addressing the issues beset to the wider public, still there are even more grave concerns than even this, prevelant in the country at the moment. A girl is murdered in the country’s capital itself, in the broad day light on the road (March, 8, Radhika Tanwar, 20, DU student) and even CCTV is present, still no footage available, speaking of the security measures prevalent in our system, further growing criminality, insecurity even in the metro cities, gender crisis, youth unrest, alarming violence and proliferation of terror across the nation invites a serious concern. Like Anna, thinking for the whole social organism and challenging authority peacefully is a powerful sprit that has to be continued and carried across the nation, irrespective of its geography and regional locations and a special and interesting listening has to be rendered to the people of conflict zones be it north east or Kashmir especially. Every senior citizen or any protester, who is thrashed by police bashes, has to be understood in the context of Hazare’s perspective ,needs to be given respect and must be treated equally an important citizen of the country as Hazare. Reaching to conflict zones with keen interest to see the contextual situation in person by the authorities and to safeguard human rights in every condition and solving their grievances once and for all should be policy of tackling issues in the country not mere delaying politics and the routine of hanging up issues for long to give space to bloodshed, chaos, disorder, terror, violence, agony, suffering and prolonged pain. Issues in the country need to be taken seriously and should be solved without even waiting for people’s cries and protests. We need to understand that all protests are not a mere symbolism of violence and terrorism, silence too can be a form of latent protest accompanied with hopelessness of the system. Violence erupts out of inhuman treatment meted to protesters, discrimination and out of the people’s feeling of alienation and worthlessness in their own land and delaying of justice develops more violence, hatred and alienation among citizens. So there is a dire need to see public rage and anger especially in Manipur and Kashmir from varied angles and need for the proper objective approach to address and have an assessment of the hostilities in such volatile geographies across the country, to beautify the democratic ethos further. We must also realise that shooting at protesters will not solve the problems but aggravate and intensify further hostilities and public aggression, what exactly was witnessed last summer in Kashmir. Apart from this, there is a dire need of bringing transparency to every institution be it governmental or non-governmental, so that our tax payers hard earned money is not used in luxury entertainment by politicians like Raja and many others like him, it should be used in poverty alleviation, against hunger, for educational empowerment and other people friendly purposes. More importantly, India should deliver equal treatment to its all regions, irrespective of religion, caste and location basis, it should not resort to brute force against its own people and install draconian laws like AFSPA, etc., hastily thereby making people’s lives miserable and vulnerable to unaccounted killings, murders, tortures, inhuman treatment ,fake encounters, mistreatment to women, etc,.Those who have just experienced state’s repression and ugly treatment only, should now be let to taste the fruit of India and see its beauty, grandeur and magnificence in terms of free voice, ample economic opportunities, proper representation, Security and life with honour and dignity. Let it take the pledge to solve all pending issues, filter every institution, throw tainted and corrupt people out of the system, form a strong anti-corruption regulation policy, work on vulnerable gender safety and general security to life of its citizens to deliver the sense of dignified, purposeful, honest and safe living in this great country. Let it respect every reasonable voice so that India can literally claim of being the world’s largest democracy in true sense. And let it make friendly relations across whole south Asia to work for common good and allow cross border mobility of masses at LOC especially between two Kashmir’s to address the long suffering of the people of two regions and develop the vision of delivering upon silent protests. Hazare’s protest conferred dignity on him, on our democracy and on the country as a whole, let such a dignity be vested to all the fellow citizens living in the conflict zones of India by changing the perspective of seeing at their protests not as futile but something worth addressing. Anna’s protest gives us a simple message that it is the duty of a good citizen not to be silent when it becomes necessary to speak. It also gives a message to the state that don’t wait for the repetition of protests in any part of the country and then to act and give first and foremost priority to the recognition of people’s rights in this country. (Adfar Shah is a Doctoral Candidate of Sociology at Faculty of Social Sciences, Jamia Millia Islamia- Central University, New Delhi. Reach at adfer.syed@gmail.com)
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Anna Hazare, Corruption, Jan Lokpal Bill, anshan(fast), protest.,
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