Hazare's movement
August 30, 2011
In the past few weeks, the Indian media has been overwhelmed by every move 74-year-old Anna Hazare makes and every word he says. Some say Kisan Baburao Hazare, who is known as "Anna," which means elder brother, has united the entire country. Others believe he has divided it.
The last time mass demonstrations took place on such a large scale in India was in 1975, when former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi imposed a state of emergency in the country. This is the first time since then that thousands of people have been arrested at demonstrations. Anna has become a symbol, an icon of resistance and is regarded by many as a savior. His cult status often seems to overshadow his fight against corruption.
Especially the youth in India seem to be mesmerized by him and the fact that one voice out of 1.13 billion others can be heard in the world's largest democracy. A young woman from New Delhi describes her feelings: "This was very important for us. We do not know how long this will last. But Anna Hazare's struggle has created a consciousness. People have realized that this is about something big, that dishonesty is despicable."
The savior as a mobile App
Anna Hazare's "Team Anna," the network of his supporters, which includes Bollywood and sports stars, writers and celebrities, have used the Indian media frenzy to their advantage. They have created a Hazare campaign App and also a youtube video which has gone viral. The popular video shows his supporters singing a theme song for India's anti-corruption bill, "My country, my pride, my honor." Social networks such as Facebook and Twitter have been spreading his messages in realtime.
India has the world’s largest population of young people; 30 percent of people in India are under 14 years of age. The average age is 26. Many of these young people want the "second independence struggle," as Hazare refers to his movement, to be carried forward. "We have all made a promise," says a young student in New Delhi. "We are not corrupt and we will not bribe anyone either. We have posted the words 'keep India corruption-free' on our Facebook walls. That is our slogan." She says she has been inspired to become socially active by cleaning up the streets with friends: "Wherever there is garbage on the streets, we clean it up and throw it into the trash bins."
The struggle is not over
While critics have accused Anna Hazare of nullifying the laws of a democracy and blackmailing the government by suppressing any sort of discussion, prominent sociologist Yogendra Yadav sees the movement as the sign of a strengthening democracy. "One is profoundly mistaken to believe that street contestations and agitations are against the spirit of a democracy. These pulls and pressures (are) very much the staple of democracy and strengthen it." He believes new energy and leadership qualities will come out of this kind of people's movement. To put it in Yadav's words: "Hazare's movement...has also infused a lot of energy and leadership in our public life and given opportunity to Indians to transition from subjects to citizens."
Anna Hazare wants to carry his struggle forward. Before being sent to the hospital after ending his 13-day hunger strike, he announced his upcoming plans to travel around the country to ensure people do not vote for criminals or politicians who are suspicious in any way.
Problems galore
India holds a bad track record when it comes to corruption. Of the 543 new members of parliament who were elected in 2009, 150 (27 percent) either had pending court cases against them or an existing criminal record. 480 out of 543 members of parliament are millionaires; many are billionaires (in Indian Rupees). However, one fourth of the Indian population lives below the poverty line as defined by the United Nations. India is seen as an important upcoming superpower. Yet its voters, a large part of whom are young, believe they are not adequately represented, as many members of parliament are senior citizens; 37 of them are over 70 years of age and 190 are aged between 55 and 70.
Author: Priya Esselborn / mg
Editor: Sarah Berning