Reaches out for social media help at temple in rural Delaware.
By Niharika Mookerjee
HOCKESSIN (DELAWARE): They came in droves, the desis, in their Lexus, their Mercedez Benz and the latest BMW, the young and the old, emerging out of their Yankee lifestyles, to see the frail, the aging, grand old man in his late 70’s, Anna Hazare, perhaps, the last bearer of the Gandhian cap of the Indian sub-continent. He was to speak at the Delaware Hindu Temple, the news of which caused a stir in the average-sized Indian community in rural Hockessin, starved for such excitement.
So what interest did they have in a social activist, who lived in a 10 feet by 12 feet room at a temple, who talked of dispossession of material wealth and whose values were totally disparate from theirs? Was it the nationalism of the diaspora unable to shake off the pull for the homeland or the last reminder of innocence and simplicity that they themselves had cast off in pursuit of western capitalism?
A dapper young man, Soham Gandhi, a recent graduate of the University of Delaware, wanted a picture with the Anna. He said he swore by his cause as he wanted to see “corruption rooted out of India, and an improvement in general standards of living out there.” Born and brought up in the United States, he felt he still had a stake in the land of his forefathers.
“It was that unmistakable sense of my Indian identity which tagged along no matter where I went,” he said. A syndrome that most Indian American youth would find it hard to deny.
On the other hand, Shantibhai Mehta, who has lived in the USA for 50 years and is older than Hazare, wanted to pay homage to the closest representative of Gandhi he could ever get in his lifetime. For others such as Ravi Kothari, one of the trustees of the temple, Hazare was “the last chance to weed out corruption in India” about which he regretted that “not only the people at the top were to be blamed but the general population as a whole.”
Interestingly enough, although emotional investment in India was restricted to a visit or two a year among these attendees, each had an idea about how to turn around the country through remote-control. Perhaps, their individual success or their mounting bank balance had provided that surge of confidence.
Some wondered why the two-party system of the US couldn’t be reinforced there, while others shook their heads and reflected upon how appalling the deterioration of values among youngsters back in India seemed compared to the hallowed traditions they strove to preserve in their own societies.
These attitudes ought not to come as a surprise any longer. Studies have shown that long distance nationalist groups have a noted proclivity towards narrow-minded ideas compared to the original residents of homeland, and that they can be quite stubborn when it comes to making compromises on sensitive issues such as religion or culture.
So, to the rallies of “Jai Hind!” and the rousing singing of the Indian national anthem, Hazare’s speech started off on a rather somber note.
His friend, Narendra Dabholkar, a fellow activist, had been murdered in Mumbai that very day and Hazare implored for a minute of silence from the crowd. About corruption in India, Hazare observed, speaking in Hindi, that change would come only when people with good character and morality come into the Parliament.
“Chaabi voter ke hath mein hain, lekin voter hee bhul gaya hai. Hume voter ko jagana hain. Jab tak voter charitravaan logon ko samsad mein nehin chunenge, tab tak parivartan nehin ayega. ” {Voters have the key to change but they have forgotten to use it. We have to awaken the people. Until they choose to side with people of good character, there will not be any change in the country.)
He reminded the audience that biases towards any political party or the party system itself was nowhere mentioned in the constitution. Instead, the constitution argued for a “loktantra,” which is the right of the common man to stand in the elections.
“Aaj kahan loktantra hain? Humare desh ke saath dhoka dhari hui hai (Where is democracy or people’s rule? Our country has been betrayed),” he declared. In 1952, the aftermath of independence had given way to realpolitik of governance that involved political parties bargaining, negotiating and compromising, resulting in the formation of various parties that required monetary backing. Consequently, candidates flaunting monetary power came into prominence even if they held criminal records, which in turn led to corruption in the system.
He pointed out that up until now, 163 members of parliament have a criminal past and 35 ministers have been allegedly accused of having a blemished record. Unless the voters made a calculated decision to stand for integrity and made a balidan at the altar of the nation, the country would remain stagnant.
Additionally, it was important for voters to assert the right to reject candidates in the electoral ballot if none of them met the required moral standards.
However, in a country where thousands lived impoverished lives, was it even remotely possible to blame the poor if they availed of bribes during election time? Hazare maintained that if the country needed to make changes as a whole, it was imperative for its citizens to sacrifice, to build strong character, and to acquire the ability to endure pain and insults. This, in short, has been his life’s philosophy.
Recipient of the Padma Bhushan, Hazare has also spent several years imprisoned. With 40 years dedicated to the service to the nation, his life is a testament to the non-acquisition of wealth and celibacy for which he says he has been repaid in full by “happiness.”
“Arre lakhpati logon ko jo anand nahi milta hoga, mein woh anand anubhav karta hoon.” (Millionaires don’t experience the happiness that I have). In the US people live in air conditioned rooms but need sleeping pills at night. On the other hand, I have very little in possession but need no pills to sleep, he said. Mere paas shanti hai aur Bharat jaisa bara parivaar hai (I have peace and the whole country as my family). In my tours across the whole country I am subjected to criticism, ridicule and hostility but it has not deterred me in any way, he added. Thakan nahin, diabetes nahin, koyee injection nehin. Yeh kiska prabhav hai? Anand,” he said.
His mission to cover long lengths of the country comes in the wake of his desire to awaken the voters of the serious issues at stake and of their own rights. The passionate and unapologetic thrust towards accountability in governance resulted in passage of seven laws, most notably the Right to Information that was first passed in Maharashtra in 2002 and then implemented by the central government in 2005.
Hazare assured his US based supporters that he had little need for money from them. “Hume paise kee zaroorat nahin hai. Sirf aapka dil chahiye humare saath (I have no need for your money. Only your love and support).”
He said he needed educated Indians to provide him with social media help and technical support in combating corruption, knowledge-based help to form civil-society institutions and organizations.
Asked by a member of the audience if he would vote for Narendra Modi in the coming elections, he responded saying that Modi would have to run as an independent, and forfeit his party affiliations to BJP to win Hazare’s vote. He also confirmed that his friendship with his colleague, Arvind Kejriwal, remained intact, although he had differed with Kejriwal’s decision to form the Aam Aadmi Party.
To contact the author, email to niharikam@americanbazaaronline.com