I AM ANNA

The entire participation in corruption corrodes something very intrinsic. Though we make excuses for our contribution to the vicious cycle of corruption, the fact is that we know deep within that it is wrong. That is why there is such an overwhelming manifestation of what is actually an act of self purging. That simple crusader who has taken it upon himself to fight for you and me is like a hope for millions who had surrendered and accepted corruption as a way of life. What one sees today is the euphoria of that realization that I don’t have to live with the humiliation of corruption.

As a common person, the multiple zeros in huge scams mean nothing. it does not touch me immediately, so there is a certain dissociation with the likes of Raja or Kalmadi. It has no apparent impact or connection to my day to day existence. But when I need to pay an additional 100 rupees to get a cooking gas cylinder replaced , when I need to pay the people in the RTO to get a Driving License, when I need to pay that extra to get a Rail ticket, when I see a Govt vehicle and even the Govt run public transport jump the traffic lights with not even as much as a reprimand, when you get held up in traffic for hours at end to facilitate the safe movement of my elected representative- technically my servant, it hurts …..it really hurts.

Such is the humiliation of corruption; where your existence gets abused day after day by those in power. It’s not for nothing that there is so much anger among people. The sickening arrogance of Manish Tiwari as he spewed venom cannot be forgotten or forgiven easily. Then to add insult to injury you have an impassive Chidambaram flaunting his impotence for the nth time as the Home Minister. Not to miss out the benign face of our Prime Minister who looks as maddeningly innocent as a puppet that keeps running into blunders as the strings that pull him have got all tangled. No doubt people have begun to compare the Congress to a motherless child! There are other Congress darlings too……… Manu Abhishek Singhvi, Renuka Chowdhury and Kapil Sibal who have rewritten the import of the word “obnoxious”

As a hardworking,, taxpaying citizen of India, I am Anna. I am Anna and I have more than the only disgusting and frustrating choice of negating some people with a switch of channels, I am Anna and I have heard the voice of my conscience that tells me to rise above this constant humiliation, I am Anna because I am not weak and helpless . I am Anna because I have the power to question those whom I put in the throne of power, I am Anna because I am a free, proud, and self-respecting Indian.