Anna, a symbol of hope for modern India

The Return of Gandhi in Anna
Anna Hazare is the good thing to have happened to India for a long while. Anna is able to galvanize a nation, which has always moved on reluctantly with a sense of resignation. With his Gandhian face, he is able to appeal to a cross-section of an audience. The cause he has chosen (anti-corruption) has indeed helped people to relate to this Gandhi-like person. His non-violent approach to the cause has endeared him to many. If proofs were to be needed, the post-arrest protests across the country provide them in plenty. Indeed, he has brought in a new awakening in the system. Surely, this is set to usher in a change which, I guess, will eventually do a world of good to the country as a whole.
Take a look at the protesting people. The protesting crowd cuts across age, gender, religion, and geography. This crowd of protesters is a very refreshing sight to watch! A sense of assurance and a feeling of pride creep through the mind, which has largely been held hostage by a long-entrenched cynicism. Anna transmits a ray of hope for modern India.
The rise of Anna is also a sad commentary on the eroding faith in the political class. Politicians as a whole have to be blamed for the mess they find themselves in at the moment. Is it right to blame them alone, however? ``People get the Government they deserve,'' it is said. One may be tempted to say ``people also get the politicians they deserve.'' One cannot isolate one section of the population from the rest and put the entire blame on it for all the mess. Given the general degradation in moral values, it is not incorrect to assume that the current state affair reflects the deeper malise afflicting the nation. Clensing must begin first at the level of individuals. The Anna factor, hopefully, will help everybody to look inward and erase the dirt out.
Anna has indeed woken the nation out of slumber. At the moment, he is the symbol of a new India.