Fasting Not Fighting

8/3/2019 Fasting Not Fighting

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Fasting, Not Fighting, For Change:

The Case of Anna Hazare

Spark The Rise: One man in India leads the changePhoto Credit:Spencer Wilton

Late last year, a little known man from Sidi

Bouzid in Tunisia set himself on fire in protestof the mistreatment he suffered from municipal

government officials. The death of 26 year-old

Mohamed Bouazizi sparked off a huge public

outcry and violence in Tunisia, and several

other Arab countries, including a similarly

successful mass revolution in Egypt where then-
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President Hosni Mubarak was removed from

office after 29 years in power.

Evidently, the medium is the message. The act of self-immolation byBouazizi was the catalyst that brought about what is today known andreferred to as the Arab Spring. Despots and autocratic rulers whohad held on to power for decades were unceremoniously ousted afterunprecedented and unforeseen mass demonstrations and protestsagainst years of suppression, poverty and inequality. Many Arabcommentators have called on Bouazizi as a heroic martyr of a newMiddle Eastern revolution.

Over in South Asia, a vaguely similar story unfolds, albeit without thehorrific violence witnessed as the world stood by the Arab nations asthey struggled for emancipation.

In India, a relatively little known man Kisan Baburao Hazare, from asmall village Hingangaon near the city of Bhingar, is the face behinda widespread populist movement across India. Better known as AnnaHaraze, the 74 year-old man is a former soldier and grassroots leader

turned social activist.

Anna Hazare has been making headlines in India and in internationalnews for his fight against corruption. Effectively the front man for thelatest anti-corruption campaign in India, Hazare gained fame for hismethod of protest: Hunger striking.

On the 5th of April this year, Haraze embarked on a hunger strike to

exert pressure on the Indian government to enact a strict anti-corruption law as envisaged in the Jan Lokpal Bill, or anti-corruptionbill. Ideally, an independent ombudsman would be created and vestedwith the power to deal with corruption in public offices.

What started off as a personal conviction quickly snowballed tobecome a highly politicized event in India. Hazares fast has led tonationwide protests, in strong support of Hazare.


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However, Hazare is not without detractors. Many have accused hismethods as being unconstitutional and interfering with the lawmakingprocess in India, with his allies (dubbed Team Anna) effectivelyholding a democratically elected government hostage in a bid toinfluence their agenda on the Jan Lokpal bill.

A Call To Action

The case of Anna Hazare is a miniscule illustration of theoverwhelming desire that Indians have for change. For a man ofsimple origins, Anna Hazare has become the public face for whatmany see as a modern day struggle between the average Indian and

the ruling elite class. Hazare, or the idea of what he stands for, hasmanaged to galvanize a large and unexpected middle class that islargely alienated from politics.

And they are not satisfied with the status quo.

Across India, welfare groups and non-governmental organizationshave been working to improve inequality. Furthermore, in a country

where industry contributes largely to GDP, it is perhaps not surprisingthat companies are also joining in this push.

Anand Mahindra, vice-chairman and managing director ofmultinational conglomerate Mahindra & Mahindra, is one man tryingto inspire Indians to step up and shape their future.

Mahindras Spark the Rise initiative is a unique kind of socialplatform for ideas that can drive positive change at a grassroots level.

Through engagement with individuals, communities, NGOs andsocial enterprises, innovative and sustainable ideas will be providedwith a financial grant of Rs 4 lakh (US$8724) from Mahindra &Mahindra. In the first week of its launch, Spark the Rise had alreadyreceived 1,960 project proposals ranging from agricultural tourism toentrepreneurship.

Rise is a simple call to action, Mahindra said. We want to

encourage people to be part of this movement and to engage with theidea of Rise - to think outside the box, to be inspired and ultimately to
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take action. A big idea often begins with a tiny spark of inspirationaspark that can sometimes even ignite a revolution. ThroughSpark theRisewe seek to not only create a platform for Sparks across thecountry to connect, collaborate and drive positive change but alsolend financial support to the best ideas.

Addressing the need for corporate accountability, Ratan Tata,Chairman of Tata Sons, recently acknowledged that corruption is akey challenge for businesses and those who do not participate in itlose out in a non-level playing field business environment.

It has only become worse and more difficult. If you choose not to

participate in this, then you leave behind a fair amount of businessbecause unlike in 1991, it is not only in license approvals. It is now inawarding contracts, in change in the terms of contractual obligation,said Tata at the function in Mumbai. To young employees who wouldrather that Tata be part of this, he would reply, I would rather like

to hold my head high.

Hunger for change need not be carried out only under politicizedconditions and social climates. As Indias political and spiritual

leader, Mahatma Gandhi, aptly said, Be the change you want to seein the world.
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Infographic:Qais Consulting

Its Not An Arab Spring Not In India

Consequently, some have attempted to liken the Anna Hazare proteststo the revolts that swept across the Middle East. Like the Arab springprotests that crushed dictatorships in Tunisia and Egypt and sparkedcontinuing protests in Syria, Bahrain, Yemen and Libya, the anti-graftmovementcentered chiefly in Delhiis spontaneous, urban,organized through social digital media networks, and has garnered thesupport of tens of thousands of mostly young middle-class workers

throughout key Indian cities.

Yet, that is as much common ground as there is. Further attempts todraw parallels would serve none of the movements any justice.

For the most part of it, the Arab uprising was a series of popular wraththat challenged an established, authoritarian political system that hadexisted for decades. Protestors were challenging a form of

governance, calling for a complete overhaul of systemic rule. Undersuch circumstances, it was easy to identify and pinpoint the source ofpain down to a single despot.

The protests that have been enacted in India have been relativelyrestrained. There have been no episodes of armed violence, no reportsof harassment, no reports of civilian deaths. Instead, it is has beenreported that supporters of Anna Hazare have so far conductedthemselves with an air of civility, perhaps with a handful of

anomalous outbursts of anger.

Bureaucratic corruption in India has become so rampant thatcorruption has become an institution by itself. For many Indians, thishas been grudgingly accepted a facet of everyday life. Protestors arenot calling for the fall of any establishment, they are looking to theirleaders, like Mahindra and Tata, for change. Anna Hazare is callingfor a new corruption bill that includes the prime minister and the

judiciary in its purview. Likewise, Indian protestors are rallying, arms
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linked in support, behind the lone man who has chosen to take aprincipled stand against corruption.

Michele Lin,

Fasting Not Fighting

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