BlogDosts, I am in no mood to share bright and happy pictures from some distant land, when there is so much going on in our own backyard. But this image is apt - and it isn't Dharavi. The slums outside Mexico City stretch for miles and miles. And yes, corruption rules there as well. Guns do all the talking. Right-minded people are waiting for a Messiah to save them from venal politicians. The story is pretty simlar. And an unlikely poet has managed to inspire the youth... just as Anna Hazare seems to be doing in India. The poet, who was virtually unknown till he took on the powers that be after his young son was shot dead by trigger happy cops, has since devoted his time to demanding change , but in a peaceful , law abiding manner. So far, his campaign has worked brilliantly with thousands of young people supporting him as he travels from city to city, village to village, demanding change and transparency.Has India reached the Tipping Point? Not quite.
Anna is the messenger. Not the message. The cause is far bigger than the individual. Take away those TV cameras, and front page coverage, and see what happens. Everybody is jumping onto the Anna bandwagon, even those who don't quite know what this is all about. Let's not confuse issues and personalities. Let's leave Mahatma Gandhi out of this protest. Why not demand a National Referendum and ask the people of India to vote directly? Does anybody have the guts \ political will to go for this option? Of course, not! Dramabaazi gets more eyeballs. And which person today is above and beyond encouraging a personality cult?
Corruption is a national evil. That's a given. But a politician by any other name, is still a politician. Let us resist the temptation to deify an individual and bestow instant sainthood on the person, because it makes us feel more virtuous. Millions of our people starve... yes, starve! What stops us from giving up a meal for them? Candle light vigils look good on TV - they don't fill those hungry stomachs.
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