The enthusiasm in Ralegan Siddhi, the hometown of anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare, is visibly fervent, as the villagers are gearing up for their mentor’s most important fast-unto-death that is scheduled to flag off on August 16, a day after the nation’s Independence Day.
From the village that boasts of one military man in every household, a batch of at least 50 ex-Armymen will be heading for Delhi. Seventy-year-old ex-serviceman Sarjerao Bhalekar said, “It is the vital cause that was started by Anna that takes us to Delhi. The agitation will be conducted peacefully and we are ready to go to jail. We will boost Anna’s morale when he starts his fast-unto-death.”
Apart from the ex-servicemen in the village, several other villagers will also join Anna in Delhi. Moreover, all the 2,000-odd inhabitants of the village have decided to support Anna by organising a series of events right in the village.
The fever has already gripped the small hamlet that lies around 250 km north of Mumbai. “For a week before the scheduled fast-unto-death, we have started off with rallies in the day and candlelight marches during the nights,” said Datta Awari, the person in-charge of Mr Hazare’s office in Ralegan Siddhi.
On August 16, all the villagers will observe a dawn-to-dusk fast and switch off their lights between 8 pm and 9 pm.
For the other days that Anna’s fast continues, the village will see a bell-ringing agitation and a complete shutdown of shops in the village. “Anna is also an ex-serviceman and now we want to create one Anna in every household,” said Nandkumar Mapari, 42, another ex-serviceman.
The roots for Anna’s now powerful anti-corruption crusade are also in this small village when Anna took voluntary retirement from the Army and returned in 1975.
Anna started a watershed development programme in the draught and poverty-affected village, and started a drive to eradicate alcoholism.
He then encouraged villagers to build canals, set up percolation tanks, organise community marriages and plant trees.