Even as Anna Hazare broke his fast, every household in his hometown Ralegan Siddhi adorned their doors with victory flags to mark the success of the anti-corruption crusader on Sunday.
A celebratory mood gripped the small hamlet with villagers dancing to patriotic songs and arranging colourful processions as they prepared for a grand homecoming for Mr Hazare.
In fact, spontaneous celebrations were witnessed on Saturday evening itself, after the Jan Lokpal Bill got an in-principle nod in both the Houses.
A flag hoisting session was organised on Sun-day morning. Women erected “Gudhis” (a long stick wrapped with a silk cloth and a silver utensil on it), traditionally practised on the occasion of the Marathi New Year. The villagers gathered near the Yadavababa temple where Mr Hazare lives, to celebrate the victory. Tech-savvy youths in the village also uploaded photographs of exuberance and announced Mr Hazare’s victory on social networking sites.
The village has come a long way from a draught affected region to a model village. “This is the victory of democracy. Anna stood by his stand till the end and we were always confident about him,” said a jubilant Datta Awari, in-charge of Mr. Hazare’s office in the village.
The villagers danced to the tunes of It happens only in India and A.R Rahman’s famous composition Jai Ho.
The anger and rage over the logjam on the Lokpal issue was replaced with happiness.