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Journalism of Courage
How Noida made hay while Anna shone
Though Anna Hazare has caused a lot of problems for the Centre over the past few days,a few government departments in the NCR have the social activist to thank for diverting the publics attention away from the state of their affairs. The Noida Authority is one such department that has indirectly benefited from the anti-corruption campaign,at least for the time being. The Authority had come under severe criticism from the courts and the general public over the land acquisition process being undertaken in the district. However,with everyone busy attending to Anna Hazare,even important decisions made at board meetings held by the Authority simply bounced off the media. Taking this into consideration,one cant help but agree with the slogan Anna ke aage koi nai tikta,which has found itself on so many posters and pamphlets over the last 10 days.
The day Hazare ate,MCD workers rested
After working non-stop at the Ramlila Maidan for 11 days,the Sanitation Department of the MCD let out a sign of relief on Sunday,when Anna Hazares movement finally ended. Yogender Chandolia,chairman of the Standing Committee,said that after so many days of cleaning garbage,the sanitation workers also wanted a day off. Hence,they preferred to stay at home on the final day. Since the next booking for the ground is only on September 1,we can afford to let the cleaners catch their breath, he said.
Feigning illness to meet their leader
At a medical camp set up at the Ramlila Maidan,India Against Corruption volunteers kept complaining about supporters faking illnesses in order to gain an audience with the Gandhian. ¿Many of the people who came here,claiming they are about to faint or collapse,were actually feigning illness to meet Annaji . A few suffered from dehydration and nausea,but if we tried to give them medicines,they would say: Let us meet Anna,let us have a glimpse of him and we will be completely alright, said a frustrated volunteer.
No place for stars and stripes in protest?
There was momentary confusion among the Tricolour-waving supporters at Ramlila Maidan on Saturday noon,when two American flags sprouted amid the crowd inside the main tent. People instantly gathered at the spot,and angry questions were directed at the two culprits two men who claimed to be representing Non-Residents Indians from the US. How can you wave an American flag here, asked one of the shocked onlookers. Anna never said you can support him by waving American flags, yelled another. An over-zealous member of the crowd even snatched one of the American flags and nearly trampled all over it. But saner voices prevailed,and one of the other supporters said: Let them show their support in any way they can,were all brothers,after all. He neednt have bothered. The NRI duo had vanished,probably sensing that their stunt had grabbed more attention than it could handle.
Newfound stars of the Anna campaign
Over the last 12 days,the crowd that assembled outside Tihar Jail and at Ramlila Maidan became accustomed to the people leading the protest. On Sunday morning,when Kiran Bedi came onto the stage,a protester cooed,Now she will take the Tiranga. And when she did,there were smiles all around. Arvind Kejriwal has also become increasingly become popular,and crowds cheer whenever he makes an appearance. Thats quite a shift in attitude,considering that he had to be introduced to the crowd everytime he made an appearance during the early stages of the protest. As for Kejriwal,he manages a shy wave from time to time.
Making a thoughtful donation of leftovers
With Anna calling off his fast on Saturday night,many people who were running rasois at Ramlila Maidan said they would donate the leftover food to mandirs and other religious institutes. Said Sukdev from Anubhuti: We will distribute food as long as people keep coming to the Maidan. But,still,a lot of the stuff will be left over as we had been buying sabzi,chawal and atta till Saturday. We will then give this stuff to religious institutes, he said.
They wouldnt let the supporters leave
A group of Delhi University students hogged the limelight at Ramlila Maidan by refusing to let people leave the Maidan at night during the hunger fast. We do not belong to any organisation or NGO. We just want to let the people know that they are here for a cause,and not for clicking photographs to uploading them on Facebook. If they feel for the cause,they need to stay at the Maidan even at night, a student from the group said. We have observed that some people are here just for the free food,while others have come thinking that this is museum and Anna is some showpiece.
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