Why Anna Hazare does NOT impress me
I am a hard-nosed ‘start-up’ entrepreneur, trained to create value out of thin air. My business involves motivating people, making them believe in a ‘do or die’ cause and then ‘Pied Pipering’ them towards an end goal.
I relate to Anna Hazare and his valiant efforts. However, Anna fails to impress me.
This is why:
Intent:
The Intent of Anna Hazare’s mission confuses me. Is it to end corruption or to insert his own bill in the Indian Governments system, or is it both?
I question if this 'intent' really worth the brouhaha? I mean ending corruption is like ending prostitution. Noble in ‘intent’ but impossible in execution.
Don't misjudge me. I’m not ‘for’ corruption. I’m questioning if a struggling, underdeveloped country like ours needs to more focus on eradicating poverty and illiteracy, rather than struggling to cure a disease called corruption; which sometimes hurts but does not kill?
Method
I don’t appreciate the mass agitation; lets hold the govt. and country to ransom method.
Tomorrow, what stops a leading Bollywood Actor (who has a larger mass following than Anna) from sitting in the middle of Delhi streets and urging that the Babri Masjid be rebuilt?
Isn't this movement wrongly educating Indian ‘influencers’ that they can paralyze everyday life in the interest of their cause? Also, shouldn’t the approach be to solve one tangible issue at one time ?
Say if its corruption at the Octroi Naka in Mumbai, then let everyone get together and just eradicate than one problem. If that is successfully resolved than we leap to the next problem!
Promise
What will Indian citizens like me really get at the end of this Anna Hazare charade?
Another bagful of promises from the government? Or a real tangible end result? A ‘movement’ means nothing to me anymore. I want real results.
For example, Unicef promises to erase polio from India and they are systematically doing so year after year (less than 10 cases reported in India this year).
Promise me something realistic and make that happen.Then I will buy from you next time also.
Repeat worthiness
Who will follow Anna Hazare’s act?
A gentleman called Baba Ramdev tried to, and self immolated his image. Is this process of hunger striking and create chaos actually ‘repeatable’?
How can anything become really successful if it cannot be smoothly repeated, with each cycle becoming bigger, more effective and generating more impact than the last time?
Think hard - will any sensible government allow this kind of meet, fast, go to jail, come back and parade all over the country mayhem to repeat itself?!
End Goal
Every movement, every business, every mission has an End Goal.
When I build a business, it is to make money. When Bill Gates attacks Malaria it is to eradicate Malaria from the face of the earth.
In Anna Hazare’s case, what I see is a loosely hanging, ‘in the air’ movement. It seems to drift, gather steam and then dissipate again. What exactly is the End Goal?
Is it to just to get some Bill into the Indian Government’s judicial system? That's it? What after that? How does a bill and its enactment still end corruption - which is the real problem?
I mean there are enough laws in India that castigate and punish murder. But murders happen everyday!
Scalable
Anything that creates massive value (monetary or social) has an infinitely scalable DNA. It’s like a movement developing a life of its own, that propels itself towards, fulfilling its cause.
I do not see ‘disruptive’, pressure- tactic movements and missions being scalable. On the contrary, they deflate quickly and self-destruct.
Sociality
Honestly, the more I look at the current Anna Hazare movement, the more it looks like a ‘social’ rock concert.
Image courtesy - Yahoo India
Indians celebrating rebellion more than they cause for which they assembled. I bet that less than 10% of the youngsters rallying don't even know what the Lokpal bill is – leave alone what’s inside it.
Also, given that this event takes law and order in its own hands, is this mission what we want young Indians to emulate? What stops an altercation with the police from becoming a riot?
Is this the place where our young sons and daughters should gain their first ‘social’ experience?
Anna Hazare has to realize that what he did fifty years ago is passé. He should be motivating Indians to attack real social matters with their brains and not with their slogans and stomachs.
This is the full article of the slightly shortened version carried by the The Economic Times Sunday Newspaper.
******
Tags: Anna Hazare, Anna Hazare movement, Social Rock Concert
Views: 4767
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Jayesh Gopalan on -
I believe that if you are supporting something then it has to be something that you deeply believe in and you ready to sacrifice everything for it and ready to stand to stand for it.
But by just following something because others are supporting or following it is such a fake.
If you want to remove corruption lead by examples.
As Alok said “. If there is a brothel in my building - i will REMOVE it and THEN show how i did it for you to remove it from your BUILDING. I will NOT MEET in Aaazad Maidan and sing songs saying 'lets remove brothels'....”
@Abhimanyu It’s very easy to post comments in social media but in real life show me your stories of how you have helped in removing corruption.
-
Permalink Reply by Arijit Goon on -
its about a firm LAW....not about facing the mirror or digging someones history to find if he had bribed someone in life or not....its a good diversion though..."face the mirror" is the fancy name to it...some people are buying it....but the fact is all these protests are for a LAW...it is the most practical START towards the solution...everything will follow!! Most of the common people indulges in corruption because there is no option left for an honest man in this system....so need to clean the system first...then will talk on these "atmasudhhi" and "face the mirror" kind of moral stories!! Breaking Traffic rules, Stealing, raping, murder....etc etc...all are controlled through LAWs first...after that moral discussions can be done in AASTHA channel!!
-
Permalink Reply by Jayesh Gopalan on
-
@Arijit Goon there are LAW but tell me have you used any law to stop corruption?
As I said earlier to it’s easy to protest in Ground and Social Media.
"Breaking Traffic rules, Stealing, raping, murder....etc etc...all are controlled through LAWs first...after that moral discussions can be done in AASTHA channel!! " now thats a big joke hahaha
Have you filed any RTI to get information about corrupt officers or politicians way of working?
We would love to hear your stories of using LAW !
-
Permalink Reply by Arijit Goon on
-
Again trying "face the mirror" trick...I never said I am a HERO of the nation willing to eat a bullet by filling an RTI against some powerful minister or a real estate tycoon....I am not Gandhi or Anna...but I don't hide this weakness by degrading an ongoing movement against corruption...RTI dosen't give protection to me....will you protect me so that I can tell you "stories"?? Jan Lokpal Bill has that provision of protection for the whistleblower...in an environment where people can stay honest and stay alive...corruption can easily be defeated!!
-
Permalink Reply by Arijit Goon on
-
Regarding what I have done against corruption.....both in buying and selling property....avoided black money!! Asked others from my family to do the same!! Never travelled without ticket in trains...Given fines wherever found guilty....I also got my first driving liscence without going through the broker..it took me through hell...but thats the time when I realised how hard it is to fight it personaly and how impractical it would be to fight it in every step of my day to day life!! Its need to be cleaned from the top first...then only we can implement it in our daily life...even a kid knows this in India!!
-
Permalink Reply by Saket Khanna on
-
Ur totally right Jayesh that one has to do something on ground to reflect his support ....there r lots of stories that every one will have to share it with you the simplest way is to stop bribing but you surely can not judge commenting on social media means nothing by this debate too ur making lots people get up and think about it ....me myself have been using it to make people understand both the versions of Lokpal bill n many of them actually have read it once i posted the link....I would suggest debate with an open mind So @abhimanyu has surely done his bit ..don’t forget social media is the new tool ....if it can be used to promote ones business it can be used to provoke thoughts about such an important issue like corruption :-).... n just to give u n example of my own ...I used to drive n LPG operated car I used to buy Cooking gas Cylinder in black not by choice but in my city hardly get LPG at govt approved filling station but now have decided will get it only from filling station when they have it even if I have to use expansive option of petrol
-
Permalink Reply by Alok 'Rodinhood' Kejriwal on -
This is EXACTLY what gets me worried... Can u sense the 'cause' now becoming Idolatry? By this tweet, I infer that Arvind Kejriwal is his 'holiness' and Alok kejriwal the 'Devil Incarnate' and hence CANNOT be uttered together!! hahahaha - you these desperate Zealots are the REAL criminals.... They Burn Trains and Start riots... Trust me... Coz they can never separate CAUSE from PEOPLE
-
Permalink Reply by Saket Khanna on
-
I certainly do not agree with the remarks made by the gentleman but you putting every one under the same banner is not the correct way either.... and to remind you all over again ...in this protest no single incident of violence n there was none even in April so stop being hypothetical n stop using words such as criminal if u really consider this comment was crime go ahead n sue this guy with law under what so ever sentiments of ur got hurt.....
ur bound to get such responses when u stand on the other side of popular wave I am not saying its right though however u should maintain ur own intelligence which u tried to show by posting that article
-
Permalink Reply by S Ahmed on -
@ Sagar - That was way too Cheap. Haven't seen anything as low as this :-(.
@ Alok - I can understand your worries.
-
Permalink Reply by Martin on
-
Hello author, I am confused by your article…specially in these points
:“The Intent of Anna Hazare’s mission confuses me.”
Q: control corruption is his mission now. I am not able to understand what author’s confusion is
“mean ending corruption is like ending prostitution. Noble in ‘intent’ but impossible in execution”
Q:Do u really think it is impossible to control it ,at least by 10%?
“I’m questioning if a struggling, underdeveloped country like ours needs to more focus on eradicating poverty and illiteracy, rather than struggling to cure a disease called corruption; which sometimes hurts but does not kill?”
Q:crores of subsidies and relief funds are disposing among the poor and the effected ,but do u really thinks all of it really reaching to the deserved?, I don’t think so, first we need to seal the leakage..
“Method”
Q:what are the other methods in your mind, than a peaceful protest by not destroying any public or private property…
Do You really believe these kind of support can attain any one with any causes?
“What will Indian citizens like me really get at the end of this Anna Hazare charade?”
Q:At least people will start thinking twice before giving and accepting bribe..
It is not a 100% remedy but if it cure at least 10%, then why opposing it?
“will any sensible government allow this kind of meet, fast, go to jail, come back and parade all over the country mayhem to repeat itself?!”
Q: what are the other methods in your mind, than a peaceful protest by not destroying any public or private property ,”a sensible govt” can allow”
“which is the real problem? I mean there are enough laws in India that castigate and punish murder. But murders happen everyday!”
Q:What if there is a law encouraging murder by making it easy for a murderer to escape…
“I bet that less than 10% of the youngsters rallying don't even know what the Lokpal bill is – leave alone what’s inside it”
Q:do each and every voters know all the agenda/promises of each candidate,I doubts.they are supporting a person whom they feel don’t have any conflict of interest to make a law passed in Parliament after its debate,I am not seeing any error in it.
“He should be motivating Indians to attack real social matters with their brains and not with their slogans and stomachs”
Q:He is doing it ,he just started with one issue, I am sure he will come with more issues one by one as he did in his village.
“is this the place where our young sons and daughters should gain their first ‘social’ experience?”
Q: I think a peaceful protest than a violent one is the place where our young sons and daughters should gain their first ‘social’ experience.I am not able to find any other methods of protest they can learn Gandhian principles.
-
Permalink Reply by Jayesh Gopalan on
-
I completely agree with Jyoti.
“Be the change you want to see in the world.” - Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi
The RodinStar Post of the Week!
Stay Updated via FB!!
Please like us!!
Follow us on Twitter!!!
Top Content
9 Ideas to use the site!
1. Registration is a click away - via Facebook etc
2. View ongoing discussions and fire up one yourself
3. Have a broader point of view? post a quick blog
4. Have a question? Just ASK! here
5. Want to activate some inquiries? List yourself
6. Have some stuff to show? Post Photos
7. Want to get noticed? Get yourself interviewed
8. Have a presentation that you like? Share it - Step by Step instructions
9. Lazy? Just hang out, Chat, add Friends...
Still messed up? Read the FAQ's
What does 'Rodinhood' mean?
Rodinhood is inspired from Rodin - who sculpted 'The Thinker' and Robin Hood who 'got things done'. Hence Thinking+Doing = Rodinhood.
The best place for enterprising folks to hang out, share,make like-minded friends, get feedback and soak in a pool of vast experience.
© 2013 Created by Alok 'Rodinhood' Kejriwal.
