A Sodium Sunrise..Since it rained last night !

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And then Anna happened...

As I shared with friends about how children too are joining in to participate in Anna Hazare's movement, one of them raised the following point...
"it is sad that we are getting these children to do this and get involved at an age when they do not even understand the what they are doing this for."

She got me thinking...

Over the past few months, our son Arth has been asking me questions like, Baba what is Scam ? And Why do politicians scam?

I never could engage with him as even though I would share with him the lives of my father and Gandhi, and Martin Luther King, I knew I was needing to refer to a DISTANT(nearly textbook) past while trying to prop a future....I was truly resigned to the situation..

And then Anna happened..

I know he was "happening' for decades, in the hinterlands and once every 6months in an op ed or page 6 single column of mainstream media...But for me,he was part of a list of idealistic isolated mavericks like Kharnar,Seshan or an Arun Bhatia...Who tried..but were effectively marginalized by the system..

And then Anna happened...in our face...

He landed in Delhi,went to Rajghat and then settled down at Jantar Mantar.

He took over the the front pages of the most expensive fourth estates of India,took over the prime time slots of the the most watched channels,captured the voice of all who were Indian, from Chennai to New Jersey and from Srinagar to Cambridge and suddenly we saw a phenomenon...

The Pro Congress allying with the Pro BJP allying with the Pro Left allying with the Pro this and the Pro that...ALL TOGETHER, in ONE VOICE joining up for the fight against something which has bruised all, bled all,across all denominations,party alegiance,personal beliefs,faiths,regions and creed...CORRUPTION.

Anna had happened...Looking straight into our eyes...saying all that we always knew.

And I had a leader living his ideals,happening in the RIGHT NOW, to share with my son.

I invited 10 year old Arth, to participate in a movement to cleanse the country that his grandfather had fought to free.
I could share a real life with him..One who was living out his message by his actions..I could share with him that I AM INSPIRED by Anna..An Anna who is present today..and making a difference for us all..So that we could take steps to have a Truly free India..

An India,in which we can proudly say that there is a Multi Party Democracy and not meekly murmur that it is a Multi CORRUPT Party system...

We know there are many things we don't share with our kids... may be to protect them from a 'Harsh' reality..and we also should know that there is much that they don't share with us ,to protect us from their reality.....

This morning,even as Pranav Mukherji readies himself to offer a glass of juice to Anna,a ball has been set into motion...A motion which could lead to sweeping changes in each aspect of our life...I see a world of possibilities opening up with the impeccable from the civil society contributing to revitalize our nation to recover from this acute ailment...

I am glad I talked with Arth about issues affecting our nation. He is the future. He should know--

Caesar's wife must be above suspicion...Julius Caesar is supposed to have said this when asked why he divorced his wife,because she was suspected of some wrongdoing.

Let the political parties and the bureaucracy take the cue...

Lok Pal watches..

So do we and our kids..

Thank you Anna,for bridging this gap.

A billion Cheers and love..

A mail,from few days back...

Dost....

I have been following Anna Hazare's movement for the past few days.
It's a citizens movement happening in every town and city.
Today, I along with Pilu and Mowgli will be going to join the sit in at CST BMC office in Mumbai in support for this Jana Lokpal Bill.


You may read in detail in indiaagainstcorruption.org .

This is an invite to you..

The venue in each city are mentioned along with the coordinators numbers on the web site.

indiaagainstcorruption.org

Last night, I shared about Anna Hazare with Mowgli..he had many questions..

While engaging in them.I found..Anna's beliefs are no different from what U & I & our children have..

Anna's movement is about tangible action for ending the Hijacking of India,by th corrupt powerful...

My father fought th British,so that I could live in free India..

Its my turn...our turn now.

Am listening to my little small voice.

This is our moment to say with pride...

I am Tahrir....I am Anna Hazare..I am India.

Cheers

Everything we are not...

A friend shared, how she was glad that she was not...

There are so many things we want so dearly,so desperately...

And then the other day saw a three wheeler tempo,stacked with Blue plastic boxes used to transfer milk packets...

The distance between the point at which the last row of the boxes ended and the half hatch of the vehicle(that stopped the boxes from sliding out) ...Not more than 12inches..

In that space, I saw a woman sitting sideways...Neck down, her body covered from view by the half hatch of the vehicle.

In the bright sun of a Chennai summer morning,she sat mostly still,other than the jerks the body took as the vehicle manouvered through traffic and over crevices on the road.

And then I saw a blob of hair just below her neck..mostly hidden by the hatch,but seen each time the vehicle took a shudder...

It was a child,held to her bosom...The sun, the bumps and the space she was in didnt matter...It was probably nothing new for her..She didnt look alarmed nor hopeful...she was just there..In the midst of her life..taking the jolts...along with her child...unmoved.

I was travelling in an airconditioned vehicle,trailing this picture of life...

I do not have to travel the way this lady was travelling with her child...

Yet I so much seem to want,everything I do not have..

So...Do I really want to have everything I do not have?

A friend shared, how she was glad that she was not...

Can we be thankful for all that we have and all that we are, and reach out to the many,whose condition we are glad not to be in...

Can we?

Ashish

Kids play at Amarampet

Sitting under a giant Peepal 45kms from Chennai,awaiting the camera to be attached to the vacuum base for the car shot..I watch a boy living in a hut close by, playing with a mongrel,probably his pet. His sister watches over, in a purple dress..The dog does not seem to mind all that the boy does to its neck and snout..He keeps wagging its tail..The boy and girl stay in the brown leaf roofed hut,which is by a water body,green with algae and hicynth..The summer has set in here in Amarampet,the election too is in the air..The boy has run away..the dog follows him..There is simplicity and joy in the moment.I still await my shot..wondering if I want to remain pensive.
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