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..