This
gentleman with thick gold chain was one of the loud supporters of Anna Hazare
during the high time of the August 2011 fast at the Ramlila Ground. While
snapping this interesting paradox of flood of opportunist supporters, I came to
know the gentleman was an aspiring politician and a muscleman.
It
added to the natural thoughts already crept-in that the anti-corruption
movement that saw a figurehead in Anna Hazare needed to be very cautious of
such disguised supporters of distorted intent. The thought was weighed,
especially, in the light of the controversies and the verbosity of the
so-called Team Anna members after the April 2011 fast.
Who knew then the coterie
forming the Team Anna was going to be just yet another bunch of people with
disguised intent?
While
sifting through my photographs folder, I came across this one that I had
snapped when the anti-corruption movement was high on adrenaline. Today, it
made me visit again on how the so-called Team Anna compromised on the
anti-corruption movement and so on you and me. The movement didn’t allow the
real workers to enter, banked on fake supporters like this gentleman, got too
extreme in objectives and became too conceited. Result – it lost the connect
and it happened too fast.
Like
the photograph symbolizes, Anna Hazare is cornered after he allowed (and is
allowing) his coterie of comrades to exploit him. The coterie has taken the centre-stage
like this rowdy looking supporter acquiring the central ground of the poster.
Now
after almost 10 months of the August 2011 high, the anti-corruption movement is
efficiently killed by the politicians. The civil society members, willingly or
unwillingly, wittingly or unwittingly, have been an equal party to this ‘crime
against humanity’.
Like
this mustachioed gentleman of anti-social credentials, for whom nothing but extending
personal agenda is the primary concern in every activity, the civil society
members, too, are busy in extending their agendas. Jan Lokpal has once again
become a ‘not-so-often’ spoken word. It doesn’t stir emotions anymore.
It’s
sin to give empty hopes. The common man had seen the rare ray of hope in fighting
corruption and had started stepping out. But his advance was, once again,
butchered in infancy. He is the loser ultimately. And he is hurt.
"It’s good to give
hope to someone in need. It’s better to be participative in its follow-up. It’s
best to become an unspoken contribution in getting that hope to its reality. It’s
worst to give empty hope, even if the need is needless."
©/IPR: Santosh Chaubey - http://severallyalone.blogspot.com/
