WHENEVER I see a sea of humans moving for a cause it reminds me of the saying: “IF EVERYBODY SHRUNK OURSELVES INTO A CANDLE THERE WILL BE NO NEED FOR SUN.” We have seen such human oceans in our recent past. We have still not forgotten or will possibly never forget the satyagrah movements of Mahatma Gandhi that forced the British Empire to come to its knees and grant freedom to India. Similar movements influenced by Gandhi’s satyagrah were equally successful elsewhere too. Gandhi took care that not only the end be justified but the means to achieve that end should also be justified. Martin Luther King in USA and Nelson Mandella in South Africa used these tools of non-cooperation and non-violence with success.

It is said that when  intentions are good and means are justified, the whole creation comes to your help. We have seen similar movements in the past. We saw J. P. Narayan’s well intentioned movement culminating into that infamous imposition of emergency  from 25/06/1975 to 21/03/1977 by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. The aftermath of the movement, however, was not as rosy as promised as the new leaders were not any better.

We saw protests against Prime Minister V. P. Singh’s implementation of Mandal Commission Report in 1990, and this subsequently opened the flood gates of reservations for socially weaker sections of our society. If the four Varnas were not already enough, the fourth Verna-Sudras factored into many sub groups called Other Backward Classes. We are still and will continue to struggle with the sad outcome of this misguided adventurism for the sole purpose of remaining in power.

We also saw the ‘Kamandal’- Rath Yatra of BJP leader L. K. Advani with full support from RSS, VHP and many such fundamentalist outfits. It aimed at constructing Ram Mandir at Ayodhya but sadly turned into the demolition of Babri Masjid on December 6, 1992. This, too, was aimed at the sole objective of gaining power at the centre by BJP and they partly succeeded. However, India has not had a peaceful sleep since then. There has been so much of destruction of human life  and worst it has totally destroyed our social fabric of mutual tolerance and co-existence. We have now many terrorist groups and sub groups between the two communities.

Presently, we are witnessing the Anna Hazare movement against corruption. His Lopkpal and that of the Government both aiming at fighting corruption are in a logjam. Neither side is ready to accept each other’s version. The opposition is watching the government’s discomfort from a distance. Not that they fully agree with Anna but simply because it gives them sadistic pleasure, they are not coming out with their views in the open. General Election in 2014 is due, and opposition is determined to keep the fire burning.

No one will disagree with Anna that corruption is eating into our very concept of Independence and unless it is checked, and checked immediately, we are bound to become another banana republic because our corrupt politicians, bureaurcats and judiciary will not hesitate to mortgage this country for their own personal gains. Anna, like all of us, also knows that his Lokpal is not the only remedy and it alone will not wipe out corruption.

The question is - does the end justify the means? In the present context, the answer seems to be in a yes. However, the all important question still lingers in our minds and that is in a democracy it is for the constitutional institutions like Parliament to enact a law after taking view of all stake holders. Will Anna Hazare’s insistence on ‘my way or high way’ not undermine the importance of these institutions?

Will this movement be equated with Gandhi’s Quit India movement or will it open the floodgates for other groups with some following to ask for ‘my way or highway’?  We are a community of communities with different interests groups based on caste, creed, languages, and regions and somehow have been in a position to keep the federal character of our country intact after Independence. I see a danger here because tomorrow someone with fellow thinkers may sit on indefinite fast to have his/her way.