Anna blurs class-mass divide

On Day 1 some protested, most watched. On Day 2 more and more protested, and everyone watched. Disparate groups across the country were united on Wednesday by one common urge – to protest. The number of students, lawyers, theatre artistes, government employees, NGOs, trade unions out on the streets continued to swell.

In Mumbai, authorities unofficially estimated 15,000 volunteers participated, but organisers, India Against Corruption, Mumbai, claimed 40,000 citizens took part in the protests.

More action on day 2

While the first day was dominated by students, the second day saw a lot of action from professionals – lawyers, doctors and diamond merchants. Even resident welfare associations joined the agitation.

The protesters wore black ribbons as a mark of protest.

In Lucknow, it was largely a students’ initiative. At least 80 girls of Loreto Convent took out a peace protest march. Nearly 200 students of Navyug Radiance Senior Secondary School formed a shape that read ‘ANNA’. They walked for some distance and shouted slogans against the government for not heeding to Hazare’s demands.

Postcards to Prez

Thirty children from Bhrawna village in Hardoi district of Uttar Pradesh sent postcards to President Pratibha Patil.

The postcards are currently with Munna Lal Shukla, who is on an indefinite fast along with 17 others, at the Jhulelal Park. Nearly 3,000 people came out in support of Anna Hazare in Lucknow alone till late evening. At least 150 arrests were made across the state.  

In Assam, students and teachers held protests in Guwahati University and Dibrugarh University. They also took part in the protest on Tuesday.

Not all the protesters, however, had a clear idea of the issue at hand. “We are here to protest…,” fumbled Shambhu Pandey, a student, who was part of the protest meet near Girish Park in north Kolkata.

While Tuesday’s demonstrations were spontaneous, on Wednesday, all protests in Bhubaneshwar were planned meticulously by NGO India Against Corruption.

Senior citizens, former judges, lawyers, and teachers were among those who protested. Hazare’s arrest also rocked the Orissa assembly’s Monsoon session on its first day.

In Chandigarh, protesters did not use electricity between 8 pm and 9 pm on Tuesday, in a gesture of solidarity.

Innovative protest

Protests and innovations go hand-in-hand. In Jammu, a group of local theatre artistes (all in the age group of 20-24 years) rechristened itself “Main Bhi Anna’. The group has been staging nukkad nataks (street plays) to extend its support to social activist.

TDP leader arrested

In Andhra Pradesh’s Secunderabad, Telugu Desam Party leader N Chandrababu Naidu was arrested after he staged a dharna in front of the statue of Mahatma Gandhi, defying prohibitory orders.

Lawyers in Nampally, Hyderabad, boycotted work, as also did their counterparts in Ranga Reddy, Karimnagar and Mahabubnagar districts.

In the pilgrim town of Tirupati, Sri Venkateshwara University students staged a dharna. Students and parents took out a rally in Anantapur district. Students also formed a human chain in Warangal and Khammam towns.

Rain didn’t stop them

Even 40 hours of incessant rain could not dampen the protest fervour in Uttara-khand. Former chief minister BC Khanduri organised a march in Dehradun. Several journalists from electronic and print media held a rally from Gandhi Park to Clock Tower in support of Hazare.

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Meet the backroom boys who power Anna's campaign against corruption

Many young people have left their regular activities to collaborate full-time in a high-tech back-up to Anna Hazare's anti-corruption crusade and taking it to the youth.

Already, a group of eight from varied backgrounds has been working 16 hours a day: these backroom people, who have joined Arvind Kejriwal's India Against Corruption, provide updates on twitter and enlist support on social networking sites such as Facebook.

It is reminiscent of the manner in which digital communication systems have been used in popular movements over the last 10 years -- significant is its use in the 2002 presidential elections in Korea, where it has become a subject of study.

Gaurav Bhakshi, 34 and an MBA graduate from United States who says that he was assaulted twice for not paying bribe to government officers, now oversees the online campaign.

Bhakshi, who joined the campaign in November last year, manages Anna Hazare's Facebook page that has over 200,000 hits so far.

"It is a huge hit as he is the face of the movement," Bhakshi told IANS. "Apart from people across the country, there are Non Resident Indians (NRI) and foreigners who have joined the online campaign."

The team includes journalists, software experts, PR professionals and management executives.

M.S. Chandramohan, 31, became part of the team while searching for a job in Chennai. "I had completed a film course in New York Film Academy and I came to Chennai early this year hunting for a job," he said. "During my search I came to know about the campaign."

The team works from small offices across the capital while some even work out of their homes.

"I have been working for 16-18 hours as we need to keep people updated," 34-year-old journalist Shivender Singh says. "I am now assisted by two friends as the work has increased. In last few months we have reached thousands through Facebook and twitter."

Singh, who works with Times of India online, has been on leave since February this year. "I was running a campaign against corruption during the Commonwealth Games and later I got in touch with Arvind Kejriwal and joined India Against Corruption," he says.

For most of the volunteers, it was not an easy choice. "We are not paid anything and it's a voluntary service," says Singh with a smile. "As of now, I have savings to sustain me for a couple of months."

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