“I don't know who Anna Hazare is but I feel that his fight for freedom from corruption is right. There has been a great response from the masses and I feel that it is my moral responsibility to fight for what is right,” said Mr Joe Stephen, a tourist from Hungary who had an Indian flag painted on his cheek.
As the residents of India are supporting Anna Hazare, foreign tourists too have made their way to the streets to support the anti-corruption stand of the 74-year-old Gandhian.
Foreigners have quite noticeably embraced the campaign. With some sporting the ‘I am Anna' Gandhi caps, others waving the Indian flag, with “Anna” tattoos on their arms. Rallies, candle-light marches and protests have become incomplete without a few foreigners joining in the sloganeering on the streets.
“We were sight-seeing near Victoria Terminus and saw a huge crowd approaching with placards. A passer-by told us it was an anti-corruption rally so we joined in,” pipes in Ms Jamie Stewarts, a student from New York who has come to Mumbai for her course on monumental tourism.
The buzz on social networking sites too has spread beyond just Indians overseas, to foreigners as well. Not only are people pledging their support towards him but are also encouraging others to do so. “Based on limited information, I reckon I would be on Anna Hazare's side. Fighting against corruption? Not a bad thing IMO (in my opinion!),” Mr Mathew Carley posted on Twitter.