It is day six of Balaji Prem's indefinite fast at a make-shift building in the city, and Prem says he hasn't felt hungry at all. Perhaps the enthusiasm and energy exhibited by fellow citizens fighting against corruption has been fuel enough!
Prem has taken a six-month break from his job at an Internet marketing company to rally people to participate in the ‘India against corruption' movement in Chennai. “It is not that I am not interested in my career. But I felt a movement like this needed full-time participation from those who could afford to devote time and energy,” says this 25-year-old, who has set up the Chennai chapter's Web site (iacchennai.org). (The site also telecasts the proceedings in the city live.) Prem, who has also been a part of the Jantar Mantar protest, is flanked by 19-year-old Satya, who has managed to convince his teachers at school that exams can be taken up later, and 81-year-old Appa Indravel. Indravel, who runs a small printing press, wants to file a complaint against the corrupt babus who had given him a tough time, once the Jan Lokpal Bill is passed…. The otherwise quiet neighbourhood of Thiruvanmiyur in Chennai had turned into a hotbed of patriotism and passion.
Colour, creativity and camaraderie were the order of the day. It was a day when home-makers left behind their children and husbands to fend for themselves. A day when men and women – old and young – shed their inhibitions and engaged in spirited sloganeering and impromptu jigs, as patriotic songs played out in the background. Some had even dressed themselves as Anna Hazare and Baba Ramdev. A few children held flags and posters in their tiny hands to show they too cared. Says Dr Lalitha Ganesh: “I am so happy to see so many young people come out in such large numbers as they are the faces of the future. The movement should get more aggressive…”
From Indiranagar to Marina Beach, the city was witness to several protest rallies and relay fasts, as people left their homes on a Sunday morning to mark their solidarity. The brave ones engaged in indefinite fasting as well. Technology too played its part with SMSes and Facebook posts flying fast, urging people to congregate.
Show of numbers does count as has been proven in earlier revolutions in Egypt and Libya. It is perhaps time to set aside cynicism and join the fray.