Barinder Saluja, Chandigarh,April 9 : “Had Mahatma Gandhi not been assassinated on January 30, 1948, he would have launched a satyagraha against corruption in February 1948 itself,” said V Kalyanam, personal secretary to the Father of the Nation. He was reacting to social activist Anna Hazare’s fast against corruption and its effect on the country. Today, Ninety-year-old Kalyanam, who was standing near the Mahatma when he was shot at, told, Gandhi himself was disheartened and disillusioned within months after independence. “He told me many times that he has neither any part nor any say in many strange things that were going on in the country even after the British had left,” said Kalyanam. “I am no longer the current coin I fancied I once was,” Gandhiji had told Kalyanam weeks before he was shot dead. So, the dream of Mahatma Gandhi to launch satyagraha against corruption was fulfilled after 63 yrs of his death, through Shri Anna Hazare.
As the whole Nation celebrated the victory of Anna Hazare, Chandigarh too was shoulder to shoulder with him. It was 10.30 am when Shri Anna Hazare broke his fast unto death at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi, vis-a-vis, local hero’s who sat on fast unto death along with Anna Hazare, here in Chandigarh, also broke their fast by drinking juice and distributing “laddoos” to each other to celebrate the victory against corruption. The “Panj Pyaras”, to be termed as, who sat on fast for four days were Mr. B.S.Makar, Mr. Gaurav Goyal, Mr. Anil Kirpal, Mr. Sumit Sharma, & Dr. Ashish Vashisht. They were supported by large number of supporters who were present with them for all the four days. Addl. Advocate General Punjab Mr. Ram lal Gupta, former Addl. Advocate General Punjab Ram Laxman Mittal, Vikas Sabharwal, NSS Incharge of Guru Gobind Singh College, Prof. Dhillon, Lt. Gen. Malhotra (Retd.) a Social Worker & educationist, and many more showed their full support to the Anna Hazare.
The India Post talked to the five Hero’s of Chandigarh to have their opinion about the SatyaGraha :
B.S.Makar : ” Initially we had declared that we will fast for three days, but, as we entered the second day and we got the news that whole nation has come together as one to fight against corruption, I don’t know from where we felt some un-usual strength in ourselves and we went on for four days without having anything. A true Satyagraha feeling came in our hearts which took us though”.
Gaurav Goyal : ” As we are lawyers, we have been coming across lots of corruption cases but 90 % of them were let through due to lack of evidence and support. At that time somewhere in my heart i used to feel defeated & disheartened as was helpless to do something to curb the corruption. When Anna Hazareji started the movement, a ray of hope was visible & I too joined the march & here we are on a winning road”.
Anil Kirpal : ” This is not the end, it is the beginning of the fight; it beginning of an era to eradicate corruption from our mother land. This satyagraha should be taken as the Pulse Polio scheme. Each & every citizen of this Nation should give his or her share of support to eradicate this evil from our society. It should be the way Pulse Polio has been propagated.”
Sumit Sharma : ” It is Our Victory; it is Anna Hazare ji’s victory; it is common mans victory, it was the need of the hour to curb such kind of commotion. We still have to go long way. Ruling governments says that they will take up this bill in monsoon session of Parliament, till then we have to keep this spark alive, we have to make this satyagraha as the way father of the Nation did it for his country & country men”.
Dr. Ashish Vashisht : ” I am very happy to see that when needed the common man of this wonderful country, time & again, do come out on roads, collectively, to fight against the evils, which degrades the image of our Nation. This shows that the spark of Inquilab is still alive in the hearts of everyone. It just had to be blown a bit to convert it into a fire. What ever has happened in our country within past four days, brings a ray of hope that iff not eradicate, we might be able to, at least, recede the corruption level by 90 %, in our country. Jai Hind”.