All roads lead to Jantar Mantar

Patriotic songs blaring on loudspeakers, occasional announcements from the stage, cacophony of slogans such as ‘Anna Hazare aandhi hai, desh ka doosra Gandhi hai’. Nivedita Khandekar reports.

Patriotic songs blaring on loudspeakers, occasional announcements from the stage, cacophony of slogans such as ‘Anna Hazare aandhi hai, desh ka doosra Gandhi hai’. Add to it, the constant buzz of generators of over a dozen OB vans of news channels and the individual chatter.

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On Day three of the agitation, people from not just NCR but from other states too flocked in hundreds to have a first-hand feel of the movement India Against Corruption.

Many of them were themselves affected by corrupt practices. Bala Jaswant, 50, of Charwaha Kalyan Samiti from Bidhedhi (Muzaffarpur), said, “We want to draw attention to our plight at this platform.”

Volunteers are the backbone of this agitation. Said Rajiv Kumar, who brought a car-full of drinking water bottles and sealed cups for free distribution to supporters, “We are doing this because we identify with the cause.”

And the “cause” was the driving force behind a number of common people who had gathered at the venue. Keen on listening to Anna Hazare – he is talking only twice a day – the crowds went almost silent when he began addressing them.

Business is booming for snack vendors and chaiwalas. Said Mani Kandan of South Indian Snacks corner, “We are getting lot of customers, although many of my regular customers are unable to visit this place.”

But a voice of concern came from Atul Jani, “Will this crowd and the media support remain tomorrow when the IPL starts?”