My parents are renewing their passports and changing addresses too, since we shifted houses in between the two passports. As you all know by now, there is a police investigation when there is an address change on the passport or even when you are applying for passport the very first time. The police called my parents over to the police staton of our jurisdiction. Needless to say, the investigation is not done in one visit and my parents had to visit the police station three times in a day for one reason or the other, just to get their work done. During the last visit, my father was supposed to enter the cabin of the Inspector, the Inspector would ask him a few questions to validate our residential address and sign the documents. But of course, today, this routine was going on with one eye of the Inspector on the television set, updating himself with the daily happenings of Anna Hazare and the rallies. As soon as he signed the papers, he kept one hand on the documents and asked my father, “kiti deNaar?” (which means, how much are you giving me?). My father, a litlle shocked, looked at the TV, then at the Inspector. But, as usual, he handed him  Rs.200 and left from there with the words, “Anna Hazare Zindabad, rishwatkhori band karo” ringing in the background.

With this, I would like to pose a few questions:

• Should my father, a middle class man, who is anxious to meet his daughter in the US decline to give money to that Inspector?
• Why should he take that risk when his work is getting done by bribing the Inspector, because for him, getting his passport is much more important?

• Tomorrow, will all those friends participating in the rallies, changing their facebook profile picture to that of Anna Hazare, joining pages to “support Anna Hazare” never bribe in any situation?
• Will you be ready to pay a fine of Rs.1,500 odd and take a receipt from the traffic policeman if you jump a signal, or pay him 50 bucks and leave?

Try to answer these questions.

The questions are simple to answer but very difficult to act upon when you are in that situation. It is very easy to take part in rallies and change your profile picture, but very difficult to not bribe someone when he/she is asking for it and when you know your work will not get done if you don’t. Likewise, it will be easy to support and maybe pass the Jan Lokpal bill, but it will be very difficult to execute it. You think the current govt is corrupt, then which other party is not? Who are you voting for, next?

Corruption is not just top level, it is abundant at the grass roots level and then, at that level, are you ready to individually become an Anna Hazare? Nothing against Anna Hazare and I appreciate what he is doing for the country, since someone has to take the first step. But, if he is taking the large steps, its upto us, supporting him, to take the baby steps. Otherwise, there’s no point in supporting him, period!

Keeping this pessimism apart, I believe change will happen, but will the Anna Hazare in you wake up in daily situations like these? There is a saying in Marathi, “Shivaji janmaycha asel, tar shejarchya ghari janmu de” (which means, if Shivaji is to be born, let him take birth in my neighbor’s house). By that, I mean, are you just supporting Anna Hazare or are you ready to inculcate him in your behavior? Maybe I am not ready for that, may be you are and maybe thats the reason why you are supporting him, right?

Or is it going to be business as usual after that rally ends?