Anna Hazare

Not many social activists have grabbed the interest of Indians throughout the world as Anna Hazare did throughout his "fast unto death" on the issue of the Lokpal Bill in New Delhi in April 2011. Anna Hazare, a Gandhian simply by belief, outlook and rehearse, is amongst the face of India's combat with corruption. Throughout his fast over the Lokpal Bill, Anna Hazare, a perfect conventional Indian by appearance as well as mannerism, was able to inspire and mobilize the support of even the ultra-modern Indians - Indians for whom the word "social" only means having a profile on social networking sites.

The "Anna Hazare fast" can be defined as the very first actual "social networking movement" in India. Hazare, a former Army man, began his social activism from Ralegan Siddhi, a village in Ahmednagar district in Maharashtra, where he successfully led a movement against alcoholism and made Ralegan Siddhi a "model village". Hazare's campaign was instrumental in the implementation of the Right to Information Act in Maharashtra, which is considered one of the best RTI Acts in India.

A Ramon Magsaysay award winner, Anna Hazare, like his idol, Mahatma Gandhi, has triggered a debate over the use of fast as a means of protest in India. By sheer commitment and simplicity, he has revealed that Gandhian principles are relevant even in the 21st-century India.

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