The Capped Crusader

When corruption and crime took over Gotham city, the city desperately needed a messiah; a saviour who could take on the menace that existed in their society and restore law-and-order. One man took upon the act of cleaning up the city and we know him as Batman!

Of course, one man taking down the organised crime, which was coordinated and executed with the political and police force, was impossible. So, he too had support from a few accomplices in his butler Alfred, his RND business manager Lucius Fox, Commissioner James Gordon, Harvey Dent and Robin to name a few.

That of course is a fable, which they say, do come true. The wars of liberation, fight against corruption, monopoly and dictatorship, have begun across the world. And that movement has now hit India. Unlike the other nations that have faced these movements marred with violence, India, known for its stand on peace, has a man leading the movement peacefully sans any violence. He is what I would call a Capped Crusader – Anna Hazare.

I am not a Gandhi fan so I cannot say that I am all up for Anna Hazare’s method. However, what I like about him, which is why I might eventually be his fan and, is that he has managed to bring about a revolution in the country without much turmoil. Unlike previous instances when political parties who in the past, to have their way, only resorted to vandalism. We’re still a developing nation or as analysts would call an emerging market and cannot afford frivolous strikes and damage to property, knowing the fact that restoration will burn out funds by 420%; apt, considering that it is yet another opportunity for politicians, contractors, workers and everyone falling in queue to make quick big bucks.

Of course there are many arguments from the antagonists as to what and how much will a lone aging man do? But with this stand, he has made himself more than just an ordinary man.  He has devoted himself to an ideal, and the establishment haven’t been able to stop him; they’ve had to give in to his demands. It may not be long until be become something else entirely – a legend. He is gathering enough moss to make the establishment fall and that sure will go down in history if he succeeds. And his support is coming from all ends – school kids, collegians, housewives, the service class, the business class and even the public servants.

We needed a face or a leader because somewhere we’re all just too busy in our daily chores. However, we’re all livid with all the news that’s doing the rounds for the past year or so. The CWG scam, 3G scam, mining scam, politicians spending our money on building their houses, their own statues and fuelling their pockets with our money! In the bargain, doing nothing visible on inflation and rising costs, terrorism, increase in the number and amount of taxes, traffic snarls that plague people in covering 10 km over two hours, and the roads that have broken enough suspensions and backs along with taking a few lives as well.

The face may be Anna, but what’s certain is that the general Indian public is taking a critical stand on it. However, I don’t believe that it can just go on with fasting and having peaceful marches. Nor do I believe that by me not giving a 100 rupee bribe to be let off by a traffic cop is going to stop corruption. If corruption is to stop, it needs to be top-down and not bottom-up. The entire system needs to be reformed for transparency and accountability. And eventually down to the smallest of things where a common man does not need to spend hours and multiple follow ups to get his licence back for a petty traffic offence.

Introduce a little anarchy. Upset the established order, and everything becomes chaos.

The initial revolt succeeded because it caught the government off guard. We need some anarchy on a regular basis for a change to come about. Sometime soon, how about a non-cooperative movement – citizens not paying taxes and the government having to recover all financials lost in these scams and running the show?