Hazare’s Ralegan Siddhi, nearby villages watch in awe

Ralegan Siddhi, anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare's home village 75 km north of Pune, remained completely shut down in terms of commercial or other regular activities for the third day today, as locals anxiously watched developments in Delhi related to their guide, philosopher and friend.

Nonetheless the village was buzzing with another kind of activity, as residents of this and surrounding villages launched a series of peaceful protests against corruption in the country and the treatment of Hazare and his supporters. They also observed a day of silence and fasting.
 
A Ralegan Siddhi youth, Vijay Jadhav, began a march from Ralegan Siddhi to Mantralaya, the state government headquarters in Mumbai, with a handcart carrying the effigy of the union government on Wednesday afternoon. He hopes to reach Mumbai in three days.

Some 400 students at a hostel run by Hazare's Hind Swaraj Trust have been on tenterhooks, waiting for his emergence from Tihar Jail. They were keenly watching a TV as they waited for Anna to step out.

Wearing T-shirts with Anna's portrait on them, they began clapping spontaneously when they heard the news about the government's volte face on the issue.

Umesh Jaiswal, an 8th standard student, says it was Hazare himself who explained to them the jan lokpal bill, a draft for an anti-corruption watchdog which was rejected by the government in favour of its own watery version.

The students say that Anna means a great deal to them. "Anna doesn't scold us. He loves us like our parents. He is like a friend," said another student.