Anna-lysing the Situation

It is seldom in the Annals of our country’s history that one witnesses a wave sweep the length and breadth of our vast lands carrying with it people from all walks of life from diverse religions, cultures, beliefs – with a singular aim – to vanquish corruption. Sorry, Corruption with a Big C! If you thought it is just another wave that will pass away like the passing dark clouds, you’ve got it all wrong! The Anna-wave is here to stay! – or rather sway forcefully until it shakes and uproots all those well-entrenched, powerful elected members of our democratic nation.

Lots has been written and blogged about the new national phenomenon - Anna Hazare ji. Naturally, one would not want this to be just An(na)other blogpost! The nation just needed a shot in its arm to spur the laidback young citizens into action – but it got more than the shot it deserved – a special Anna-bolic steroid that worked wonders on our youngsters in every city rising to the occasion at every call of the IAC – India Against Corruption, the banner under which Anna-ji has been spearheading the movement.

This Anna-bolic steroid instantaneously created a huge monster-like homogenous uprising like that of Anna-conda out to kill its prey – the Anna-emic Government, characterized by its endemic inactions. Before the emergence of this movement, the government’s ineptitude had reached such heights that many thought it was under some kind of Anna-esthesia or what?

From the chaiwalas to stock market Anna-lysts, real estate agents to rickshaw drivers, twitterati to struggling bollywood aspirants – they all poured onto the streets of 1-Tier, 2-Tier and No-Tier cities they all held demonstrations against corruption! It seemed like one helluva live Angry Birds game being played at Juhu Circle on Sunday – proving to the world that we don’t need squares – circles will do just the same!

The first Government reaction was a knee-jerk – ‘Ouch!’, being arthritic, that must’ve pained! They accused the movement of ushering in Anna-rchy! How could unelected members of a democratic country gate-crash into its domain – of formulating laws of the land - and anna-ounce its own arrival in this sudden way? Un-Anna-ounced? And then call the shots on how we, the elected members, should run our country? That’s Anna-rchy, they said, and must not be allowed in the largest democracy in the world! But the growing size of the Anna-conda, which had assumed mammoth proportions all over the country meant that, their headaches would only increase and they would need some special Anna-lgesics!

Delhi, Anna-tomically, is the head of the country, by virtue of being in the North, no? Or is it the neck? Annaway er, Anyway – a pain in the neck has its own nagging way to keep returning now and then and give one a sleepless night. It is as much an Anna-thema as any other ache anywhere else, I guess.

Again, the digital signals from a certain ‘remote control’ that Annaji has been repeatedly mentioning at large public gatherings, had been weakening due to “a certain medical condition”. The PM’s ante-Anna that was attuned to receiving only Ultra-Soni(a)c signals had to switch to Anna-log signals! Rahul-baba’s preference is plain Diggy-tal signals! But I digress. Confusing signals meant confused mind and hence confused Government actions –
“Arrest!”
“Release!”
“Not leaving prison? Get Sri Sri – he will teach him the Art of Leaving!”

In all the confusion over mixed signals from multiple remotes using diverse technologies, the anna-refusing Anna-ji (Now here i refer to anna=food, believe it or nuts!) finds himself comfortably stationed in TJ’s! Yep, the same place where the likes of Raja, Kalmadi and Kanimozhi are housed – perhaps for protecting them from the ‘Angry Birds of India’! Seeing Anna, these folks will remember their Nana? Not Nani this time ‘Nana’- an Anna-gram of ‘Anna’! The Anna, who, despite having a name loaded with clues to indicate money-making {Anna is a monetary measure of yore and Hazaar = 1000} - has actually vowed to Anna-ihilate the corrupt. To give an Anna-logy, it is like a Prashant pledging never to be ‘shant’ {silent} until the goal is achieved! Having Anna-lysed the situation until now, all the Government can do now is to wait for the next Anna-ouncement!

After all, it is Anna who is calling the shots, isn’t he?

Blogger’s Post-script – I am sure readers would have read all the opinion pieces and columns on this subject – they are already in circulation by email; posted as links on FB, and all over the print and electronic media. So I did not bother to provide any links here – and just presented something different for my 150th post on The ArTicKles Blog!