As Anna Hazare Sits at Ramlila Ground, The Nation Joins March

On the fourth day of Anna Hazare’s fast for the Jan Lokpal bill, he appeared stronger encouraged by people’s overwhelming support.

Anna left Tihar jail but the room where Anna stayed has turned into a veritable shrine with prisoners and police personnel of the prison coming there to offer respect.

Anna Hazare left Tihar jail as over two and a half lakh people accompanied his vehicle late this morning. The immense support for Jan Lokpal Bill was reflected as people joined his convoy. Many had traveled from far away to be part of it.

Anna made his way to Rajghat as he paid tribute to Bapu Gandhi. From there he proceeded to Ramlila ground where again several thousand people greeted him. By evening the crowd was over one lakh strong. The number swells by the hour.

The rain did not dampen the spirits of the people gathered and as if on cue there was a heavy downpour as Anna reached Ramlila ground. Anna was accompanied by his associates Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia even as Kiran Bedi welcomed him on stage. Kiran Bedi had been speaking to the over eager people gathered at Ramlila Maidan since the morning assuring them that Anna was on his way to speak to them.

Also greeting Anna were RTI activists Akhil Gogoi and Magsaysay award winner Sandeep Pandey.

The people gathered there were ecstatic as Anna addressed them and thanked them for their concern and good wishes. Anna said he was full of energy as the energy of the hundreds of thousands of supporters the nation over was giving him more power than he needed.

Dr. Naresh Trehan examined Anna Hazare and said that Anna is in good health. His vitals are strong and he is well.
Anna Hazare, Arvind Kejriwal and Prashant Bhushan took questions from reporters in the evening.

Talking about their detention at Tihar, Arvind Kejriwal revealed that they were taken to Tihar prison and not allowed use of their phones or given access to television even though the police claimed Anna Hazare and his associates were not under arrest.

Arvind Kejriwal and Prashant Bhushan in response to questions about the points of negotiation in the Jan Lokpal bill said that they are not approaching the issue as negotiable points and non negotiable points. The bill must be strong and tackle corruption effectively and that is a non negotiable. On speculation about cracks within the team demanding a Jan Lokpal bill made it clear that this is all speculation and canards spread with little or no effect. Justice Hegde and the rest of the drafting committee of team Anna has been in touch and are taking each others viewpoints in order to make sure the bill is effective and acceptable to all.
Support continues to pour in from organizations and individuals from Delhi and the nation over.

• The All Assam Students Union extended their support as they joined the campaign for the Jan Lokpal Bill. Contact Gautam – 9435548496
• The students of IIT Guwahati joined the demand for a Jan Lokpal Bill extending their support to Anna. Contact Sayak Bhattacharya 9864840081
• Mumbai fasted with Anna as for the first time in history the legendary Mumbai dubbawalas did not deliver lunch. This is the first time in 120 years that these tireless tiffin carriers did not carry tiffins. 5000 of them gathered at Azad Maidaan demanding the Jan Lokpal Bill.There was also a rally in support of Anna Hazare in Thane West.
• People in Jamshedpur are on an indefinite fast demanding the introduction of the Jan Lokpal Bill. There is also a signature campaign in Jamshedpur for the cause Contact Arti Bajpeyi Dubey 9993503232, Harish Khutiar (Jaishpur) – 94241 82442
• The Indian Ex servicemen Movement (IESM) joined the demand for a Jan Lokpal Bill as they joined the call given by a former soldier of the Indian army – Anna Hazare. Contact Bill Maj Gen Satbir Vice Chairman 9312404269, Cmdr. Vibhuti – 986810277
• In Babarpur, Auraiya(UP) over 350 people are sitting on dharna demanding the introduction of the Jan Lokpal Bill. Contact 9045498201
• There was a flower rally from Rajghat to Ramlila ground in support of Anna Hazare’s demand for a Jan Lokpal Bill. Contact – Abhimanyu 9873917110 and Arunima 9560786279
• A candle march asking for a Jan Lokpal Bill and supporting Anna Hazare was held in Dimapur, Nagaland.
• A candle march asking for a Jan Lokpal Bill and supporting Anna Hazare was held in in Dharmanagar in the state of Tripura as well. Support continues to swell in the North Eastern states.
• There were rallies for a Jan Lokpal Bill and in support of Anna in Jammu. The rally was from Central Park to Gol market. Contact Amer 9796876680
• There was a gathering of over a thousand non resident Indians at the Indian Consulate at Angelo Rosse Park in San Fransisco – USA.
• There will be a march in support of Anna and his demand for a Jan Lokpal bill in Connaught Place on the 20th of August 2011. Assembly point – K Block near Nirulas outer circle at 3pm. The March will proceed to Ramlila ground at 1pm.
• There will be a rally in Kolkata in support of Anna and the Jan Lokpal Bill. The rally will proceed from The Metro Channel near Metro cinema at 5pm on 20 Aug 2011.
• There will be a candle march at the Indian High Commission in London between 6pm and 8pm London Time, 20 August 2011.
• There will be a march in Los Angeles State Bank Of India pioneer boulevard on the 20th of August 2011.

As Anna fasts, people demand Jan Lokpal Bill faster

After yesterday’s declaration by Team Anna that Jan Lokpal Bill must be passed as expeditiously as possible, many questions were raised on the feasibility of the entire process. Shanti Bhushan, former law minister and the co-chair of Joint Drafting Committee on Lokpal Bill, responded to these doubts early this morning. Overwhelmed by people’s support who refuse to tolerate corruption lying down, Team Anna vowed that we shall not leave Ramlila ground until Jan Lokpal Bill is passed in this session. Shanti Bhushan explained, in rather fine details, that the current government’s Lokpal Bill can be withdrawn and the Jan Lokpal Bill can be introduced on Tuesday in the Lower House of Parliament (as Monday is a holiday).  On Wednesday and Thursday, Jan Lokpal Bill and each of its provisions can be discussed at length by the Parliamentarians of the Lower house. And then the Bill may be sent to Rajya Sabha. And by the 29th – 30th August the discussions can be concluded and the Bill may be passed. He shared the experience that during Emergency, the 39th Amendment was passed not just in both the houses but also in legislative assemblies of the states very quickly as then there was not just political will, but also political urgency to do so. It may be underlined that adequate time is being granted for discussion. Otherwise Indian parliaments have displayed dismal apathy to many Bills which were passed within minutes of tabling, without any debate or discussion. Santosh Koli, RTI activist and working with Parviartan from long, addressed the stage saying that she, as a dalit herself, was compelled to come out and respond to those who say that this campaign is anti-dalit. (Santosh – 8527218191) Arvind Kejriwal has appealed to all the people to sit on dharna  outside houses of MP as well as write letters to them. He also requested media organisations to publish contact details of all the MPs for the public. Kumar Vishwas, eminent poet and core member of the campaign expressed gratitude to the mediapersons, ‘warriors of pen and camera’ who have been braving the odds at ground zero and disseminating Anna’s message to the world. Bhartiya Kisaan Union extended its support to the Jan Lokpal Bill and said that corruption at the level of Panchayats, in irrigation department, in forest department should be essentially checked. A Lokpal which cannot do this probably is defunct and no use at all. (Ransingh Arya and Dr. S.S. Bhora – 9891839922)

India joins in bigger numbers, fight against corruption goes global

It was the seventh day of Anna Hazare’s fast and as support from
across the country kept growing, global support grew as NRI’s from all
over the world demanded the Jan Lokpal bill in strong numbers.

The call for peaceful protests outside the houses of MPs by Team Anna
got responses in all parts of the country. Supporters of India Against
Corruption sat on dharna outside PM Manmohan Singh’s house with
flowers, to insist for a strong Lokpal Bill. All the protesters were
detained by the police.

Supporters of the Jan Lokpal bill also protested outside the houses of
Sheila Dikshit, Pranab Mukherjee and Kapil Sibal but were detained by
police and taken away immediately. A throng of people also protested
outside LK Advani’s house.

Moreover, supporters also protested outside their MPs’ houses all
across the nation. After day long protests outside their MPs’ house in
Nagpur and Ujjain, protestors in Indore convinced MP Sumitra Mahajan
to come out in support of the Jan Lokpal Bill.

After the PM reiterated on record that they are ready to talk and
reach a compromise on the Lokpal bill, nobody has come forward from
the government’s side to talk. On the same issue, Arvind Kejrival
expressed from the stage at the Ramlila grounds that Team Anna is
ready for talks and that whatever discussion has to happen should be
done on stage at the Ramlila grounds for the whole nation to see and
witness.

With Day 8 of Anna’s fast approaching he has already lost 5 kgs weight.

Support for the Jan Lok Pal Bill was expressed by celebrities who came
to the Ramlila grounds.

Kailash Kher encouraged the crowds at Ramlila by singing and gave his
voice in the fight against corruption.

Kabir and Pooja Bedi also came out in support of Anna and the Jan Lokpal Bill.

Medha Patkar who had been relentlessly addressing the crowds at Azad
Maidan, Mumbai, addressed the crowds at Ramlila.

Jaspal Bhatti, also made his presence felt at the Ramlila grounds to
give support to the movement.

Shailesh Gandhi, Information Commissioner, Raja Bundela, Sagguru Jaggi
Vasudev, and Asif Mohammad Khan (MLA of Okhla Constituency ) also
supported the movement and were present on stage at the Ramlila
Grounds.

India Independence Day - Revive the Fighting Spirit

By Jayashankar V S 

Every Indian out there knows that the country achieved independence from the British rule on August 15, 1947 and this year marks the 62nd year of independence! Many of us also know from the history books in our schools the recorded sacrifices that were made to regain the sovereignty of our motherland! Equally familiar is the fact that on this day the country celebrates this landmark achievement in its usual customary and colourful ways! The National flag is hoisted in the national capital of New Delhi, and at the various state capitals and union territories. The Prime Minister lists the achievements of the country since the last Independence Day, raises the current and important domestic and sometimes international issues, and urges fellowmen to come together to solve it! Various cultural events are held, and special shows to honour the martyrs and the surviving freedom fighters are staged. And so another Independence Day quietly comes to an end, the very day our forefathers and great leaders of pre-independent India dreamt of. But for us it is just another national holiday, a mere show of pomp, special shows on television, everything but an occasion to celebrate the spirit of independence, and relive and revive the spirit of fighting!
Why should we fight today? And against whom? Or what is there to fight for? Well, in my opinion we should ask ourselves why we have stopped the fight! After all, we have so many nagging problems, big and small, around us! Isn't? Unfortunately, today we have 'learnt to live' with these problems and as long as they don't 'severely' make a dent on our personal lives, we just don't care! But have we ever wondered where we went wrong! I know this will kick start the blame game! There is corruption, redtapism that slows down development, and there are no good politicians, no leaders, no vision, no resources, and so on! But do we also realise that we too are responsible for this dismal state of affairs? Everyone knows that there cannot be a change overnight but I hope we will agree that there has to be some beginning somewhere!
Independence vs freedom
What is independence and what is freedom? For most of us political independence is freedom enough! The term 'independence' and the sense of 'being independent' has outshined the freedom struggle fought by our leaders and countrymen. What they sought was an independent India and more than that the 'freedom' to govern ourselves and to be dictated by some foreign force! Sadly, we have achieved the political independence but only some degree of real freedom. Real freedom is what will turn our country into a strong and united India! And every one of us should be fighting for it now!
Take for instance the personal freedom, a freedom that can be exercised by one individual without violating the other person's freedom. In a nutshell, the freedom to express my views, do my own things without hurting others' sentiments, and feelings and sentiments. It is a part of the civil liberties that protect an individual from the government of the residing nation setting limits for it so that it cannot abuse its power and interfere unduly with the lives of its citizens. Now how many of us can proudly say that we enjoy complete personal freedom in our 'independent' country?! I am not questioning here the rights of the government in upholding the law of the land or punishing the guilty and extending protection to its citizens. Every government has the right to do that! But this is more about the apathy, of the government and a few individuals and groups, in the name of caste, religion, tradition, and gender that directly or indirectly violates my personal freedom to express my views or do my own things! It is an irony that only a select few have personal freedom which is only misused in restricting the freedom of others. There are more unwritten and unspoken laws being followed here than the customary written ones on bound books, which are almost never followed! Many of our laws are only 'said' in the right spirit but not 'done' in the right way.
Rights are not allowed to be fully exercised
Similarly we do not fully enjoy the civil rights, social rights, cultural rights and the rights to quality health, quality education, and defense to name a few. Even the right to vote has often been not allowed to exercise in the way we want it to, and needless to say the right to education is dictated by castes and money! Quality health services are denied to many. Everything comes with a heavy price tag! There can be several reasons for this but unfortunately our 'muted mumbles' is only making things get worse!
How many of us can proudly say that we enjoy all these rights to the fullest! Right from getting a birth certificate for our babies, to admissions in schools and colleges, and to get the jobs that we deserve, we compromise on everything. This compromise is not 'ahimsa' that Mahatma Gandhi stood for; this is typical 'meek' surrendering to the apathy of the few bad elements in the society! Of course, there will be a very few out there who would have not experienced the apathy of the officials at some point in time! But that's only a handful of the population! A majority of us are still in the dark about our rights even on everyday issues! Even after 62 years of self-governing independent India we cannot get to exercise our rights and get things done in the way it ought to be done! Superficially, India has improved leaps and bounds in many fields. The quality of life has improved but sadly the quality of 'living' has not! Many of us do not even realise that in some parts of the country, far from our busy cities and our so-called social consciousness, some people are still fighting for some basic things, not with the British Empire but with the Indian government.
Wake up, India!
It is startling that we have failed to realise the gravity of the situation we are in. Or is it like we have meekly surrendered to the official apathy and gone numb to issues around us? Or is it simply because we have lost the spirit of fighting that our leaders and millions of citizens in pre-independent India displayed against the British? May be, it is a bit of all of them. The freedom struggle for independent India was not scripted by Gandhi and Nehru and other leaders alone, there were millions of people who stood up at that time to fight. The only reason was they wanted to be the masters of their own destiny, to help themselves and the country, the single most important persona that each one of us is missing today! What we need today is freedom, freedom across all spectrums and at all levels and the political independence is only just a beginning. If this happens, India will be a real force to reckon with!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jayashankar_V_S

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/2727296

Justice For Manjunath and Future of India

By Varughese Rajan 

In a landmark judgment, the Lakhimpur Kheri Sessions Court on Monday awarded death sentence to Pawan Kumar, alias Monu Mittal, in the Manjunath Shanmugham murder case. The seven others have been sentenced to life imprisonment for conspiracy to murder.On Friday, District and Sessions Judge S M A Abidi had pronounced the eight accused as guilty under different sections of the IPC. Manjunath was working as a sales officer with the Indian Oil Corporation when he was shot dead in November 19, 2005. The Indian oil corporation's sales manager had challenged Mittal about the fuel adulteration at his pump and was about to fine him. That was when Mittal and his colleagues shot Manjunath and then hid his body."Justice has been delivered. This is what we had hoped for," said I B Singh, Lawyer, Manjunath Shanmugam Trust.
Manjunath was murdered on 19 of November, 2005 for sticking to his principles. His shock death send cripples across the country. The entire IIML alumni stood up to fight for him. If it was not for the dedication of these Gentlemen, Manjunath's case would have been another example for the inability of our justice department. Today morning one of his friend and the main person behind the Manjunath Shanmugam Trust, Mr. Akhil Krishna was online in radio City. I was surprised to hear that they made it sure either one of them will be present in the court on every hearing. Lakhimpur Kheri , is about 135 km from Lucknow and to make sure that one of them were present in the court does take some inspiration. When Mr. Krishna was asked about what inspired him and his friend to take up such a fight - the oblivious answer came "The Man Called Macha - Manjunath Shanmugam". When I heard about it for the first time, my initial reaction was " Ok, they did for their friend, even i would have done it". But thinking, saying and dreaming is one thing and doing it is different. If it was not for them and their efforts, Manjunath's death would have remained one of this country's most shameful events.
The response to his death and the fight for justice from all over the country, reminds us of the fact that we all crave for heroes like him. It was the unanimous solidarity by his Friends, Media and the People of this country, which made sure that his sacrifice will not be gone unnoticed. His friends set up a Trust in his memory - "The Manjunath Shanmugam Trust". They are planning to fight for justice for all the citizen of this country who are fighting against corruption or similar causes. They have set up a "Right To Information Act Helpline" for assistance for general public about the RTI act. The helpline number is 9250400100. They have also instated "The Manjunath Shanmugam Integrity Award" and the first recipient was Prof. R.P Singh, Vice-Chancellor, Lucknow University, for his courageous work in implementing Lyngdoh Committee recommendations and cleaning up Lucknow University , taking on the might of the entire state assembly.
The most aspiring fact of this trial is that the entire process was completed in 9 months time, which might be a Indian justice department record on its own. But there are some fallouts if we look carefully into the matter. The entire trial was done properly because of the media and public pressure on this case. If you look at the two landmark judgments in recent time - "The Jessica Lal Murder Case" and "The Manjunath Shanmugam Case", both these case were pursued by the public and the media - more importantly the electronic media intervention made it a success. But is this a good trend. The electronic media tends to serve a very selected class of audience, because of that almost all the issues that are raised are concerned with that class of people. This has the fallout of that the "The Justice will only be served to the Privileged" or the poor of this country will not benefit from the new age activism that is sweeping the country. Now come the million dollar question "What is the solution for this problem?", the answer again is oblivious - "The system needs to change", but how? In my humble opinion , we have to make the Law and Justice department accountable for what they are doing. Accountability will bring great change in the way official of these two departments work. Think about this if there is a provision to prosecute a Police officer for neglecting his duty(thereby helping the culprit) the corruption in these two departments will come down. For example - In the Jessica Lal murder trial, in the recent judgment the court observe its surprise that the lower court actually acquitted the culprit even though there was ample evidence to prosecute him. If the Judge was accountable for the Judgments he make, this would have never happen. Now the biggest question "How ill we bring this accountability to these departments?" The answer is I have no idea, in this I am as clueless as those who are reading this article. here is where we can have a discussion about. You are free to suggest your ideas in the comment box.
Always remember treating a disease is expensive, but preventing the disease is Wisdom. Let Manjunath's soul give us the will to fight to make this country a better place to live. Signing of with the this song.....

Visit News Ahead for the rest of article....

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Varughese_Rajan

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/504329

War Against Poverty - The Philippine Case

By Ernesto Del Castillo 

The "War-on-Poverty" had always been a Campaign Issue in every Election - National & Local. All Philippine Presidents vowed to fight poverty in their respective Term-of-Office. Despite that, Public Debt was always higher than before when each left the Presidency. With Cost-of-Living increasing yearly, "Hunger Incidence" is perceived experienced by more and more Filipinos.
The Suicide of Mariannet Amper is a very sad story. Mariannet was a 12-yr old who had been skipping school classes because she had to occasionally help her Mother do laundry - to feed a Family-of-9. Her Father was oftentimes out-of-work as a Carpenter. Marianeth, as the 6th Child-of-7, left a Diary-of-Hardships - concluding, that a "Better Life" was hopeless. To add bitterness to Marianeth's sad story, Philippine Media reports that a Catholic Burial might be denied her - consistent with Catholic Teaching & Tradition which abhor Suicide. Ironically, the "Feeding Program" for Public School Children and the "Livelihood Programs" for the Filipino Poor failed to reach Marianeth's Family - somehow.
The never-ending National Debates (on GMA's Presidency & Impeachment; on controversial Electoral Results & suggested Reforms; on Corruption Charges against Public Officials suspected of Influence Peddling. On Bribery Incidents happening in Congress and in Malacanang. On Charter Change suspected to favor self-interest groups instead of the Common Good; etc.) divert the Nation's Attention and Resources farther away from attending to urgent needs of the Filipino Poor.
In this "War-on-Poverty", Overseas Filipinos are our heroes. Their non-stop Inbound Dollar Remittances benefiting their relatives in the Philippines is acknowledged as the single factor increasing the value of the Philippine Peso. Without their monetary help, the ran-away Cost-of-Oil (about U$100/barrel) could have made life in the Philippines even worst. God bless our Overseas Filipinos!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ernesto_Del_Castillo

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/826473

Fighting For What Counts - Earth's Final Days

By Nevada York 

What is to become of the world? The United States has elected a new leader for our country, Israel is poised to hold elections, health questions are arising about the dictator of North Korea, Russia is still being governed by Vladimir Putin-but no one wants to say anything due to Putin's police state tactics. Everyone is looking for answers to a unraveling situation in the global world's history. No matter who is elected certain things must take place as mentioned in the Bible. Sure, many are looking to leaders for hope in what seems to be a dark, questionable path. The nations and citizens find it convenient to ignore the fact that the Lord is the judge of mankind. Different countries have opted to elect leaders who they believe can bring structure and peace to their country. Are their efforts all for nothing? The only sure thing in life is ones ability to determine the fate of their souls. How unfortunate it is that people do not have their priories in order, feeling as though they need to save intangible objects, things that will pass away, more so than the need to save their immortal souls. A regrettable practice today is that countless people dedicate their time and energy to causes that interfere with their personal relationship with the true God concerning their salvation.
"Save the Planet!" is the mantra of Al Gore and celebrity environmentalists. They are convinced that mankind will destroy the earth. Do any of their own beliefs agree with what the Bible says? The Bible does not state that mankind has the capability to utterly destroy his creation, the Earth.However, it does mention how the Lord has reserved a judgment of fire for the Earth as we know it. Psalm 96:13 reads, "For He is coming, for He is coming to judge the Earth. He shall judge the world with righteousness and the peoples with His truth." God has already destroyed the earth with water during the flood and according to 2nd Peter, the Lord will destroy the earth again but with fire. "... He used the water to destroy the ancient world with a mighty flood. And by the same word, the present heavens and earth have been stored up for fire. They are being kept for the day of judgment, when ungodly people will be destroyed. (2nd Peter 3:6-7)" Why will the Lord annihilate the earth in the future? Genesis clearly explains why the Lord destroyed earth in the past, "Now the earth was corrupt in God's sight, and the earth was filled with violence. And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. And God said to Noah," I have determined to make an end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them with the earth. (Genesis 6:11-13)." It was because of man's wickedness and corruption that the Lord destroyed the earth.
Only Noah and his family were found righteous enough to escape the Lord's coming judgments against the world. Instead of an ark, many Christians will be sparred the judgments of the world because of the rapture. What are the judgments coming to the world? The book of Revelation reveals seven opening judgments on the earth at the beginning of the tribulation:
1) A false leader comes to bring "peace" on Earth, but ushers in chaos.
2) Peace is taken away from the Earth.
3) Famine is spread across the earth.
4) A fourth of mankind is killed by the sword, hunger, and beasts.
5) The souls of the martyrs cry for the avengement of those who dwell on the earth.
6) Severe calamities of nature and heavenly astronomical events cause great fear on the earth.
7) Silence-before the remaining judgments are poured out onto the earth.
These are just a fragment of the future judgments that will be facing mankind and earth. (Revelation 6:1-8:6)
The event of the rapture is an occasion that many Christians are looking forward to. For just as Noah did, Christians will escape the coming judgments described during the period of the Great tribulation. It is a blessing that the period that mankind currently lives in is the church age-an age that began when Jesus Christ rose from the dead. Humanity will shift in a different direction that will ultimately cause a deep longing for the present days that we are living in. It doesn't matter who may or may not be elected, the end of an era is quickly approaching. "God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. (Ephesians 2:8-9)." Make sure you don't lose focus and live your life for objects that are perishable, but base your future decisions on believing in the Son of God-a choice that will ultimately determine your salvation. Are you prepared to meet your maker?

Nevada York, Author of Caught Up and Mahogany's Revelation, released her latest book Journey to Salvation in 2006 to rave reviews from readers. Nevada's published novels are an accomplishment that has been well worth the wait. Not willing to be deterred, her determination has bought about the publication of two memorable novels. http://nevadayork.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nevada_York

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/1868821