Self immolation and Tibetan identity

I often go to Majnu Ka Tila after college it’s quite and not crowded, very unlike most of Delhi. It feels good to be there, specially the café at the very heart of ‘MT’ as we fondly call it! Even after having innumerable cups of coffee and the street side treat laping, I had never thought that the same place would one day turn out to be the home of a hero who sacrificed his life for his people, for his country and most importantly for ‘Freedom’. I am talking about Jhampel Yeshi, a 27-year-old Tibetan living in exile in India, set himself aflame at a protest on 26^th March 2012 in New Delhi against the forthcoming arrival of Chinese President Hu Jintao. It was at least the 30^th time a Tibetan had self-immolated this year alone, a shocking statistic. But as Yeshi’s fiery protest took place in India - rather than in Tibetan areas of China, where most of the immolations have occurred - it received more coverage by the press.

Yeshi died from his injuries a day later, prompting more demonstrations by Tibetans in India against what they consider the brutal Chinese occupation of their homeland. The Indian government, nervous about upsetting China, engaged in a full-on crackdown, arresting close to 300 Tibetans on an archaic colonial law that wards against such dissent.

Yeshi before self immolating left a poignant hand written note. He wrote, ‘the fact that the Tibetan people are setting themselves on fire in this 21st Century is to let the world know about their suffering.’ The number of Tibetan self immolations in China has crossed over thirty. But is the world listening?

Soon after the incident as usual the Chinese authorities put the blame on the Dalai Lama. The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei accused the Dalai Lama of ‘masterminding’ the series of self immolations. The Chinese officials also ‘complimented’ the Indian authorities for their ‘handling’ of the situation. Apart from officials, not many in India would be enthused to receive such a compliment!

And yet the Chinese refuse to take a second look at what is actually causing such unrest in Tibet. Areas inhabited by Tibetans are under harsh security cover. Many new road check points have been built and they are manned by heavily armed Para-Military Police. The Chinese have also instituted ‘monastic management’ plans in order to control religious life. About 21,000 Chinese officials have been deployed to ‘befriend’ Tibetan monks and dossiers have been created on most of the latter. In addition, over a million national flags and Mao portraits have been distributed; monasteries have to compulsorily hang Mao portraits. Such heavy handedness is causing great disaffection amongst the general Tibetan population.

Sadly for the Tibetans, apart from human rights activists, no country has spoken up for them or for their obvious suffering. When a Tunisian street vendor Mohamed Bouazizi self immolated in Tunis on 17 December 2010, he actually helped launch the so-called ‘Arab Spring’ which led to widespread changes in the Arab World. Unfortunately for Jamphel Yeshi, nothing similar seems to have happened in Tibet. Even when the Chinese occupied Tibet in 1950 and the Tibetans took their case to the UN, no major country including Nehru’s India supported their case. While most are demonstrably anxious about the goings on in Syria and critical of the killings of innocent civilians there, few if any are prepared to shed a tear for the hapless Tibetans.

The reasons are not far to seek. No one wishes to annoy the Chinese. The People’s Republic of China is a permanent member of the UN Security Council. It is the second largest economy in the world after the United States and of recent has also grown considerably in military might. Western countries which used to raise Tibet as an issue in their relations with China now also appear to overlook or bypass it when dealing with China.

On the eve of the anniversary of the failed 1959 Tibetan uprising, mass protests were launched by Tibetans and their support groups from their exiled capital Dharamsala, India. Hunger strikes, Candle light vigils, remonstrations and public anger were witnessed in every Tibetan community across the world.

Lobsang Wangyal, an exiled Tibetan entrepreneur living in India says, "Tibetans in Tibet have long said they are not happy under Chinese rule. The self-immolations are saying that they mean it. But the world is paying little attention. It gives a feeling that 30 Tibetans risking their lives is still not enough to make a point and as if more lives should be sacrificed." 

However, all is not lost for the Tibetans. With the evolution of the new media and social networking websites such as Twitter, Facebook, etc., the suffering of the Tibetans is now known worldwide. Millions all over the world who saw the self immolation of Jamphel Yeshi could not but have failed to be moved at the gruesome sight and at the plight of the hapless Tibetans. As more such self immolations take place, the revulsion for Chinese policies in Tibet will grow exponentially.

I for myself will continue going to Majnu Ka tila, to enjoy my cup of coffee and savour the spicy laping; but now MT will no t be the same old MT for me, from now on it is a sacred site where a benevolent soul like Jhampel Yeshi once resided. Bhod Rangzen!! *

* Bhod means TIBET, Rangzen means INDEPENDENCE, in Tibetan it means FREE TIBET.

(I had written this article exactly two years from now, and on the 2nd anniversary of the incident I am finally uploading it on my blog. MT will always have a special place in my heart, forever!)

Australian Film Festival at IIC – Film Review

The Tall Man

Written and Directed by Tony Krawitz, ‘The Tall Man’ is a documentary based on a book of the same name by Chloe Hooper. The documentary is a puzzle which takes the audience on a roller coaster ride to determine the truth behind the famous Cameroon Domadgee death in custody case.

An inebriated Cameroon was arrested one morning for swearing at Senior Sergeant Chris Hurley, and just an hour later he was found dead in the Palm Island police station. The police claimed that Domadgee died because he fell and slipped when entering the cell. Nobody cared to explain how he got such bad injuries by just falling: four broken ribs, a badly ruptured liver and condition as bad as after a car accident.

The documentary uses court transcripts, interviews with Doomadgee’s family and fellow residents and video footage of Hurley re-enacting his version of that day’s event. It also touches upon Palm Island’s colonial history where racism was widespread. 

The filmmaker plays fair by allotting almost the same time to Hurley’s supporters as he does to Domadgee’s. The local people of Palm Island would refer to Chris Hurley who was 6 ft 7 in. tall and weighed 115 kg as ‘The Tall Man’ (of the title) because of his giant physique. The documentary highlights the difficulty to bring him to trial, and his final acquittal makes us question the Judiciary. Krawitz couldn’t convince Chris Hurley to be in the film. The film ends with the results of the final investigation conducted in 2010, including an audio recording of Hurley’s statement.

Go Back to Where You Came From: Series 2

The documentary film shows us the lives of refugees and the difficulties they face trying to lead a normal life. The filmmaker tried a new genre of documentary film making i.e., a reality TV show format. This fresh approach makes us as an audience more interested, captivated and receptive. Refugees are vulnerable and prone to exploitation and violence. With no protection and no rights, they are completely helpless. This documentary does try and bring out the debate of asylum seekers in the open.

We were shown Episodes 2 and 3 from Season 1 of the documentary. It begins with a mini introduction of all the 6 participants – their names, ages, backgrounds and their opinion on the Australia's asylum seeker debate. Except one of the participants, all the rest shared a common hatred for refugees and this included an absolute racist (Raquel) and a complete Muslim hater (Adam). From being a part of  immigration raids in Malaysia, to living in a refugee camp in Kenya, from visiting slums in Jordan and going to war torn countries like Congo and Iraq – the participants do it all.

The film screening was followed by a discussion with filmmaker Rick McPhee. During which a woman said that the participants take more of our attention and sympathy than the refugees. Though she meant it otherwise, I felt that was the biggest advantage of the film. It worked well because, in order to win the asylum seekers debate in their favor, we need to convince people who are anti-refugees first. And the film does that easily, as it strikes a chord with especially such people and makes them think. They connect with participants who are challenged by the situations they are put in and change completely by the end of their journey. If the participants on the show could have a change of heart, so can other such people. The documentary gives us all a ray of hope.

German Expressionism and Architecture in Cinema

Introduction

The Expressionist movement began in Germany around the 1900’s. Originally the idea was for the artist to produce a piece of work entirely from a subjective point of view. Popular examples are: The Scream by Edward Munch, and Starry Night by Van Gogh.

Expressionism in architecture also began in Germany around the early 1900’s. It refers to German, Dutch, Czech, Austrian and Danish Avante Gard from 1910-30. Architecture showing original, unique design was popular.  Research from Sigmund Freud and Karl Jung helped start the Expressionist movement. There was more focus on the psychological effects of form and space when designing. Socialist government was repressing towards art, it was a way to act out for the artists/architects. 

Characteristics:

• Distortion of the form to invoke emotion
• Striving to be new and original
• Heavy use of ‘Artisan Craftsmanship’
• The idea of architecture as a work of art

Some e.g. of buildings:

• Einsteins tower - This was built by Erich Mendelsohn and is the most iconic representation of expressionism in architecture.
• Goetheanum - This can be found in Dornach, Switzerland. It is the world centre for anthroposophical movement.  Designed by Rudolph Steiner, this building is basically a perfect definition of expressionist architecture.

Cinema and Architecture

Many critics see a direct tie between cinema and architecture of the time, stating that the sets and scene artwork of Expressionist films often reveal buildings of sharp angles, great heights, and crowded environments, such as the frequently shown Tower of Babel in Fritz Lang’s Metropolis.

This film movement paralleled Expressionist painting and theater in rejecting realism. The creators of the time sought to convey inner, subjective experience through external, objective means. Their films were characterized by highly stylized sets and acting; they used a new visual style which embodied high contrast and simple editing. The films were shot in studios where they could employ deliberately exaggerated and dramatic lighting and camera angles to emphasize some particular affect - fear, horror, pain.

So I discuss two films belonging to the early Expressionist phase (1920’s and 30’s): The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920), and Metropolis (1927). Films then were highly symbolic and deliberately surrealistic portrayals of filmed stories. The extreme non-realism of Expressionism was short-lived, and it faded away (along with Dadaism) after only a few years. However, the themes of Expressionism were integrated into later films of the 1920s and 1930s, resulting in an artistic control over the placement of scenery, light, and shadow to enhance the mood of a film. Therefore I discuss two recent films influenced by German Expressionism: Blade Runner (1982) and Batman Returns (1992) in my paper very briefly before I end.

 

The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari (1920)

With this movie, director Robert Wiene created a masterpiece.  Not only is the story interesting and engaging, but nearly every shot in the movie looks like an Expressionist painting.   The sets, designed by Hermann Warn along with to painters, Walter Rohrig and Walter Reinmann, are filled with strange angles, triangular doors, and crooked roofs.  Complex and intricate architecture, odd stairways, and bizarre props such as giant stools near enormously tall desks all serve to give the film a unique look. The entire production feels like the dream of a madman.

The characters too have been worked upon.  The heavy, exaggerated make-up with sharp angular lines painted across the characters faces and the triangular costumes serve to accent the sets and props.   No film has ever captured insanity so well. The lighting is very important in this film, and a key aspect to expressionist film.  The stark, harsh, shadow filled lighting gives all of the scenes a nightmarish quality.  The sets are painted with shadows which makes the movie even more eerie and otherworldly than it would have been otherwise.  In one of key and often imitated moments in the film, a murder is shown only as shadows on a wall. 

This scene demonstrates the effect created through the Expressionist technique of using angular structures to help represent a disjointed mood and a nightmarish atmosphere.

Cesare’s movements were stiff and robotic. His makeup was excessive and overdone. Some of the shadows in this scene were created by wall paintings to enhance contrast between light and dark. The “Cabinet of Dr. Caligari” employed the Expressionist technique of using dream sequences and flashbacks to twist reality and warp chronology.The unnatural and exaggerated character of Cesare carried out frightening acts during the dream sequences.

Designed by the Expressionist Bahaus School, the films’ sets were contorted and artificial. The distorted designs helped to develop the atmosphere of disorientation.

Metropolis (1927)

Fritz Lang's film Metropolis demonstrates a visually progressive 'Futurist' society dealing with relevant issues of 1920s Germany in relation to labour and society. It contains a lot of weird, futuristic elements that have stuck with science fiction ever since they first appeared in this movie, and the shots of the robot with electricity in circles around her has become quite iconic.

In keeping with Expressionist concepts, Lang portrayed women in the unnatural form of machines.

Huge sets that dwarf the actors is very well evidenced by the enormous power plant and glimpses of the massive yet pristine 'upper' city.

Lang accentuated the dark mood of the film by including lighting practices characteristic of Expressionist cinema.

Blade Runner (1982)

Many analysts believe that Expressionist media often contains an underlying and ambiguous social critique. In the science fiction movie, “Blade Runner”, directed by Ridley Scott, poetic speeches contained vague political themes and ideologies.

In the manner of Expressionism, Ridley Scott incorporated dark shadows, hazy lighting and odd camera movements into the film. In addition to the parallels to movie “Metropolis”, “Blade Runner” imitated sequences from other German Expressionist films. Bladerunner’s emphasis on the degraded, alienating city resembled that of many expressionist "street films" taken together. Some propose that “Bladerunner” was a remake of Lang's Metropolis. 

Similar to the earlier Expressionist film, “Metropolis” (above), “Bladerunner” portrayed a futuristic city as bleak and dark (below). 

Ridley Scott contrasted light and dark and used straight angles and silhouettes.

Batman Returns (1992)

Ambitious adaptations of the style are depicted throughout the contemporary filmography of director Tim Burton. His 1992 film Batman Returns is often cited as a modern attempt to capture the essence of German Expressionism. The angular building designs and severe-looking city squares of Gotham City evoke the loom and menace present in Lang’s Metropolis. The angular building designs and severe looking city squares of Gotham City bore resemblance to Lang’s futuristic city. The urban design of Gotham city resembled a dream or nightmare like landscape. A variety of architectural styles including Expressionism were borrowed from in the creation of the city.

Conclusion

I would conclude with the following quote which sums up Expressionist movement as a whole:

“The Expressionist does not see, he has visions”

-         German Expressionist writer, Kasimir Edschmid, (1919)

This holds true for expressionism everywhere, be it buildings, paintings, theatre or films. 

Kaagaz Ke Phool - a review

Kaagaz Ke Phool - a film by Guru Dutt, is considered a classic. Having watched it just yesterday in college for the first time the impression is still fresh in my head. The opening and closing scenes of the film are striking and well thought, something that stays with you for a long time. The movie begins with an old and lonely director Suresh Sinha played by Guru Dutt who is standing in front of a studio where a big statue is partially shown in the scene (rendering only the feet visible). The feet of the statue frame the aged man as he stands; this is symbolic of the main theme of the film, which is about the frailness and diminutive authority and control that man has over things that surround him and also his own life.

The flashback sequence shows us a magnificent set, grand and impressive it rightly highlights the glitz and glamour of his golden days at the peak as he reminisces his past. Some of the scenes where young girls flock to get a glimpse of him and maybe an autograph, and people attracted by the show of films, are really well thought and that shows in the execution.

As the plot progresses we see the director – Suresh Sinha and his find Shanti fall in love with each other. As this growing closeness causes more trouble in his already troubled married life. More so with the coming of Pammi who extracts a promise from her to leave, Shanti finally goes away to a village and becomes a teacher. Suresh on the other hand, can’t stand on his own, without Pammi, his daughter and now having Shanti left too – he is completely alone and depressed. Rocky (his brother in law) brings her back, in order to get Sinha’s life back on track. But when Shanti tries helping Suresh, his ego comes in the way and he refuses. He would never take help from anybody, he rather surrender himself to self-pity and alcohol.

I feel he was not what we nowadays call, that ‘into’ the girl. The film depicts two people who understand each other very well but can't be together. But I still have some questions. When Pammi leaves him, why doesn’t Suresh go up to Shanti and resolve the issue and show her that her absence didn’t really help salvage his marriage. Also Suresh enjoys her simple hero-worship of him without really responding. He just likes being loved unconditionally and Shanti knows this. In the end nobody learns anything, nobody cries, and Suresh dies in the pit. Life moves on. Suresh in particular, but Shanti too, have plenty of opportunities to improve the course of their lives, and their persistent refusal to take advantage of them, can get on your nerves. They refuse to take responsibility for there own happiness.

But the cinematography as always is a highlight of Dutt's films. The use of lighting is fitting, as it accentuates the grimness. The use of light during the screening of Sinha’s ‘Devdas’ at the premiere is a good example of the clever use of light. Dutt also used overlapping images and, the camera often moves and lingers creating a mesmerizing effect. ‘Waqt ne kiya’ is a memorable track from the film not only because of meaningful lyrics and haunting voices, but also because of the way it has been beautifully shot. The camera work is remarkable, to V.K. Murthy’s credict who created the light beams and lenses for Dutt. The sliding lime lights and later sliding martinis worked very well, they just show the creativity even more in the making of the film.

It is India’s first cinemascope film; has wonderful sets, good direction, fine lighting, superb acting, well choreographed frames to boast about, and in all a very well made film!

Mr. Lochan and his suspender pants

A chequered shirt, a freckled face

Yet a smooth overall appearance

Spectacles hanging from his neck

On a strand of thread

His hair black but mostly white

And off course, how could one miss

His ‘suspender pants’:P

The class all quite, all eyes on him

But are they interested, in awe or just scared of him

He modulates his voice,

Changes its texture,

Throws his hands around,

But do my friends really understand what he says,

Cause if they really did, why would they scared?

Sitting in the centre, of the circle we make around him

He says he doesn’t like people sitting at the back,

But if we someone’s at front, someone has to be behind,

And someone who’s been himself a backbencher all his life,

Should I really listen to him?

His suspender pants, just sum him up

It binds him,

So that he dosent go off the track

It controls him, so that he doesn’t lose count

It sizes him up, and off course they hold his pants in place

So that he can jump around in his thoughts.

I wonder how would he be, had it not been for them,

What a crazy person he would be!

The Shortest Poem

In July that year, when he first showed me emotions,
I saw a person who could cry for me,
Who felt pain if i was away. :)

But in April this year, when I saw him lie on my face,
It all came crashing down!
End of story. 


(Written at my Maasi's place while I was out with my parents, last piece written about my breakup. Will never write anything about it. Doesn't deserve that space in my head or heart anymore. And I thought he cared. :I )

27th May 2013, 05.04 pm. 

I bought your freedom

I bought your freedom my soft toy,

My green bunny, my cuddly boy

For this day, I saved my cash

So I could buy things and make it match,

Our expenses were almost the same,

He spent a little more, but he earned as well

I am still in college, so you can tell

How hard it must have been for me

Right in front my break up, I could see!

I could see it clearly coming my way,

So I did the best I could to pay,

Him somehow the money for my cute little baby,

Cause I knew that is something I could never give up, maybe

A clever decision, I am proud of it now

Decluttering my life, getting space to grow.

I bought your freedom my soft toy,

My green bunny, my cuddly boy!

Today when removing all those memory triggers from my life,

I am glad I literally ‘bought’my bunny back!

Leaving him would’ve be even more painful than the actual breakup,

It was love at first sight,

It was love at first sight,

His bright green fur, lights up my life! :D

(I know the last two lines are hilarious, but I wrote this poem in jest and it suited the mood and the flow, I was happy writing it, so didn’t change anything)  :)
written while preparing for exams on 12^th may 2013 at 12:45 pm

It’s very difficult for me

Look it’s very difficult for me

To pretend as if everything’s all right

When nothing is going right between us

It’s difficult to keep laughing

When all I want is to cry

 I like talking to you

But when we have to part

Talking everyday to you

Will only make it harder for me later

Having said that, do whatever you feel is right

You know better

I don’t want to hold any hard feelings or grudges towards you

Please don’t make it hard for me than it already is!

Written on 14^th February 2013 – Valentine’s Day bwahahahaha 

Crossroads

Crossroads always come in your life

You choose one and let the other go

I always chose the one – right, good, practical for me

But, this one time it’s difficult

My life changes if I take the wrong turn, take the wrong pick or go with the wrong option

But no, it’s not only about that

Had it been, I would have been hesitant

In choosing my education, profession, even my location

But this one time, it’s different

Matters of the heart, fuck up the head

Rose coloured glasses, blur your vision

Confusion, utter madness takes over

And this frustration wells up my eyes

And I cry.

Why is it so difficult to let go and move on?

Why is it so difficult to forget and start anew, afresh?

All will be, all right in time to come

My heart will heal and pieces fuse back into one,

But this period, of deciding to hold on or let go,

Is difficult, it’s killing me.

No I am not depressed,

I can still laugh and make people laugh,

Still do my work well, and go out and shop

But despite all the pretense, the outward appearance

I know something’s amiss

I am not me anymore

And I want this to end.

I am afraid of taking a wrong turn, choosing the wrong bend.

Crossroads always come in life,

You choose one and let the other go,

That is how we grow!

(I hope I am able to choose right and grow out of it soon)

Written on 12^th February 2013

Obsessed with words

You are obsessed with words,

More than enabling, they set limits,

You ask us to write a frame,

As if it’s a story.

Off course every photo has a tale,

But when we have ink, pen and our hands,

Why can’t we just draw it out?

Easier for us to get the message across,

Easier for you to understand,

More close to reality.

Why are you then so obsessed with word?

Words that set limits,

Words that are ultimately just words,

Not visuals to please the eyes.

Sir, in the end I have just one thing to say

Why stress the brain,

When you can soothe the eyes!

< I had written this for a professor who i find cute as a teddy, but didn't like him at all when he spoke about writing out "photographic' frames and explaining them :( when one could just draw them >

Written on 23^rd January 2013 at 12:13 pm 

Use of light in the film ‘Brief Encounter’

The black and white film that I saw recently saw used a lot of light and shadows. Lighting was used to create bright and dark patches, which add meaning to the scene and also create the right kind of ambience to suit the mood of the scene. In a black and white film, light is used to make objects brighter or darker and thus becomes a very important agent in conveying messages and creating effects visually for the audience.

The first thing I noticed in the film was that the faces of all the main protagonists were lit, so as to draw our attention and show their expressions clearly to the viewer. This was evident from the first scene itself, where Mrs. Dolly, the Doctor, and Laura are sitting in the café at Milford station. There is bright light on all the characters faces.

There’s also use of the backlight in scenes, so as to make the characters stand out from the background, and not merge with the background especially in scenes where the clothes of the characters match the backdrop. One very good scene is when the Doctor and Laura walk down the subway, its dark and yet lit up perfectly enough to show them pass through it. Clever use of backlight and light coming through both the ends of the subway helps the scene immensely.

Also, in a lot of scenes when Laura is sitting in the train, we are shown the movement of the train not by things moving back outside her window; but by showing shadows move across the protagonists face as she sits and thinks and thoughts cross her mind. Shadows have also been used to depict moods in the film – long, dark shadows to depict broody, sad, melancholic state of mind, for e.g. in the scene where Laura is sitting in her house and thinking about her brief affair with the doctor – the mood is very gloomy and brooding. Similarly, in scenes of happiness the light is bright and without much shadows, making it bright and ‘clear’!

An exceptional day in my life

An exceptional day in your life…sometimes an exceptional day is occurring in your life and you have no clue about it until years later. The most exceptional day of my life was wrapped in mystery for years before finally unveiling itself to me. Sometimes captivity is good, being left in darkness beneficial, so was the case with me. I was enveloped in a soft cushioning surrounding, don’t know what it was, fluids surrounded my body, oh yes my body, I had a body! In my comfortable abode where all my needs were met – warmth, food and comfort – it was bliss! But after some months, I think it was a year, no not a year a little less. I woke up because of some movement, I could feel myself moving for the first time a little too much in my cushioning surrounding. My head could touch something hard, after struggling for hours I felt immense pressure on my head followed by huge pressure on my chest. Slowly the tension in my body subsided and the pressure was gone and my lungs filled with air – my first breath. I coughed and spluttered, and then my cord was cut! Yes, I had been born. I would not know this for years to come, what my mother went through all this time when I was coming out in this world would be hidden from me.

It was an exceptional day; I was to celebrate that very day for all the years to come – 18^th March. I am more close to my dad, I saw him first when I opened my eyes, sometimes I feel is it because I thought that he had given birth to me! :P Well that’s another story for another day, recounting such an exceptional day of my life is enough for a day I feel. :)

Five reasons why I like Anna :)

Lately I have been hearing a lot about Anna, but this time more criticism than praise, unlike before. My college just today organised today a talk in which the guest lecturers lay open the faults present in the Lokpal bill and presented their very own version of the same which they said would be more effective and useful for the people. This made me think over my stand, i was supporting Anna till now, do I still support him!?....I went over everything I think about him and that lead me in reinstating my faith in Anna. Below I list my top five reasons for liking Anna:

1. Yes I know hunger strikes are not the way to bring out reforms, but when was the last time, somebody had such mass appeal without being a celebrity, politician or any other public figure...i cant name anyone. He brought the issue of corruption to the forefront and made it the topic of hot debate, which we had been ignoring for good many years, rather generations.


2. I know the Lokpal bill has faults, but people who are now correcting it and bringing more correct versions of the same forget that Anna was the original inspiration.


3. For the first time one man is leading a campaign by his sheer mass appeal earned not by political tactics, mud slinging on others or other such unconstitutional means (in which our politicians are pro).  He is a living example of  'not asking what the nation has done for us, but what we have done for the nation'.


4. He truly lives for others, read his biography to know more. His contribution are so many they cannot be listed here. But for those who don't know at all about him, I would like tell them that he was awarded the Padma Bhushan—the third-highest civilian award—by the government of India in 1992 for his efforts in establishing Ralegan Siddhi as a model village. He lives in a small room attached to the Sant Yadavbaba temple in Ralegan Siddhi since 1975. He never visited his home though it is in same village. He owns 0.07 hectares of family land in Ralegan Siddhi which is being used by his brothers. Two other pieces of land donated to him by the Indian Army and by a villager have been donated by him for village use.


5. Name one other person like him if you can think of any in today's world, if you are able to I will change my stance and not support his cause. But I know its impossible to think of anybody else, and that sums up why I like Anna so much!

If somebody feels I am still wrong in supporting him, comment below and let me know why, I am open to criticism. Finally I would like to end this blog post by one chant - "Jai Anna"!! :)