The India Against Corruption Rally.

"Dhuan chhata khula gagan mera nayee dagar naya safar mera
Jo ban sake tu hamsafar mera, nazar mila zara"
-Roobaroo, Rang de Basanti

It was a damp evening in Mumbai today. And there was a rally organised by India Against Corruption that was to begin at Bandra(W) and culminate at Juhu. For a city that's well known for it's spirit and resilience, there was no way that the rains or the crater laden roads or even certain open manholes were going to deter the will to join the movement against corruption and support the bill for a stronger ombudsman.

Let me tell you, the last time I saw so many people on the roads was when India won the World Cup. However, this time around the gathering wasn't revelling in victory. Rather it was a gathering of people who were angry. Angry and frustrated with the state of affairs of this country. The lack of governance. The corruption that has engulfed everything. Even the very roads on which the protestors marched bore signs of corrutpion. The so called infrastructure on which crores of rupees are spent for repair and other purposes and which were repaired just 2 months back were nothing short of kuccha roads. And this time, there were people from all sections of society. Young and old, rich and poor..it was India that poured onto the streets. I wonder what the struggle for independence was like.

And since no protest march is complete minus slogans, this rally too had it's fair share of interesting slogans besides of course Inquilab Zindabad and Bharat Mata ki Jai! Sample these:
1. Gali Gali mein shor hai saare neta chor hai!
2. Hamara neta kaisa ho? Anna Hazare jaisa ho!
3. Desh ka youth yahan hai. Rahul Gandhi kahan hai?
4. Desh ki beemari...Manish Tewari!
5. Kapil Sibal..maaro chappal! (x2)
6. Saari sarkar nikammi hai...Sonia iski Mummy hai!

It was a rally of responsible citizens. They made sure that the streets were not left littered. They made sure that ambulances were allowed to pass. They made sure that there were no untoward incidents in a gathering of over a lakh people.

It is on days like these that my faith in spirit of the nation is reaffirmed. We too are capable of bringing about a revolution. A billion voices. United!