Anna, Annasaheb, Hazare and his fast

     “So,Pento! what do u have to say about Anna.””| Well!, please call him Annasaheb that is the way he was addressed, Annasaheb has been one of my favourites always.” I could not be stopped now. I said “He was one of the best. I would rate him very high, almost next or equal to Naushad and Sachin Dev Burman . Listen to Azad , Albela , or Anarkali ,have you ever heard more scintillating music? Before his death in 1982 he had scored music for over 150 films , Hindi, Marathi , Tamil included. And what about the famous “Mere Vatan ke logon” which brought tears to Pandit Nehruji ?”

“You and your music obsession. I was not talking about your Annasaheb –C.Ramchander.I was talking about Hazare?”.I nodded my head utterly perplexed. “This I could never understand” , I said, “Whenever talk about all time great Indian test team comes about , the fourth position is always given to Vijay Hazare. When I would say this should have gone veritably  to G.R.Vishwanath, the yellow shirt cricketer from Karnataka. Raju Bharatan, erstwhile reknowned sports journalist and music enthusiast,  had called him the artist of Indian cricket in contrast to the scientist Sunil Gawaskar. Just recollect what Tony cozierand Rajsingh Dugarpurkar said about G.R’s aggressiveness against the fastest in the test match at Chepauk in the 1975, which we went to win to level the series 2-2. He was up there against the hostile Andy Roberts, Vanburn Holder and Bernard  Julien, when he scored a belligerent 97out of India’s total of 190  playing almost single handed, when wickets were tumbling at the other end.This innings is considered as the 38^th best innings ever in test cricket in the world and perhaps second best amongst the top ten test innings in Indian  history.”

 “Pento you are as good or as bad as that Raju Bharatan whose two obsessions were cricket and music. All these fasts u undertook have shrunk your brain”.“ What do u mean ? I have not undertaken any fast”. Ether added contritely “I should have said that the fast you should have undertaken with the rest of the country men. You know how much I was shamed in my office the other day, when every one declared the number of days’ fast their hubbies have taken in support of  Anna Hazare ‘s agitation. I also had to say that you were also on fast, to save my face, but the lie was so shameful especially since you were hogging like a pig day and night.. You should be ashamed of yourself going on eating the way you do when the whole of India is in a mass movement in support of Anna. You have no national pride.” I protested”I ofcourse have national pride. And I don’t think I have to go on fast to show off my national pride. And I don’t  ofcourse  hog like a pig but I do enjoy eating. It is one of the things which I enjoy. I don’t believe in taking part  in any of the debates “ Live to eat” vs “Eat to live”. See one has to eat to live but then why not enjoy it also. That is what I say. Appreciate all good things in life  and why not someone’s culiniary effort?”

“Wherever I go I see motivated and concerned men marching shouting slogans and waiving placards in support of the new Gandhian movement that has gripped the nation over the issue of corruption. But you act as if you are separate from all these.” “All these are a result of a temperory mania. As they say a mass hysteria, nothing else. Do you think all these placard wielding jokers don’t take bribes in their respective places of work?.Just a show and nothing else. I do not want to be a party to such an hypocrisy. I knew some of them who also deal in the under the table activities in their workplace. When asked whether they were serious in their protests , they said that they  will see once the Lokpal bill is passed, till that time they have to be practical in real life. Meaning they will continue their style of work till Govt forces them by a strong bill. Do you see the underlying truth my dear wife, Ether.