I wish every success to the movement
Dr JN Sharma
On 3/28/11, urvashi sharma <rtimahilamanchup@yahoo.co.in> wrote:
> http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_17703622?nclick_check=1
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> Indian anti-corruption movement finds inspiration in California march
> By Matt O'Brien
> Contra Costa Times
> Posted: 03/27/2011 12:00:00 AM PDT
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> SAN FRANCISCO -- A movement to curtail political corruption in India is
> finding inspiration in California, where six men on Saturday completed a
> 240-mile protest march across the state.
> The anti-corruption protesters strolled through the Bay Area suburbs this
> week amid heavy downpours and cold weather. They attracted local curiosity
> but are making bigger waves abroad.
> "I firmly believe that all these things, which seem so small in their
> initial stage, can become a big movement," said 70-year-old marcher Kewal
> Parnami, of Tucson, Ariz. "If they can keep the fire ablaze, something will
> come of it."
> Parnami was following in the symbolic footsteps of Mahatma Gandhi, whose
> 1930 Dandi March against a colonial salt tax was a turning point in the
> movement for India's independence. The California journey, called Dandi
> March II, was for a different cause: ending the systemic corruption that has
> stunted India's otherwise remarkable economic growth.
> "There is so much corruption going on," Parnami said. "It's like cancer,
> eating the vitals of the economy."
> The retiree moved to the United States from India in 1979, and remained
> mostly apolitical until just over two weeks ago, when he heard about the
> planned march from San Diego to San Francisco and packed his bags.
> "Mahatma Gandhi is my idol," Parnami said. "I just wanted to become like
> him, a guy who has such a great discipline, such a deep faith."
> The march, and the hundreds of Indian-Americans who have come to watch and
> cheer it, reflects a growing frustration with the status quo of Indian
> politics. It also reflects a growing awareness that the hundreds of
> thousands of Indians abroad can have a role in doing something about it.
>
> "The diaspora is more conscious because they've seen something different,
> they've lived something different," said Ujjal Dosanjh, a member of Canada's
> Parliament and the former premier of British Columbia. "They have something
> to contribute. They have perspective. They can say how things should be."
> Dosanjh was scheduled to greet the marchers when they reached San Francisco
> on Saturday, but the Vancouver politician dropped out after Canada's ruling
> government was toppled by a parliamentary vote Friday.
> Like many immigrants who were born in India, Dosanjh said he is deeply
> attached to his native land and wants to see it prosper. But it is going to
> take tremendous change from the Indian people and their leadership, he said.
> "When more than half your economy is underground and not accounted for, when
> everything from buying railway tickets to seats in college to government
> jobs and grants -- when everything you have to do involves bribery and
> corruption -- it can't be a nice place to live," Dosanjh said. "I believe
> you can make all the laws, you can create institutions but ultimately you
> actually need to change the human beings. You need to change the values."
> Though corruption is a longtime problem in India, a flurry of high-profile
> scandals has infuriated the Indian public in the past year. Last week, U.S.
> diplomatic cables leaked by the WikiLeaks group revealed another involving
> an alleged cash-for-votes scheme.
> "The corruption, both in India and across the world, has risen to such an
> extent that it's started affecting the common man's life," said Cupertino
> resident Sreekanth Godey, a march organizer and Microsoft engineer. "This is
> a walk to let the government know enough is enough."
> The marchers are pushing for legislation that would bring more transparency
> to government and protect whistle-blowers. Their march has already inspired
> dozens of other protests planned this weekend in 75 cities worldwide, the
> organizers said.
> Unlike Gandhi's legendary 240-mile march from the city of Ahmedabad to the
> seaside town of Dandi, the California route was not contiguous. The crowd
> was also a lot smaller: six full-time walkers as opposed to the tens of
> thousands who joined in Gandhi's civil disobedience.
> Dandi II began March 12 in San Diego, where the marchers met two days of
> polite resistance from a counter-protesting group called Organization for
> Minorities of India. The counter-protesters believe Gandhi, who came from an
> upper-caste heritage, did little to improve the lot of those at the lowest
> rung of India's caste system.
> After reaching Los Angeles County, the Gandhi-inspired marchers skipped the
> 400-mile stretch between Southern California and the Bay Area, renting a van
> to get from Artesia to Berkeley.
> Then, they walked south through the East Bay, stopping at the Indian
> Community Center in Milpitas, where they delivered a message to a prominent
> visitor: Meera Shankar, India's ambassador to the United States, who was
> there to give a talk.
> "She said, 'We're going to look at it.' That's the standard government
> answer," said march supporter Kal Raman, of Foster City. "At least she was
> civil. She was noble about it."
> The marchers continued north through the Peninsula, singing a Hindi phrase
> -- hum honge kamyab, which means, "We will succeed" -- as they were drenched
> by a rainstorm.
> "Blisters are there, but the body got used to it," said Orange County
> marcher Srihari Atluri, 33, speaking after he reached downtown Burlingame.
> "It bothered us more in the first five days, but now it doesn't bother us
> anymore."
> The march ended with a rally Saturday afternoon at the Gandhi statue outside
> San Francisco's Ferry Building.--
> Urvashi Sharma
>
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