Oppose corruption, Anna tells students

Anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare, who is undergoing treatment, at the Jindal Naturecure Institute interacted with the students of Jindal Public School on Tuesday.
 

Anna Hazare is undergoing treatment at the hospital for multiple ailments including blood pressure and backache.

“His health has shown considerable improvement. He is on a diet of fruits and salads, as nature cure focuses on detoxifying the body to ensure good health. Soon he will be put on a diet of juice.

Mud packs, mud bath, yoga and acupuncture are other methods that will be adopted to detoxify the body,” said a doctor at Jindal Naturecure Institute.


Though Anna is on the way of recovering, he took time out to interact with students of Jindal Public School. Addressing students, Anna said it was important to raise voice against corruption and urged them to actively participate in rooting out corruption.

In addition to leading a life with honesty, Anna Hazare added that it was essential to inculcate the strength to receive insults without letting it affect one’s sense of the self.

He recounted several instances from his life, which was enthusiastically received by the students.

“When I was in the Army, I witnessed the death of three of my friends in a war against Pakistan. While I managed to escape with an injury on my forehead. Also there was a time in my life when I contemplated suicide. These thoughts passed through my mind while I was on a railway platform. It was then that my eyes fell on a book of Swami Vivekananda. The thoughts of Swami Vivekananda inspired me to start my life anew. I realised that I was destined to serve the people,” said the septuagenarian.

When one of the students asked him what his next step would be if the Lokpal Bill was not passed, Anna said he would fight until his last breath.

To the question if a law could root out corruption, the social activist said that a law was a mere “first aid.” However, the hope lies in today’s youth. Hence it is important that they inculcate right values right from the beginning.

The Lokpal Bill is unique as it involves people’s participation, he said. The Anna’s team will also fight for the ‘Right to Reject’ representatives. If people do not find any of those contesting worthy, they should have the right to reject them all. The representatives moreover should not be allowed to contest again, said Anna.

He emphasised teachers’ role in developing students overall personality. RTI activist Arvind Kejriwal also participated in the interaction.