Story of an Army Driver becoming The Father of Nation
Name - Kisan Bapat Baburao Hazare aka Anna Hazare
Birth date - 15 January 1940
Place of birth- Bhingar Village
Ahmednagar District
Maharashtra, India.
Father’s Name- Baburao Hazare
Mother’s Name- Laxmi Bai
He has two sisters and belongs to an unskilled labourer family.
He was raised by his childless aunt in Mumbai and could not continue his studies beyond VII standard.
He is unmarried.1. Indira Priyadarshini Vrikshamitra award by the Government of India on November 19, 1986 from the hands of Prime Minister of India Rajiv Gandhi.
2. 1989 - Krishi Bhushana award by the Government of Maharashtra.
3. 1990 - Padmashri award, by the Government of India.
4. 1992 - Padmabhushan award, by the Government of India.
5. 2008 - On April 15 2008, Anna Hazare received the World Bank's 2008 Jit Gill Memorial Award for Outstanding Public Service.
6. Care International of the USA, Transparency International, Seoul (South Korea).
7. He received awards worth Rs 25 lakh and donated the entire amount for the Swami Vivekananda Kritadnyata Nidhi (social gratitude fund). Out of the two lakh rupees received from the above amount, mass marriages are carried of at least 25-30 poor couples every year.
Anna Hazare and Properties-
Anna Hazare has declared he has got Rs68,688 in bank balance and cash and three pieces of land.
Hazare's lands were either donated to him or family owned.
Anna Hazare has declared he has got Rs68,688 in bank balance and cash and three pieces of land.
Hazare's lands were either donated to him or family owned.
In his statement, Hazare said two land pieces measuring 0.07 Hectares and two hectares are in his native village in Ralegan Siddhi in Maharashtra while 0.46 hectare of land is in Pimpianer.
One of the pieces of land in Ralegan Siddhi was donated by Army to him which he has donated for village use, the Pimpianer land was donated to him by a villager.
Hazare has further donated this land for village use.
He has a home in his village but he has not entered in that house from last 35 years.
Life History
Anna Hazare started his career in the year 1963 as a driver in the Indian Army.
During his 15-year tenure as a soldier, he was posted to several states like Sikkim, Bhutan, Jammu-Kashmir, Assam, Mizoram, Leh and Ladakh.
During his 15-year tenure as a soldier, he was posted to several states like Sikkim, Bhutan, Jammu-Kashmir, Assam, Mizoram, Leh and Ladakh.
In the year 1965 when Pakistan attacked India and at that time, Hazare was posted at the Khemkaran border.
In 1978, he took voluntary retirement from the 9th Maratha Battalion.
After his voluntary retirement he returned to his native place in Ralegan Siddhi, in the Parner tehsil of Ahmednagar district.
Ralegan Siddhi
Ralegan Siddhi falls in the drought-prone area with a mere 400 to 500 mm of annual rainfall.There were no weirs to retain rainwater.
During the month of April and May, water tankers were the only means of drinking water.
Almost 80 per cent of the villagers were dependent on other villages for food grains. Residents used to walk for more than four to six kilometers in search of work
Hazare came across the work of Vilasrao Salunke, a resident of Saswad near Pune who had started a novel project of water management through watershed development in a joint venture with the Gram Panchyat. Hazare visited the project and decided to implement it in Ralegan Siddhi.
He steered the villagers to begin working towards water conservation.
They completed 48 Nala Bunding work, contour trenches, staggered trenches, gully plugs, meadows development and of forestation of 500 hectares of land. Thereafter, they constructed five RCC weirs and 16 Gabion Weirs.
This resulted in increase in the ground water level.
Hazare’s Ralegan Siddhi became the first role model of an ideal village from the worst village to an ideal village.
Bhrashtachar Virodhi Jan Aandolan (BVJA)
Anna started a new venture in 1991 called Bhrashtachar Virodhi Jan Aandolan (BVJA) or public movement against corruption.
It was found that some 42 forest officers had duped the state government for crores of rupees through corruption in confederacy.
Hazare submitted the evidences to the government but the latter was reluctant to take action against all these officers as one of the ministers of the ruling party was involved in the scam.
A distressed Hazare returned the Padmashree Award to the President of India and also returned the Vriksha Mitra Award given by then Prime Minister of India- Rajiv Gandhi.
He further went on an indefinite hunger strike in Alandi on the same issue.
A distressed Hazare returned the Padmashree Award to the President of India and also returned the Vriksha Mitra Award given by then Prime Minister of India- Rajiv Gandhi.
He further went on an indefinite hunger strike in Alandi on the same issue.
Finally, the government woke up and took action against the criminal and corrupt officers as well as six of the ministers were forced to resign and more than 400 officers from different government offices were sent back to home.
Year 1995
In 1995 Shiv Sena-BJP government came to power in the state.
Hazare raised the issue of alleged massive land purchase by Gholap's wife Shashikala in Nashik between April to September 1996.
He forwarded the available documentary evidences in support of his allegations to then Maharashtra Governor P. C. Alexander
On 4 November 1997, Gholap filed a defamation suit against Hazare for accusing him of corruption.
On 9 September 1998, Anna Hazare was imprisoned in the Yerawada Jail after being sentenced to simple imprisonment for three months by the Mumbai Metropolitan Court all political parties.
Every one from Maharashtra except the BJP and the Shiv Sena came in support of him.
Later due to public protest, outcry the Government of Maharashtra ordered his release from the jail.
The Right to Information Act
Anna started to fight for the Right to Information Act.
Government ignored Anna.
In 1997 Anna agitated in Azad Maidan in Mumbai to create mass public awareness about RTI amongst the youth.
Government promised Anna they will pass RTI act but in reality they never did it.
When Anna saw that Government is not willing to pass this law Anna went on an indefinite hunger strike at Azad Maidan in the last week of July 2003.
After 12 days of Hunger strike in Azad Maidan the President of India signed the draft of the Right to Information Act and ordered the state government to implement it with effect from 2002.
The same draft was considered as the base document for the making of the National Right to Information Act-2005.Government ignored Anna.
In 1997 Anna agitated in Azad Maidan in Mumbai to create mass public awareness about RTI amongst the youth.
Government promised Anna they will pass RTI act but in reality they never did it.
When Anna saw that Government is not willing to pass this law Anna went on an indefinite hunger strike at Azad Maidan in the last week of July 2003.
After 12 days of Hunger strike in Azad Maidan the President of India signed the draft of the Right to Information Act and ordered the state government to implement it with effect from 2002.
Year 2003
In 2003 Anna Hazare raised corruption charges against 4 Ministers of the Congress-NCP Government
Government ignored him
Then Anna started his fast unto death agitation on 9 August 2003.
He ended his fast on 17 August 2003.
To probe his charges then Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde formed a one man commission, headed by the retired Justice P. B. Sawant.
The P. B. Sawant commission report was submitted on 23 February 2005, indicted Suresh Jain and Nawab Malik.
Suresh Jain and Nawab Malik resigned from the cabinet in March 2005.
And now The "Jan Lokpal Bill"
Anna Hazare has given his life for the benefit of India.
-by Shruti and Saharsh
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