Wed, 24 Aug 2011 13:56:57 GMT | By Manish Chand

'Annalogy' of protest turns new chapter

A veritable wave of 'Annamania' has swept an angst-ridden, urban, middle India, specially in 'Annapolis' (read Delhi), giving the illusion of a new era christened 'Anna Domini,' marked by 'Annalia', mixing anti-establishment hysterics, populist entertainment and the romance of a revolution.

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The week-long spontaneous uprising against corruption shepherded by a fasting 74-year-old self-styled Gandhian has spawned a new vocabulary of protest and bred a popular mythology that is seductive but may not survive a reality check.

Since India's 64th Independence Day, Anna Hazare has morphed into a contemporary icon thanks to a direction-challenged government and an angry, disillusioned, ignored middle class that flocked around him over the mantra of the anti-corruption crusade.

Anna's mantra-like formulation, "India's second independence movement", regardless of the accuracy of this self-deluding label, has struck a powerful chord with middle India who have been swelling in numbers with every passing day, making a former soldier and a grassroots campaigner, pushing his version of anti-graft legislation, a national hero.

(Continued)

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