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Stitched Booklets (1971-Now)

Anna Hazare (born 15 January 1940 in Bhingar, India) is an Indian social activist and a recipient of the Ramon Magsaysay Award. He helped the poor and delinquent people of Ralegan Siddhi gain economic growth, spiritual fullfillment and education. more...

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Background

Anna's father, Shri Baburao Hazare, worked as an unskilled labourer in Ayurveda Ashram Pharmacy. Anna's grandfather was in the army and was posted at Bhingar when Anna was born. He died in 1945 but Anna's father continued to stay at Bhingar. In 1952 Anna's father resigned from his job and returned to his own village, Ralegan Siddhi. At that time Anna had completed his education up to fourth standard and had six younger siblings. It was with great difficulty that Anna's father could make ends meet. Anna's aunt (father's sister) took Anna to Bombay. She was childless and she offered to look after him and his education.

Anna studied up to the seventh standard in Bombay. He took up a job after the seventh standard in consideration of the economic situation back home. Anna's father at Ralegan had to work as a daily wage labourer and found it difficult to sustain his family. He was slipping deeper and deeper into debt. He had to sell off one part of his land and mortgage the other. Anna started selling flowers at Dadar (Bombay) in order to make his living. But Anna's working at somebody's shop for forty rupees a month was not enough. After gaining some experience, he started his own shop and even brought two of his brothers to Bombay. Gradually Anna's income went up to Rs. 700 to Rs. 800 per month.

In a couple of years Anna fell into bad company and started wasting his time and money on vices. He also started getting involved in brawls and fights, especially when he found some simple person being harassed by goondas. He became irregular in sending money to his family. The word went around in Ralegan that he had become a bad character himself. In one such fight, Anna bashed up a person rather badly. Fearing arrest, he avoided coming to his regular work and residence for some time. During this period (in April 1960) he appeared in Army recruitment interviews and was selected to join the Indian Army.

For his initial training he was sent to Aurangabad. After training he was posted in Punjab as a truck driver. Being far away from home and separated from all his friends, Anna felt lonely. He also had bouts of depression and the feeling of aimlessness in life. He had once resolved to end his life and even wrote a suicide note. On second thought, he however realised that his suicide may affect the marriage prospects of his younger sister. Therefore, he decided to postpone implementation of his resolution till his sister got married.

In the meantime, some events gave a new direction to his life. During the Indo-Pak war of 1965, he was driving a military vehicle somewhere on the western front when he saw a Pakistani plane flying low overhead. He and his colleagues jumped out and took shelter in the nearby bushes, lying flat on the ground. The truck was blown up, all his colleagues were killed but Anna escaped unhurt.