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The road from New Delhi Railway Station to Ramlila Grounds is crowded on any normal day. But Monday was different. A public holiday ( Janamashtami ) ensured that crowds, most of them youngsters, thronged the Metro Station, wearing Anna caps, Tees, tricoloured hairbands, wristbands, bandanas and stoles.
And, if there was one thing in each hand that was as common as a mobile phone, it was the national flag — in various sizes.
Lined up on both sides of the road leading to Mr Anna Hazare's fast site were visibly poor men, women and children, selling Anna mementos. The scene was more like a weekly ‘ haat ' (flea market).
“Pay Rs 10, and pick up anything you want,' said a woman, holding a child. She belonged to a nomadic tribe in Rajasthan. The entire community had landed up in Delhi to sell some ‘Anna goods' and earn their bread and butter.
“I haven't sold much since morning today. There are too many people selling the same things,” said another woman, who had got all her merchandise from a small manufacturer in Rajasthan.
The children of this tribe were moving around with saffron, white and green poster colours, asking for Rs 10 to paint the national flag on cheeks, which were being offered liberally by the young crowd.
“We hope the fast doesn't end too soon. We've come today and need to earn enough to take care of our fare back,” said a seller.
But, an old man selling j al zeera , a minty drink, looked unhappy. He had been hoping to sell more than usual on a holiday, but there weren't many takers. “Most of the crowd prefers Pepsi or other cold drinks,” he moaned.
The crowd, mostly, was disciplined and spontaneous, queuing up to get inside the venue. The most heard slogans were “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” and “Vande Mataram”. The cops, too, seemed relaxed as the crowd was managing itself.
On the way back, the cycle rickshaw-wallah was happy, too. He was earning almost Rs 300 a day. “It's a good cause Madam. These are all well-fed people. But, poor people like us cannot spend so much time in protests. For us mehengai (price rise) is a more of a threat. I have to earn every day and feed my family”.
He hoped and wished the fast would last longer…
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