New Delhi, August 20
If union telecom minister Kapil Sibal and company think that they can rest in peace once social activist Anna Hazare's version of the Lokpal Bill is introduced in Parliament, there is some bad news for them.

On the fifth day of his indefinite hunger strike at Ramlila Maidan today, the 73-year-old crusader hinted that he would take up the cause of farmers next. "Farmers are one of the most exploited sections of the country. We need to do something for them after this. I believe that there should be no acquisition of farmers' land without the permission of the gram panchayat. Besides, there are many other issues related to farmers and agriculture that need the government's attention," said Anna.

It is shame for the government if the farmers are dying in a country that has an agricultural-based economy, he added.

Vowing to root out corruption from the country, Anna reiterated that he would fight against the corrupt forces till the last breath of his life and since the youth of the country has "woken up" now, he does not care if he dies in his fight.

Earlier, after a night's rest in a makeshift room behind the dais, Anna was greeted with thunderous "Bharat mata ki jai" slogans when he took up the mike around 9 for the first time this morning.

"Doctors just told me that I have lost 3.5 kg weight since my fast. However, I am not bothered about my weight but those who are fleecing the people of the country," said Anna, setting the tempo for the day.

Affecting the same clothes and protest tactics as the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, Anna had the crowd clapping and shouting at every pause he took between the sentences in his short speeches of three or four minutes several times during the day.

Regarding allegations that the Anna-movement is funded by the USA, he said tomorrow they would say we have links with even Pakistan. "Today, it is US… it could be Pakistan tomorrow," said the crusader.

The BJP or RSS were not behind their movement and those saying so should be referred to the "mental hospital, he said.

Meanwhile, a team of doctors led by heart specialist Naresh Trehan, who examined Anna, said despite being on fast for five days, his vital health parameters were stable. "We have done a complete examination of Anna and his vital parameters like blood pressure, electrolytes' level, heartbeat are stable," Dr Trehan said.

New Delhi, August 20
Among the deafening crowd at the Ramlila Grounds, even as several supporters of the movement against corruption sounded sceptical about the outcome of the ongoing Lokpal democracy, hardly would anybody deny the epochal realisation that has reached the hearts of the common people.

While the overriding anti-corruption wave has seen a sea of humanity holding ground at the historical maidan, there are many crusaders who have now taken it upon themselves to mobilise people against corruption.

One such is Pramod Kumar, a resident of Lajpat Nagar IV, who has initiated a local campaign against corruption and today held an awareness rally in the colonies of his area.

"With the engagement of student community, we have started this campaign to make people aware of the ways of corruption. Corruption is in several forms and people have to do whatever they do with honesty.

It may be a shopkeeper who sells his items without a receipt to evade tax or those sitting at the government offices who ask for money for almost everything. There are around 20-25 of us and after today's rally, we will carry a candlelight march tomorrow," said Kumar, standing with a bunch of enthused students waving the tricolours.

There were crowds of supporters, shouting patriotic slogans and carrying banners in support of the Jan Lokpal Bill. Making rounds in the areas of Old Delhi first, they were proceeding towards the Capital's most significant site at present. There were students of schools and colleges, members of civil society and even spiritual organisations.

A student of Bengali Senior Secondary School, Ashok Kumar, said, "I wanted to do something for the country and today I have got the chance."

All the lanes close to the Civic Centre, Ranjit Singh Road and Lok Nayak Road seemed to be bustling with activity.

The sight at the spot was no different with people constantly cheering Anna. They danced to the tunes of patriotic numbers-"Hai preet jahan ki reet sada, main geet wahan ke gata hun", "Raghupati raghav raja Ram, patita pawan Sita Ram", sang by Bhojpuri singer Manish Tewari.

Immersed in the fervour, people swayed and waved their hands to match the mood and momentum of the civil society leaders who took up the dais in turn as the day proceeded.

The crusade's reach has been to both the far-flung areas within the country and even aboard. Many people had come to the Capital on August 16 when the fast was supposed to begin.

An NRI delegation had also come from the Middle East to support the Jan Lokpal version of the Bill. 

New Delhi, August 20
Protests and political rallies across the Hindi heartland are known for the catchy slogan-shouting which puts across the message very clearly to all and sundry.

Social activist Anna Hazare's indefinite hunger strike demanding a strong Lokpal Bill at Ramlila Maidan is no different and some of the best slogans can be seen (written on placards) and heard at the venue.

After two days of the protest here, it is quite evident that UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and union telecom minister Kapil Sibal are the chosen two at the receiving end of the protestors, at least in slogans.

Regarding Sonia, the most frequent placard seen at the Ramlila Maidan is "Sonia jiski mummy hai, wo sarkar nikammi hai".

However, when it comes to Sibal, the attacks get a little personal. "Anna main Bapu ka ansh hai, Sibal main desh ke liye dansh (poisonous sting) hai", is the hot favourite.

A group of school students at the Ramlila Maidan yesterday had a piece of paper, with Kapil Sibal written on it. They were engaged in kicking it and spitting on it.

Anna is, obviously, the most loved character here. "Anna nahi aandhi (wind) hai, desh ka doosra Gandhi hai" says it all.

However, two members of team Anna - former IPS officer Kiran Bedi and former IRS officer Arvind Kejriwal - are also praised in slogan-shouting and placards. The two are eulogised as the ideal daughter and son of the soil.

For example: "Desh ki beti kaisi ho, Kiran Bedi jaisi ho"; Desh ka beta kaisa ho, Arvind Kejriwal jaisa ho"; "Desh ka neta kaisa ho, Anna Hazare jaisa ho".

The good news for the Delhi police is that it is getting kudos from both the warring parties. While home secretary RK Singh praised the role of the Dehli police during the day of Anna's arrest, the protestors are also appreciating it. Every time a policeman passes by, Anna supporters shout in unison, "Ye andar ki baat hai, Dilli police hamare saath hai".

Slogans targeting corruption and not any individual are also seen in plenty. The likes of "Hum apna adhikar mangte, nahi kisi se bheekh mangte" and ek do teen chaar, band karo bharashtachar" can be seen all around the ground.

Interestingly, not a single anti-Manmohan (PM) slogan was heard or seen at the Ramlila Maidan.

New Delhi, August 20
Though the thousands of Anna Hazare's supporters at the Ramlila Ground are complaining about poor sanitation arrangements and lack of other basic facilities, there is at least one thing for which they do not have to bother-- food.

Some non-government organisations (NGOs) and resident welfare associations (RWAs) have come up with a community kitchen to provide food for free to the committed supporters chanting slogans in rains and participating in protest marches throughout the day.

The kitchen is being taken care of by the Amarnath Seva Mandal in the afternoon and the Chandni Chowk Nagrik Manch and an NGO called Anubhuti in the evening. Though the menu has simple foods like dal-chawal during the day and poori-sabzi in the night, proper care has been taken about hygiene, said managers of the kitchen.

On the first day yesterday, the kitchen fed somewhere between 7,000 and 7,500 people and was open till 3 am.

"We prepared food for around 7,500 people yesterday and surprisingly, the entire preparation was used," said Praveen Shankar Kapoor from Anubhuti.

A cook at the kitchen said around 700 kg of flour and 600 kg of potatoes were being used daily.

According to Sanjay Gautam from the Nagrik Manch, the preparations for a day's meal begin two days in advance. Gupta said they were expecting peak rush tomorrow.

"Tomorrow being a Sunday, we are anticipating maximum rush. So, we have made arrangements for over 10,000 people," said Gautam.

However, he felt that he was expecting the rush to decline from Monday. "As janmashtami falls on Monday, people will prefer to stay at home. So the crowd may decline on Monday and Tuesday," he said.

The managers said the kitchen would continue till the campaign was on, be it 15 or 20 days.

"This is our own way of contributing to the national cause," said Kapoor.

Though he said that he and his men might not be able to generalise the difference between the government's Lokpal Bill and Anna's Jan Lokpal Bill, the movement had been able to bring out the angst of the common man against corrupt politicians.

"The campaign has vented out people's anger against the corrupt system. Politicians take the common man for granted. We can't say about the senior leaders, but the campaign would definitely bring a change in the politicians at the lower levels like councillors and MLAs," he added.

New Delhi, August 20
Former IPS officer Kiran Bedi has taken to stage at the Ramlila Maidan like a seasoned politician. Not only does Bedi come prepared with all the facts and figures to put across the message but also sprinkle her speeches with humour that has the crowd clapping and jeering every now and then.

The scene during Bedi’s speech this afternoon at the Ramlila Maidan looks similar to rallies in UP and Bihar where Mulayams and Lalus have the crowd literally eating out of their hands.

Speaking in the context of Lokpal Bill, Bedi said that she has been told that many here are unaware about its various clauses and henceforth she is going to teach them about it.

It wasn't just the children, elderly men and women, but a transgender group from Delhi also that turned up in support of Anna Hazare at the Ramlila Maidan. The group members were talking to the people around on the importance of Anna's fast.

The members sang and tried to create awareness on the Jan Lokpal Bill in their own way. The crowd had a gala time with the group and also encouraged its members with loud cheers. It would not be wrong to say that the movement has transcended all borders.

Students participate in a function related to Janamashtami in Gurgaon on Saturday. Tribune photo: Sayeed Ahmed

Humour in Anna lore

While Anna has become a symbol of a mass movement, he is also an object of humour as many people say in a lighter vein, "Anna bun gaya ganna". It is so because his movement has reached such a height that neither the government can ignore it nor accept it. It is like a thick 'ganna' (sugarcane) that cannot be tasted easily. It is not easy for the government to crush the movement. In a democracy, people are most powerful and they are with Anna.

A silent supporter!

People's involvement in cleaning the waterlogged Ramlila Grounds on Friday reflected their love for social activist Anna Hazare. Due to the downpour, tent and the carpet underneath got drenched and small puddles were created.

A man called Satinder Singh Oberoi was filling water in a small Sprite bottle and splashing on the uncarpeted ground so that people might walk easily. When asked, Satinder said simply that he did this as he supported Hazare's campaign against corruption. Nobody had told him to do so. Satinder stuck out as an exception as he was silently doing his self-assigned task, while others were shouting slogans boisterously.

Same place, same cause

The same site and the same cause- the historical Ramlila Grounds and the fight against corruption-even the same highhandedness of the Congress-led government.

But the occasions, one led by yoga guru Ramdev and the other mobilized under Gandhian Anna Hazare, had a diverse appeal, differing in tenor and the manner.

While the government's unprecedented crackdown led to a showdown of Ramdev's campaign, Anna's support base has shot up quite high.

The supporters who thronged the Ramlila Grounds to support the leaders of anti-corruption campaign also differed in their composition.

The majority of the supporters who joined the Ramdev's campaign in the first week of June were from the poor section and rural areas. However this time, the middle-class and even well-off section seem to have a dominant presence in the crowd.

All info on school website

Gone are the days when people went to schools to get some information about circulars. Now, everything about every school will be available on website. The only thing that parents need to do is to hook up to the Net.

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) in a recent circular has ordered all the schools to start their own websites, listing the details which include extra-curricular activities, information on teachers, student strength, etc.

Schools are expected to have the website up and running within six months. They should also display annual reports.

(Contributed by Jyoti Rai, Syed Ali Ahmed, Shaurya Karanbir Gurung, Ananya Panda, Charu Singh) 

New Delhi, August 20
Indira Gandhi National Open University will set up the Indian Sign Language Research and Training Centre over a period of five years. It will be autonomous.

"The institute will encourage research in sign language. We will hire hearing impaired teachers for the centre," said an IGNOU spokesperson.

Experts from the National Association of the Deaf and All-India Federation of the Deaf will help IGNOU set up the institute.

"The courses and the syllabuses will be designed by a panel of experts who have experience in working with the deaf," he added.

Vice-Chancellor of the university VN Rajasekharan said, "The idea is to empower the deaf. The institute will run numerous courses and function as a research centre. It will hold workshops and seminars across the country." 

New Delhi, August 20
The flooded Yamuna receded below the danger mark here today, three days after crossing it, following a decline in the discharge of water from Haryana's Hathinikund barrage, a Delhi flood department official said.

The water level came down to 204.66 metre, somewhat below the danger mark of 204.83 metre on early Saturday.

"Yamuna is flowing below the danger mark and there is no forecast of it crossing the red mark again as of now," the official said.

The water level in the Yamuna had crossed the danger mark on Wednesday. -- IANS

New Delhi, August 20
The Delhi BJP today announced the launch of a 21-day signature campaign on August 23 to spread awareness about corruption. The campaign will seek enquiries into corruption cases, the removal of Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit from her post and the initiation of a CBI inquiry into her alleged involvement in corruption during the Commonwealth Games.

Delhi BJP chief Vijender Gupta said during the signature campaign, BJP workers will visit more than 20 lakh families and apprise them of the corrupt activities of the Congress and get their signatures for support.

The signatures, along with a demand letter, will be submitted to the President, requesting her to take legal steps against the culprits.