Anti-corruption campaigners Ramesh Savanur and L Dhananjaya set off on a padayatra from Bangalore Freedom Park to Delhi on Wednesday with hundred others.
Age could not wither their spirit as Ashwath Narayana, 72, from Chikkaballapur and Gajanana Shashtri, 64, from JP Nagar happily joined them. The thought of trudging more than 2,000 km to churn the souls of parliamentarians did not perturb them at all.
They were joined by hundred others from Freedom Park, Matthikere and Yeshwantpur. Former Lokayukta Justice N Santosh Hegde flagged off the march at 2.15 pm on Wednesday. The team plans to cover 30 km every day and stop at every village and town to awaken the people and inspire them to join the movement.
“Rural people do not get such a platform. Farmers face many problems which have not been heard ever. We want to take them along,” said Savanur.
Dhananjaya said if the marchers made steady progress, they would reach Delhi in two-and-half months.
“It does not deter us from taking up what we have decided. Even Gandhiji marched every time he wanted to awaken the nation. If the bill is passed before we reach, we will stop the march and return,” he said.
They were receiving calls from people from Tumkur, Chikkaballapur and northern districts expressing interest in joining the march. It has enthusiasts like M Mahesh, who shaved off his hair and beard in a symbolic protest against the way the governments are destroying forests and grabbing farm lands for businessmen.
Mahesh, 34, a resident of Rammurthy Nagar, said: “I’m an Indian and I support Anna Hazare in his fight to make the country free from corruption.”
The marchers have prepared a roadmap before the start. On their way through the state, they will stop in Mahatma Gandhi Ashram at JP Park, Dobbspet, Tumkur, Sira, Hiriyur, Chitradurga, Bharamsagara, Davangere, Ranebennur, Haveri, Shiggaon and Hubli.
A cart equipped with public address system is following the marchers. The power for the system comes from a solar plate fixed on the cart.
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