Villagers invoke blessings of patron sant for Anna's campaign

People from Anna Hazare’s Ralegan Siddhi village, 75 km north of Pune, decided to invoke the blessings of their patron sant, Yadavbaba, on Friday to give strength to their mentor’s campaign in New Delhi.

The villagers took out a palanquin procession of the sant through the streets of the village and it concluded with a pradakshina (circling) of the Yadavbaba temple on Friday morning.

Trustee of Hazare’s Hind Swaraj Trust, Takharam Raut, told DNA that nearly 1,000 people took part in the procession, which concluded with a two-hour programme of kirtans and bhajans inside the temple.

Raut said that for the fourth day in a row, all shops and small eateries in the village remain closed in the afternoon to lend support to their mentor.

Fifty villagers also sat in a relay hunger strike from dawn to dusk at
the temple.

Friday evening also saw the customary candlelight march through the streets of the village, concluding with a gram sabha at the main village square.

According to Raut, the gram sabha was attended by hundreds of villagers from adjoining villages also.

“We use the gram sabha to apprise villagers of the latest in New Delhi and announce our plans for the next day,” he said.