Anna Hazare was born in a poor village in Maharashtra and had to leave school early to work. He joined the army and was the sole survivor of an attack, which inspired him to dedicate his life to serving others. He returned to his village of Ralegan Siddhi and implemented reforms to prohibit alcohol, increase education, create a grain bank, and manage rainwater which transformed the village into a model for rural development. In 1991, he started an anti-corruption movement and in 2011 led a movement for the Lokpal Bill, an anti-corruption law, through hunger strikes and protests until it was passed.

1. Anna Hazare
A revolutionary in rural development

2. “The dream of India as a strong nation will not
be realized without self-reliant, self-sufficient
villages, and this can be achieved only
through social commitment and involvement
of the common man."
Anna Hazare

3. The life of Hazare
Kisan Baburao Hazare was born in 1937, in the
poor maharastrian village where his family
used to live. Due to the family’s bad financial
conditions, he had to leave school after 7th
class and start working as a flower seller.

4. He joined the army as a military driver in 1962
and took part in the Indo-Pakistani war, during
which he was the sole survivor of a terrible
enemy attack. The tragic episode sent him
thinking...
“I felt that God wanted me to stay alive for some
reason.
And I decided to dedicate my new life to serving
people”.

5. A model of sustainable development
Inspired by the works of Gandhi and Swami
Vivekananda, he went back to Ralegan
Siddhi, his own village.
The town’s economic and social conditions were
terrible: the misuse of natural resources had
led to water shortage and poverty. Most
families were plagued by famine, alcoholism
and violence.

6. Hazare decided to take up the situation and,
together with a group of young villagers, they
adopted provisions to:
• Prohibit the sell and use of alcohol and
tobacco in the village
• Increase educational levels by opening new
schools using common funds
• Create a Grain Bank, where farmers could
borrow grain during times of drought
• Develop a project to collect and use rain
water for agricultural purposes

7. Several other villages adopted Hazare’s methods
and resolutions: Ralegan Siddhi suddenly
became a model village for all rural India.

8. Anti-corruption movement
In 1991 Hazare started his People’s Movement
against Corruption, which campaigned for the
punishment and removal of public officers
involved in corruption scandals.
He also fought to compel the government to
inform the people about the way public
money was spent.

9. Lokpal Bill Movement
Hazare is best known for his battle to pass a
stronger anti-corruption bill in the Indian
parliament.
In April 2011, he started a fast to persuade the
parliament to approve the Jan Lokpal Bill, a
law that would have strengthen the powers of
the Lokpal.

10. Who is the Lokpal?
The Lokpal is the ombudsman of India
An officer who has the power to
investigate citizens’ complaints against
the state.
The more powers the ombudsman has,
the more citizens are protected against
abuses and corruption of public
institutions!

11. The Lokpal Bill Movement gained a great public
support: several strikes and protests led the
parliament to accept Hazare’s requests and,
after a few months of negotiating, the Lokpal
Bill was finally approved on 28th August 2011.

12. Nowadays, Hazare and his supporters are still
fighting to eradicate corruption...
...What can you do to
fight it too?

13. Can you give any example of
corruption in everyday life?
What can you do in these situations?