29 August,2011 08:12 AM IST | | Anurag Jadli
It would be fair to say that most of the nation has taken notice of 74-year-old social activist Anna Hazare only in the past four to five months. But 52-year-old Raja Ram Shankar Gajre has known Hazare for more than 30 years. Gajre is a resident of Ralegan Siddhi in Maharashtra, Hazare's village.
Old ties: Raja Ram Shankar Gajre at Ramlila Maidan, in New Delhi
on Sunday. Pic/Mid Day
Gajre met Hazare when he was 11 and despite the age difference, they became friends. Speaking to MiD DAY Gajre said that he has been working with the Gandhian for the past 24 years and he met Anna when the latter returned to the village in 1978 after taken voluntary retirement from the army.
"When he was young he taught the villagers about the Gram Panchayat. He was a very kind person and you can say that 'Simple living and high thinking', was his motto towards life. He was also joined the army but retired in the year 1978. After that he spent all his life in serving the country and till now he is doing the same. He opened an NGO for serving people and managed a job for me. But after few months I decided to resign and joined Anna's movement," said Gajre.
"Anna decided not to marry because he had to serve the nation. I salute him for his movement," he added.
Gajre says that since both he and Anna hail from a small village of Maharashtra, he didn't expect lakhs of people from the across the country to so strongly support Hazare when the activist decided to sit on a fast unto death.
"Now we have won the fight after attaining huge support throughout the country. Our battle will be continue until we eradicate corruption," he said.
Talking about Anna's diet, Gajre said that the Gandhian used to eat only one meal a day even at a younger age.u00a0 He added that at one point he had begun to give up hope and thought that the government would not pass the Jan Lokpal Bill. Anna's health was deteriorating. But he regained energy after government started to bend on the issue.u00a0
"When the government called for an eight-hour long debate over the Lokpal issue in Parliament, we saw a ray of hope," Gajre said.
