Bhushan Malgaonkar (sitting centre) with supporters and friends at Azad Maidan

On an unforgiving hot Tuesday morning, advocate Bhushan Malgaonkar, 33, struggles out of his makeshift bed at one corner of Azad Maidan, and smiles as we spot him. The Wadala-based activist is on an anshan (fast) like Anna Hazare, who is fasting in New Delhi. His fast has entered the fifth day, and weakness has begun to set in.