CHENNAI: Independence Day was, by no means, a holiday for folks at India Against Corruption (IAC). Supporters of Anna Hazare’s call for a strong Lokpal Bill to tackle corruption presented a picture of activity and conviction as they went about preparing the venue for the indefinite fast they are about to begin on Tuesday morning.Volunteers at the venue, on LB Road in Thiruvanmiyur, said they expected a thousand people at the least to come out in support of Anna Hazare’s indefinite fast in Delhi.The volunteers themselves are set to fast — some indefinitely and others on relay — in solidarity with their Gandhian leader.The Chennai chapter of the fasts is being organised at a construction site.The fast here is expected to continue unabated, without the interference of the police. The fast is happening on a private property, instead of a public place. This means the protestors have not given police an opportunity to deny permission, as has been the case in cities and towns across Tamil Nadu.The band of committed volunteers have prepared the venue for the fast by painting the National Flag on the walls and pillars and covering unfinished walls with posters carrying anti-corruption slogans.On Independence Day evening, they blacked out all the lights at the venue of the fast to hold a candlelight vigil, to symbolise their aim of blacking out corruption.They raised slogans and banners that hailed the movement as the ‘second peaceful independence struggle against corruption’. The banner behind the small dais constructed for the fast carried pictures of MK Gandhi, Bhagat Singh and Anna Hazare, even as the demonstrators screamed, ‘Inquilaab Zindabad’ (Long Live the Revolution).“There is nothing to stop us here. We don’t have to rely on police permission to continue. We have informed them anyway. We are raring to go. We invite all socially conscious people to join us as we try to release our country from the clutches of corruption,” said a volunteer, reflecting the spirit of his comrades.
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