When I was a kid, I was fond of reading Superman Comics. It was interesting to know how the Dalton Comics character Clark Kent– the Superman got his strength to fly faster than the speed of a bullet, operate independently of gravity and propel himself through the air at will, look through reinforced steel doors through his X-ray vision and freeze the baddies who wanted to destroy the earth with his super cold breath. I came know from the comics that he got his superhuman strength from the planet Krypton where he was born.
I however never understood why Superman had an atrocious sense of dress. I never understood why he used to wear his red “chaddi” on the outer side of his blue garments unlike the mortals like us who wear on the inside. But nevertheless I enjoyed reading the heroics of the man from the planet Krypton.
Now I am fascinated with another character who is not from a comic book but a real life one. He is hell bent on teaching the corrupt baddies of India a lesson. This 74-year-old man is not from the planet Krypton but a village Ralegan Siddhi in India. He also has a better sartorial sense than Superman as he wears white dhoti and cap.
But like the rest of India I was also intrigued as to how he gets immense strength to take the entire Government of India by its horn single handedly without taking a morsel of food for days together. This question which was niggling me was also troubling a very senior RJD leader who is well- known for producing a number of children. When his curiosity got the better of him he posed this question in the Lok Sabha. During a discussion on Lokpal Bill the RJD MP reportedly suggested that doctors should conduct a research to know how the 74-year-old Gandhian managed without food for 12 days.
In reply Anna said ” it was brahmacharya (celibacy) that made me so strong. How can the RJD leader who has produced so many offspring understand the power of celibacy”?
When I went to Ralegan Siddhi on September 13 I realized the power of Anna when 17 channels including Hindi, English and Marathi had converged with their top bosses like Rajdeep Sardesai, Barkha Dutt, Punya Prasun Bajpayee and several others eagerly waiting outside to get an interview with him. All these channels with their whole production team were waiting outside like cricket fielders ready to grab the ball the moment it comes near them. These channels almost fought with one another as to who will be the first to interview Anna and who will broadcast the same first. Looking at the commotion Anna refused to come out for some time till the different news channels decided among themselves as to who will interview him first. At one point two channels guys almost came to blows in front of Anna over the issue but were stopped by the other waiting newsmen. They however managed to exchange filthy abuse in front of the Gandhian which was enough to make any decent person blush with embarrassment and shock.
Each channel took nearly half an hour to 45 minutes for interviewing Anna and he kept patiently replying to their same boring stereo typed question with ease. Even If he was fed up by 17 channels parroting the same questions he did not make it obvious. Perhaps it was his brahmacharya which gave him the power to tolerate the pestering journalists. I don’t know which needed more efforts– to stave off pangs of hunger during his indefinite fast or to tolerate pesky journalists who put mikes near his mouth.
Now I know why Clark Kent, the Superman never married his longstanding girl friend Lois Lane. It was not just his Kryptonian origin which was giving him superhuman powers, but also his brahmacharya.
Losing his celibacy to her would probably have meant losing his superhuman powers.
