As one neared the Ramlila Maidan in New Delhi, shouts of thunderous applause were unavoidable. Kisan Baburao Hazare was being hailed and the gathered crowd made it amply clear that they were not letting the government sit in comfort this time. But who made sure that the comfort of all these people, whose numbers ran into thousands, were taken care of? Who made sure that the quartet of Anna Hazare, Arvind Kejriwal, Kiran Bedi, Shanti Bhushan and his son were not bothered by logistical conundrums that these kinds of gatherings entailed? Obviously, without a sound logistical management, the revolt couldn’t have been a success. So who were they who ran the show from the back while the protagonists made sure the goal was not lost?
Team Backstage
A 15 member squad was made responsible for maintaining order in the crowd and Ram Kumar Jha was made incharge for the same. Armed with a C certification of NCC with A grade, Jha was recruited by the Public Cause Research Foundation run by one-time bureaucrat turned RTI activist Arvind Kejriwal. With the help of other 14, such as Shaleen Mitra, the squad gathered the crowd by telling people about the benefits of Jan Lokpal Bill. Fending initial skepticism, the team was able to convince people about the positives, and the results were for all to see and for the government to notice.
The shamianas to provide shelter to Anna, his team and the gathered crowd were constructed by Story, an event management company run by the Art of Living Foundation. Two information centers were set up inside the tents – one for water and the other for medical assistance. “Water,” says Ram. “That’s our topmost priority. Arvindji had told us that no matter what happens, we cannot run out of water.” As for the medical assistance was concerned, an AIIMS team was always on standby. While one organizer liaised with the police departments regarding permissions, electrician was hired to prevent short-circuits that might occur because of rains.
Commander Yashwant Prakash, retired naval officer ran the MCD centre and made sure proper cleanliness and sanitation was made available at the grounds. Mobile toilets were procured and placed around various locations in the ground. An information centre is overseen by Brahm, who decides who from the public gets onto the stage. A lot of people want to talk, and so a selection process has to be put in place to sieve them.
Social media was also not ignored. A man each is put up for Facebook and Twitter to gauge in which direction the social conversations are panning out. Look outs over media happenings were also kept closely so as to ascertain which news organization was for them and which against. Moreover, constant information flow was maintained between New Delhi and around 400 different cities, towns and villages where similar movements had erupted.
As far as the security is concerned, Rakesh and his fellow colleagues from Rohtak University provide protection. There’s a team for outside events, for crowd control and for distribution of food and water.
The movement resulted in success with the government succumbing to the demands and giving the green signal to the suggested Jan Lokpal Bill, which also ended Anna’s 16 days fast. But none could’ve been possible without the efficient logistical support that Team Anna provided. The people at the back may never come in the lime-light, but they are happy – atleast they are a major part of what people term as the second struggle for independence.
Satyamev Jayate!!!
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