Far from their desks, malls and movies, Bangalore’s techies did their bit to enliven the proceedings at Freedom Park on Saturday.
They chose to spend their weekend at Freedom Park along with families. “If an elderly person like Anna Hazare can fast for change, why can’t we do our bit by just coming here,” asked one of the over 2,500 people who visited Freedom Park on Saturday.
Tejesh BM was there to participate in the anti-corruption movement. “From Monday to Friday, I work. This is my time and I choose to spend it here,” he said. People arrived in groups and made the most of their time clicking pictures, forming circles, lining up, holding hands. Everyone made sure they also got their faces painted with the tricolour.
Adding stripes to the proceedings were software engineers Amit Katiyar, Kishan Kavale, Tanishk T and Sachin Kulkarni.
The foursome has been adding strokes of saffron, white and green to the cheeks of those arriving at the venue. “We have taken a three-day leave to come here. We brought three bottles of each colour and now we are falling short,” said Tanishk T in between brush strokes.
“I wanted to go to Delhi, but couldn’t do that because of some work responsibilities,” he added.
Scams that made news, and a brush with government officials who do not yield without a bribe, prompted them to join the movement.
“Last month, I applied for a passport for my two-year-old son. Despite having all the documents, I could not get it. I was asked to pay (extra bucks),” Kulkarni said.
“When a 74-year-old man is fighting against corruption, what stops youth like us from doing the same? We should be ashamed if we do not support him,” he said, waving the tricolour.
“We will buy more flags before we come here tomorrow,” he added.
“I feel frustrated. Scams involving Kanimozhi and A Raja have been exposed. They are in jail now, and after five years, the scams will be forgotten or by the time they are convicted, they will be too old. But where is my money? I have been working nightshifts and pay my hard-earned money as tax. What’s happening to it?” said Tanishk.
The four worked tirelessly, painting thousands of cheeks with the tricolour.
Thin strokes for kids and large ones for adults, the enthusiasm of the crowd for the national flag on their faces did not diminish well into noon.
They lined up, and the four worked without a break. “This is completely self-motivated — our service. We will be here tomorrow, also,” they said.
