As the 74-year-old anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare’s fast pressing for the Jan Lokpal Bill is all set to enter its ninth day on Wednesday, one has to remember that the longest of his 15 fasts so far was of 12 days in November 1996.
This was at the Yadavbaba temple at his village Ralegan Siddhi when he demanded the resignation of Shiv Sena-BJP ministers Shashikant Sutar and Mahadev Shivankar on corruption charges.
Such was the impact of his fast that both the ministers were forced to resign.
Hazare’s repeated assertions that he has a stamina for long fasts ought not to be taken lightly given his previous record and the history of protest fasts undertaken, especially by Mahatma Gandhi during the freedom struggle.
Gandhi had undertaken 17 fasts during the freedom movement — the longest one of 21-days in Delhi in 1943, to bring an end to communal violence.
Of the 15 fasts that Hazare has undertaken during his various agitations, a majority ranged from nine to 11 days. His close aides at Ralegan Siddhi say that his disciplined lifestyle, yoga and restricted diet see him through long fasts.
One of Hazare’s close associates from Ralegan Siddhi, Takharam Raut, said the Gandhian began preparing for his Delhi fast about a month ago by forgoing his breakfast, reducing the quantity of his spartan lunch and drinking just fruit juice at night.
However, medical experts such as the city-based physician, Dr Sham Kagal, cautioned that the adverse impact of long periods of fasting cannot be underestimated.
“Prolonged fasting adversely affects the functioning of the vital organs like the heart and the kidney. The blood pressure starts fluctuating. And after the initial 48 hours of fasting, tissues start breaking up,” he said.
Describing prolonged fasts as a crime against the body, ayurveda specialist Dr Pandurang Kulkarni said, “The body needs energy to carry out its normal function. But due to the non-intake of food, the energy is not generated, which affects the functioning of the body.”
Prolonged fasts result in extreme weakness, difficulty in passing urine and stool, pain in the abdomen, headache and at times body ache, he said. “If Anna has been able to undertake fasts stretching for several days, it is because of his mental strength,”
Dr Kulkarni said.
