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Self-centred? Delhi finds new identity, soul with Annas movement

NEW DELHI: The fast began in Tihar Jail on Tuesday. By the time the police agreed to the terms set by Anna Hazare, Friday had arrived. Thousands flooded Ramlila Maidan where the social activist had been permitted to stage his protest. The cynics predicted that the crowd would peak during the weekend and peter out the following week. They were wrong. The multitude held firm through the week. They shouted pungent slogans (Saare yuva yahaan hain, Rahul Gandhi kahaan hai?), waved the tricolor, danced in sunshine and sang in rain. Across the city, RWAs brought out small candlelight demonstrations. Artists sprayed graffiti. Barring one minor late-night incident, there wasnt a single incident of violence: no destruction of public property, no molestation or eve-teasing. In a venue poised between two Delhis - the old and the new - the city and its citizens surprised everybody with a kind of new collective behaviour. This was a different Delhi on display. There seems to be a new consciousness about setting and following norms of self-governance and self-discipline, especially in public spaces, says sociologist Yogendra Singh. For decades, Delhi has been reviled as a self-centred city which often turned violent. To many, the city, celebrating its 100th year since the national capital moved here, personified the paradox of being Indias political centre yet playing host to 17 million apolitical people. The allegation was partly justified. In the 1990s and earlier, Delhi was primarily an unwilling, resentful recipient of political rallies. The Mandal agitation was a possible exception, but it was violent and destructive. This time was different.

                                                                                                               
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