Corruption, black money, bribery is what India is encapsulated with since a few years and rather diminishing, it is escalating like never before and has become a part of our life. For years, nobody was gallant enough to have stepped out of their comfort zone and fight for the ongoing corruption for they too, in some way, are not out on a bail. If you just look deeper, you would find no single place or people who have not got their hands dirty. What we usually picture in our mind are the sleazy political leaders who leave no stone unturned to leap into the pool of corruption and the various political scams say it all. Rather taking any profound action, the least we do is gossip it out, blame others for having been playing it out, turning it against one another. Considering all of these and many more, one man who is a crusader for a corruption-free India, the man behind a clean India, Arvind Kejriwal, is hogging the limelight off late. The name ‘Arvind Kejriwal’ is chanted by the whole nation. With the motive to clean this country, he along with Anna Hazare, is responsible for bringing in a massive revolution among the common man (Aam Aadmi) to make them understand their basic rights. He also joined the Anna Hazare movement for passing the Lokpal bill whose prospect is nothing but to eradicate the ball of sleaze on a higher level. A common man himself, Kejriwal felt the need to act out his motive by forming a political party of his own- the Aam Aadmi Party. Now, challenging the Delhi government and throwing the former CM Sheila Dixit, Arvind gate crashed to the throne and became the Chief Minister of Delhi, with the aid of a mass following. Find out some of the facts of his life.
1. A common man
Arvind Kejriwal is a man of words and there hardly seems to have any gap between his words and actions. As a matter of fact, he himself acts like an “aam aadmi” and evidences of it can be seen at his work where he refuted to have a peon to help him carry out his chores, cleaned his desk all by himself, unfilled dustbin on his own and even avoided official get-togethers. This shows his aversion to ceremony. To say the least, he never celebrates his birthday or those of his children.
2. College days
College days are meant to have fun and frolic as much as one can. I bet you guys go around and hang out with your friends and probably engage yourself in any fun-filled activity but do not assume the same for Arvind Kejriwal. It was found that Kejriwal, during his college days, never showed an interest in either hanging out with friends or going out and having a glass of drink or two, let alone playing cards. The kind of intelligence that this man possesses, surprisingly he was not as interested in his academics as he was in theatre. So he did theatre acts!!
3. Entertainment
This might seem a little weird considering a political body that he is, Kejriwal, just like you and me or to be precise, a common man, enjoys watching movies a lot and he also confessed that he is a great Aamir Khan fan and admires his works. Moreover, he treats himself with light-hearted comedy as well. Although, he says that he hardly finds time to relax and watch a movie off late. His fun and frolic moments also include eating golgappe in the street. So now we know his little mode of entertainment!
4. Parivartan
With the help of an NGO- Parivartan, that he founded was made to use the Delhi RTI Act of 2001 for the gargantuan exposure of money hoaxing by the corrupt officers and some contractors at a slum area called Sunder Nagar. Through Privartan, he was all over places and assisted the citizens to steer income tax, electricity and food ration issues. His dedication and determination for his work fetched him many awards one of which was the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 2006 for his budding leadership.
5. A different type of Babu
With his sheer hard work and luck, he opted for the IRS (Indian Revenue System) and went on to become an officer at the income tax department, which is mostly infamous for corruption. What Arvind did there was truly remarkable and it could only be expected from such a rare and genuine person- he hunted to clean up the whole system of the department from the grass root level. The income tax department was chastened and was forced to be more transparent but capricious. Additionally, he launched a campaign “Don’t Pay Bribes” at the electricity department after he left his post from the IRS. With his genuine motive of abstinence from corruption, he asked his visitors to never pay bribe whatever the circumstances be.
6. Luck or hard work?
Arvind Kejriwal is an idol to many. His intellect and talent outshines pretty number of us. Call it his good luck or his hard work and determination towards his goal, Kejriwal cleared his IIT entrance examination in the very first attempt after completing his school in the year 1985. Following that, he cleared the civil service examination miraculously in his first shot and joined the Indian Revenue Service. I wish I was that lucky!
7. The power of Meditation
This common man, despite of his busy schedule, gives time to his physical and mental fitness unlike some of us who, despite of sitting idly, hardly prioritize our health. Do you know that he is a vegetarian? He keeps his food healthy and fresh every time and has also been a keen practitioner of a yogic asana- Vipassana since many years. Adding to that, to get a mental and spiritual health, he meditates almost regularly. You didn’t know about it, did you?
8. Ramkrishna Mission
Completing his education, Kejriwal initially started working in the Tata Steel company for a considerable period of time but better than not, he has quit his job for some reason. Sooner than not, had he spent his time in Kolkata at the Ramkrishna Mission which was instrumental in the North East India. Also, he met Mother Teresa in Kolkata and worked with her for the poor people. Doesn’t it reflect a different side of him? A side which is filled with love and concern for people? I assume this was a head start!
9. Doctor Arvind Kejriwal?
Well, this might raise your eyebrow but do not get appalled. Way before, he wanted to study medicine and become a doctor but as fate would have it, he rebelled against his family and started preparing for IIT. As his father was an engineer, he followed his footsteps and cleared his entrance in the first attempt and entered into IIT, Kharagpur, where he opted for mechanical engineering. So yes, he is an engineer by profession.
10. Religious outlook
The eldest of the three children in the family, Arvind Kejriwal was born in Hisar, Haryana into a middle class family to Hindu parents. Since childhood, he was inculcated Hindu teachings and in the process, had formed a Hindu religious mindset although that did not create any bias nature within him. He respects every religion equally but with time, the Hindu religious mindset vanished as he reached college and became more liberal in his thoughts.
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