Hazare, Anna (1937-…), is an activist and social reformer in India who is well known for his protests against government corruption. Hazare gained international attention in 2011 with a campaign of hunger strikes. A hunger strike is an act of protest in which a person refuses to eat. Hazare used the strikes to urge India’s government to create a national anticorruption organization. In response, India’s Parliament debated several bills to create an agency similar to the one proposed by Hazare. Parliament passed legislation to create an office tasked with investigating and prosecuting corrupt politicians, and it was signed into law in January 2014. However, Hazare argued that the government’s efforts would not go far enough.
Kisan Baburau Hazare was born on June 15, 1937, in Bhingar, in what is now the Indian state of Maharashtra. His family later moved to the rural village of Ralegan Siddhi. Hazare was the oldest of seven children. He eventually began using the nickname Anna, a local term for older brother. Hazare served in India’s army from 1963 to 1975. After he was honorably discharged from the army, Hazare returned to Ralegan Siddhi. There, he began working to increase the quality of life for the rural poor. Hazare organized efforts to deal with drought, illiteracy, alcoholism, famine, and other problems.
In the early 1990’s, Hazare began to call attention to corrupt government officials in Maharashtra. Hazare began holding hunger strikes. His protest methods were greatly inspired by Mohandas K. Gandhi. During the early and middle 1900’s, Gandhi had used methods of nonviolent resistance—including hunger strikes—to help win freedom for India.
As Hazare has gained popularity and recognition throughout India, he also has received criticism. Some critics have argued that his efforts to introduce reform outside of India’s usual lawmaking processes are undemocratic. Others describe him as an authoritarian figure who gains his support largely from right-wing Hindus. On the other hand, he is also credited with having brought the issue of corruption to the nation’s attention.