Anna Hazare was born in poverty in Maharashtra, India and dropped out of school at a young age. He joined the Indian army as a driver to support his family. While in the army, he was inspired by Indian leaders like Gandhi and Vivekananda. After seeing his colleagues die in the India-Pakistan war, he pledged to serve the country in a bigger way. He initiated watershed development projects in his village which helped raise the water table and allow villagers to irrigate their fields. His anti-corruption campaigns through hunger strikes led to the resignation or firing of many corrupt officials across several state governments. His reputation for integrity made him a powerful figure in fighting corruption in India.

1. www.powerpointpresentationon.blogspot.com

2. Early Life

3. Born in Bhingari village of Maharashtra, Anna Hazare
dropped out of school at Class 7 due to poverty, sold
flowers for a while and then became a driver in the
army to feed his family in a rural part of Maharashtra.
After China's 1962 incursion into India when the Indian
government appealed to the youth to join the Army,
Hazare was among the first who joined the Indian
armed forces. He was trained as a truck driver and given
a posting in Punjab.
Early Life

4.  His days in the army were often spent in reading
books by Swami Vivekananda, Mahatma Gandhi and
Acharya Vinoba Bhave, from whom he drew
inspiration.
 During the 1965 war against Pakistan, Hazare
survived an attack on his post; however, he saw his
colleagues dying.
 The incident left a deep impact and he pledged to
remain a bachelor and serve the country in a bigger
way.

5. Achievements:

6.  His struggle for bringing about change began in
his own village. A long time ago it was a miserable
and barren place with scanty rainfall and lacking
any economy. It suffered from frequent droughts
 In 1975, Hazare initiated a transformation of his
village through watershed development using
nallah bands, check dams and contour trenches
that raised the water table and helped villagers
irrigate their fields. He also took up literacy
programmes and measures to combat alcoholism.

7.  While working for the village ecology, Hazare
came across a case of corruption by forest
officers and went on an indefinite hunger strike
in Alandi near Pune. His agitation compelled
the authorities to take action against the erring
officers.
 India recognized his work by awarding him a
Padma Vibhushan and a Padma Bhushan.

8. War against corruption

9.  Anna formed the ‘Bhrastachar Virodhi Jan
Andolan’ in 1991 which gradually spread
across the state in the form of district-level
vigilance committees.
 With his trademark khadi dress and Gandhi
cap, Hazare used his ingrained strength to
repeatedly go on hunger strikes that led to the
resignation of six ministers from the
Maharashtra government.

10.  In 1995, Hazare's fast led to exit of two state
Cabinet Ministers, labeled corrupt by the
Gandhian and the Sena-BJP government was
forced to drop them.
 Hazare did not spare the Congress-NCP
regime either and in 2003, went on hunger
strike against four ministers, Sureshdada Jain,
Nawab Malik, Vijaykumar Gavit and
Padamsinh Patiln, alleging they indulged in
massive corruption.

11.  His campaign also forced the sacking of 400
corrupt officials in his home state Maharashtra.
 In 2009, two persons arrested for killing
Congress leader Pawanraje Nimbalkar said
there was a contract given out to kill him.
 His reputation as a man of integrity gave him
clout that the corrupt found difficult to battle.
 He also fought for the rights of the tribal's, the
lowliest of the lowliest.

12.  But it was the hunger strike he launched in New Delhi
that finally made him a national hero – in no time
igniting a pan-India revolt that stunned the government
bogged down by corruption scandals.
 The modern day Mahatma, as his supporters fondly call
him, in April fasted for five days in the heart of the
capital, drawing tens of thousands from all walks of life
who are sick and tired of India's cancerous corruption.
 Much like Mahatma Gandhi, Anna Hazare has led a
humble life. He still lives in a small room attached to the
Yadavbaba temple in Ralegan-Siddhi village in
Maharashtra's Ahmednagar district.

13. Thank You