Eight reasons why Anna has won the battle for mindspace

The images telecast from outside the Tihar Jail were no different. Through the day and into the night Anna's supporters clapped and danced to patriotic songs and chants of Vande Mataram.  There was pumping of fists and punching of air. There were flashes of anger, and charges of betrayal. But the overall mood was not one of bitterness but one of resolve, and belief.

What made Anna and Team Anna triumph? It was not the subject alone, but the way Anna and his Team managed the campaign and Team Manmohan axed itself. Here are eight reasons why Team Anna humbled the government:

1. The most powerful was the slogan Main Bhi Anna. In three simple words, Anna became more than an individual. He became India's voice on corruption. The government suddenly was not dealing with one Anna but thousands of Annas, each championing the same cause.

2. The second was the introduction of Gandhi topi. It gave the movement more than simple identity. It imbued pride in a whole generation of young Indians who had only seen legendary Indian freedom fighters wearing it.

3.  The third was the labeling of the protest as the Second Freedom Struggle. The cause became much bigger. It came to be identified with India's pride.

4. The fourth was to wrap the protest in national symbols. The waving of tricolor, the constant chants of Vande Mataram and Bharat Mata Ki Jai imbued the whole movement in national colours.

5. The fifth was the use of patriotic songs. It lent the entire movement an air of festivity. This was not protest, but celebration. The youth loved it.

6. The sixth, and most important, was media strategy. Team Anna released two recorded messages, and the timing of each was brilliant. Team Anna knew that Anna will be arrested at some point. So, it had a message ready for such an eventuality.

In this message Anna exhorted all Indians to join the war against corruption. The message was simple, but it touched a raw chord. More than that, it angered every right thinking Indian at the arbitrariness of the Indian state. Afterall, what threat this Gandhian posed to the Indian state that he could not even be allowed to hold a peaceful protest?

The second was from Tihar Jail. It was released on the third evening. Once again, the timing was brilliant. Anna, the face of the movement, though behind bars and inaccessible to media, was on every news channel. It reignited flagging spirits, and bolstered the resolve.

7. The seventh was media management. Team Anna was always available to the media. If it was not Kiran Bedi, it was Arvind Kejriwal; if it was not Swami Agnivesh, it was Prashant Bhushan. Some member of Team Anna was always available to brief the media on the latest state of the protest. The media was constantly updated on the state of Anna's health; on what was happening behind the Tihar walls; of what was in offing.

Contrast this with what Team Manmohan did. It had no one person briefing the media. It spoke in many voices and tried to stoke the fires. First, Congress spokesperson called Anna corrupt from "top to toe", and then the Information Minister referred to Anna as a Sammanit (respected) person. Later, the party and the government walled up behind the lame excuse that it is for the Delhi Police and the jail administration to decide. It was an answer that no one believed. It made even less sense when one Congress leader saw the US hand behind the Anna movement.

8. Eighth, and equally important, was the grace and dignity displayed by Anna Hazare. He has always been composed and dignified with a smile that can win even the bitterest of critics. It is a face that you can trust blindly, and that's one key reason why a large part of India rallied behind him.

The battle for mindspace is far from over. Team Anna has to keep the nation engaged, and on its side, as it takes on the government from Ramlila Maidan.




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This is a weekly column looking at news coverage in India. The author Sunil Saxena is a career journalist and author with over three decades of experience in Print, New Media, Social Media, Mobile Journalism, Media Education and Media Research. He also writes a media blog that can be accessed at www.easymedia.in