Kisan Bapat Baburao Hazare (Marathi: किसन बापट बाबुराव हजारे) (born 15 January 1940), popularly known as Anna Hazare (Marathi: अण्णा हजारे), is an Indian social activist who is especially recognized for his contribution to the development of Ralegan Siddhi, a village in Parner taluka of Ahmednagar district, Maharashtra, India and his efforts for establishing it as a model village, for which he was
awarded the Padma Bhushan by Government of India, in 1992. On April 5 2011, Hazare started a 'fast unto death' to exert pressure on the Government of India to enact a strong anti-corruption act as envisaged in the Jan Lokpal Bill, a law that will establish a Lokpal (ombudsman) that will have the power to deal with corruption in public offices. Anna Hazare was born in Bhingar village in Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra state in western India to Baburao Hazare and Laxmi Bai, an unskilled labourer family who owned five acres of land. He was raised by his childless aunt in Mumbai but could not continue beyond VII standard and had to quit midway due to problems
Anna Hazare started his career as a driver in the Indian Army. He spent his spare time reading the books of Swami Vivekananda, Mahatma Gandhi and Acharya Vinoba Bhave that inspired him to become a social worker and activist.[1] During the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, he was the only survivor in a border exchange of fire, while driving a truck.[2] During the mid-1970s he was again involved in a road accident while driving
Education
In the year 1932 Ralegan Siddhi got its first formal school, a single class room primary school. In the year 1962, the villagers via community volunteer effort added more classrooms. By the year 1971 out of estimated population of 1209 only 30.43% were literate (72 women and 290 men). Boys moved to nearby towns of Shirur and Parner to pursue higher education. But due to socio-economic conditions girls couldn't do the same and were limited to primary education. Anna Hazare along with the youth of Ralegan siddhi worked to increase literacy rates and education levels. In year 1976 they started pre school to the primary school and a high school in 1979. The villagers started taking active interest in the village school and formed Sant Yadav Baba Shikshan Prasarak Mandal(trust) which was registered in 1979. The trust decide to take over the function of the village school which was in bad state due to government neglect and also lack of interest on behalf of teachers who were moonlighting. The trust got a government grant to the amount of 4 lakhs was got for the school building using NREP. A new school building was built in next 2 months with volunteer efforts and the money got via grant. A new hostel was also constructed to house 200 students from weaker sections of the society. After opening of the school in the village, a girl student from Ralegan Siddhi completed her S.S.C in 1982 for the first time. Since then the school has been instrumental in bringing in lots of changes to the village. This school has a hostel for 150 boarders. Traditional farming practices are tought in this school in addition to the government curriculum.
