Native name	Nashik
Other name	नाशिक
Type	Metropolitan City
Nickname	Wine Capital Of India
Skyline	Nashik.jpg
Skyline caption	Nashik city view from the Pandavleni Caves
State name	Maharashtra
District	Nashik
Taluka	Nashik
Leader title	Mayor
Leader name	Yatin Wagh (MNS)
Altitude	560
Population as of	2010
Population total	1585444
Population rank	21
Population metro	1832195
Population metro as of	2010
Population metro rank	17th
Area magnitude	1 E
Area total	264.23
Area telephone	91(253)
Postal code	422 0xx
Vehicle code range	MH 15 (Nashik), MH 41 (Malegaon)
Website	nashik.nic.in/ }}

Nashik or Nasik ( ) () is a city in Maharashtra, India. Nashik is located in the northwest of Maharashtra, 180 km from Mumbai and 202 km from Pune. Nashik is the administrative headquarters of Nashik district and Nashik Division. Nashik, which has been referred to as the "Wine Capital of India", or as India’s Napa Valley, is located in the Western Ghats, on the western edge of the Deccan peninsula on the banks of the Godavari. In addition to supplying the name to the famed Nassak Diamond, the city is known for its picturesque surroundings and pleasant climate. The Godavari River flows through Nashik from its source, which lies to the southwest of the city, in Trimbakeshwar . Nashik Urban Agglomeration (Nashik UA) has a (projected year 2008) population of 1,620,000 and a total area of 264.23 km² which makes it the fourth largest urban area in Maharashtra in terms of population. Nashik is the third most industrialized city in Maharashtra after Mumbai and Pune .

Nashik is one of the world's holiest Hindu cities. Kumbh Mela is held here once in 12 years along with four other cities in India. Lord Rama along with Lakshmana and Sita spent 14 years of his exile at Tapovan near Nashik. The city came under the rule of Mughal in 16th century and was renamed ''Gulshanabad''. It is also noted for its participation in freedom struggle. Freedom fighters like Veer Savarkar and Anant Kanhere were born in Nashik.

History

Hindu religion says that Lord Rama, the King of Ayodhya, made Nashik his home during his 14 years in exile. At the same place Lord Laxman, by the blessing of Lord Rama, cut off the nose of Surpanakha and thus this place was named as "Nasik"(From Sanskrit word 'Nasika'). Several other references to the Ramayan era can be found in Nashik, which includes the Sita Gumpha caves, from where Sita, Lord Rama's wife, was abducted by Ravana. Nashik in 150 BC was believed to be the country's largest marketplace.

The city got its present name in 1818 when the Peshwas got control of the city. The Peshwa rule however, did not last long and the British captured Nashik in the very same year. In 1840, one of the first modern libraries of Maharashtra (then, the Presidency of Bombay) was founded at Nashik.

Some of the major events in history of Nashik in the 1860s are-

1862 : Nashik Road railway station was built.

1864 : Nashik Municipality formed

1869 : Nashik district formed.

Nashik also participated in the freedom struggle of India. On December 21, 1909, 17-year-old Anant Kanhere shot the Collector of Nashik, Jackson in a theatre named Vijayanand theatre, where he had gone to see a play ''Sharada''. Jackson died on the spot. The people involved in the incident, Anant Laxman Kanhere, Krishnaji Gopal Karve and Vinayak Ramchandra Deshpande were sentenced to death by hanging and were hanged soon after.

In 1930, the Nashik Satyagraha was launched under the leadership of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar for the entry of Dalits in Kalaram temple. In 1931, a meeting of the Bombay Province Charmkar Parishad was organised at Nashik to work out the Chambhars' position with regard to the Second Round Table Conference in which Babasaheb was going to participate. In 1932, Babasaheb organized his temple entry movement for the abolition of untouchability in Nashik.

On October 31, 1955, the Government of India inaugurated a press at Nashik for printing government stationery.

Geography

Nashik is located in northern Maharashtra at 600m (1 968 ft) from the mean sea level. The river Godavari originates from Trimbakeshwar (24 km from Nashik) and flows through various parts of the city. The river forms the northern boundary of the city in some areas and then flows through the old residential settlement in the city.

Nashik lies on western edge of the Deccan Plateau which is a volcanic formation. The soil here is primarily black which is favorable for agriculture. Prashant Koli, India's renowned Agricultural Scientist said;" It's the best in North Maharashtra Region due to its iconoelasticity" The total land area of the city (Municipal Limits) is about 259.13 km² which makes it the third largest urban area of Maharashtra after Mumbai Metropolitan Region and the Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad Urban Region (together as Second).

Climate

Nashik has a mild climate for most of the year apart from the hot summers which last from March to mid-June. The city has a semi-arid climate under the Koppen climate classification. The period from June to September is the (South West) Monsoon Season, which sees about 620 mm (25 inches) of rain. The city experiences a mild, dry winter from November to February, with warm days and cool nights, although occasional cold waves can dip temperatures. The maximum temperature ever recorded in the city was 44.8 °C (108.3 °F) on 12 May 1960 in Nashik. The lowest temperature recorded was 0.6 °C (33.1 °F) on 7 January 1945 in Nashik.

Demographics

According to the Census of India, 2001, Nashik had a population of 1,076,967. Males constitute 54% of the population and females 46%. Nashik had an average literacy rate of 74%, higher than the national average of 64%; male literacy was 80%, and female literacy was 66%. In Nashik, 14% of the population is under 6 years of age. In the same year (census year 2001) the Nashik Urban Agglomeration had a population of 1,152,326 and thus it was the fourth largest urban area of Maharashtra State after Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur. The projected population of Nashik urban agglomeration (which includes abutting urban areas like Deolali) as on 1 January 2009 is 16,20,000. Only 3% of Nashik lives in Slum.22 oct 2010

Administration

Nashik is the headquarter of Nashik District and is also the headquarter of Nashik Revenue Division of Maharashtra. The city is administered by the Nashik Municipal Corporation which came into existence in 1982 by combining Nashik Municipality and surrounding civic bodies e.g. Nashik Road Municipality. A planned area was introduced in Nashik which was designed and executed by CIDCO which is now administered by the Nashik Municipal Corporation.

Deolali, which is also a part of the Nashik urban agglomeration, has a separate civic body called the Deolali Cantonment Board.

Environment

Solid Waste Management Project from the Nashik Municipal CorporationIn the entire Nashik Municipal Corporation area about 225 MT of solid waste is generated per day. Unlike other Indian cities, this garbage is collected by vehicles titled 'Ghantagadi' (meaning the vehicle with a bell); a system which has resulted into a 'garbage dump free' city. Smaller versions of the ghantagadi ply in the congested old city areas.A plant has been set by the Nashik Municipal Corporation near Pandav Leni (Pandavleni Caves) to process the garbage and convert into compost.Rain water harvesting enforcement by the Nashik Municipal CorporationThe Nashik Municipal Corporation has made it mandatory for new constructions in the city to install a rain water harvesting system without which a completion certificate is not granted to the construction. This measure is expected to help recharge the aquifers and augment the ground water level in the city.

Tourism

Nashik has been on the tourist map of India especially Hindu religious tourism because of the legend that Lord Rama lived here during his exile. Gangapur Road, College Road and Trimbak Road form the lifelines of the suburbs. For many, Nashik is just a pit-stop en route to Shirdi or Trimbakeshwar. If one decides to stop and look around the city and its outskirts, there's plenty to see. The Gangapur Dam is a beautiful site. The Dudhsagar Fall near the village of Gangapur is worth a look in the rains. A few kilometers away from Gangapur village is a Stone Age site. On the road to Trimbakeshwar is the state's only Museum of Numismatics. Anjaneri Parvat near Trimbakeshwar is well known for waterfalls during monsoon season. Pandavleni Caves, the 4th century BC caves of Buddhist origin, a Bird Sanctuary "Nandur-Madhyameshwar" popularly known as "Bharatpur of Maharashtra", which was started in 1950s, is a little ways from the city and is a mesmerizing place for nature and bird.

Economy

Overview

Nashik today is one of the fastest growing cities of India and has even been identified as a tier-2 metro. The city's economy is driven chiefly by the engineering and manufacturing industry (which has been around since the 1970s) as well as the progressive agriculture in area surrounding the city. Auto majors such as Mahindra & Mahindra, BOSCH and Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) such as VIP, Samsonite, CEAT etc. have their plants here and have spawned a huge network of auto component suppliers and engineering ancillary services. It is also a pharmaceutical hub with presence GlaxoSmithKline and Fem. In recent years, Nasik has also carved a niche for itself as India's "Napa Valley" and locally established wine brands such as "Sula" and "Zampa" have attained international acclaim.Modern efforts are on to promote the growth of an export-oriented rose farming and wine industry in the district. It is home to an important thermal power plant (Eklahare) and a National Treasury Printing Press (India Security Press at Nashik Road). There are five "Industrial Zones" in the Nashik area and its outskirts (Satpur, Ambad, Sinnar, Igatpuri and Dindori). Nashik has a number of sugar mills. It is also chief exporter of white onions and pomegranates.

Investments in Nashik

Nashik is deemed "the third most industrialized city of Maharashtra after Mumbai and Pune", mainly due to extensive industrial development in recent times. In Maharashtra, “Nashik” is situated at a distance of approximate 200 km from economic capital of country Mumbai (Bombay) as well as Pune.

Nashik is home to a lot government companies and undertakings. Some of are as follows :

Defence Ministries Fighter Plane (MIG) Production Unit HAL ( Hindustan Aeronautics Limited) in Ozar

National Treasury printing press (India Security Press at Nashik Road)

Thermal Power Plant in Eklahare

Currency Note Press (CNP)

Artillery Centre at Deolali

Maharashtra Engineering Research Institute ( MERI )

Maharashtra State Health University

Yashwantrao Chavan Mahrashtra open university ( YCMOU )

Maharashtra Police Academy ( MPA )

Industry

Major industries

The HAL plant is an aircraft manufacturing plant located 10 miles (16 km) from Nashik employing about 7000 people. Manufacturers who have set up plants in the Nashik MIDC area include: Bosch India - previously MICO Bosch, Mahindra and Mahindra, CEAT, Thyssen Krupp, Samsonite, Atlas Copco, Crompton Greaves, ABB, GlaxoSmithKline, Glenmark pharmaceuticals L&T;, Schneider Electric, Jindal Steel, Kirloskar, IBP, Coca Cola, Siemens, EATON, Hindustan National Glass Ltd. Recently the government decided to prepare IT parks in the city of Nashik. Nashik is also emerging as a BPO/IT destination and is in list of the selected Tier II cities for BPO/IT companies.

Agriculture

Nashik is famous for grapes, onions, and tomatoes. Nashik was famous for its table grapes for a very long time. In early 1925, the Table Grape revolution was started in Ojhar, a small town near Nashik, by Shree Raosaheb Jairam Krishnaji Gaikwad, the "Father of Indian Grapes." Today, table grapes are being exported to Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.

Cuisine

Nashik traditionally boasts of a Maharashtrian cuisine with influences from Khandesh, Rajasthan and Gujrat. The modern city however offers a range of restaurants with cuisines ranging from Punjabi, South Indian to Chinese and continental cuisines. Variety of decent hotels in Nashik city serve food ranging from regions' spicy fare to international cuisine. One can also find the usual pizza & burger joints along McDonalds' fast food.

Sports

Cricket is the most popular sport in Nashik. The old city also patronizes traditional Maharashtrian sports like Kabbaddi and Kho Kho. There Are many big stadiums in Nashik City like Raje Sambaji Stadium, Golf Ground, YCMOU, RYK College The Nashik Gymkhana is the principal place for playing formal sports and also to get formal training. At least three swimming pools are run by the Civil administration.

Education

Nashik has been the educational hub of North Maharashtra. The city has two state-run universities, the Yashwantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open University and the Maharashtra University of Health Sciences.Colleges in Nasik are affiliated to Pune University. Today the city houses a large number of private and governmental educational institutions offering higher education in Medicine, Engineering & Technology, Architecture, Pharmacy, Military Management among others.Bhonsala Military School is the oldest residential school in Nashik Indian Railway has also established its Advanced Training Institute for electrical engineers namely, Indian Railway Institute of Electrical Engineers IREEN here at Nashik. Nashik is also home to private institutions such as Divyadaan: Salesian Institute of Philosophy on Don Bosco Marg off College Road.

Transportation

Roads

Nashik is one of the major road junctions of India. The Mumbai-Agra National Highway(NH3) runs through Nashik. Nashik is also connected to Pune with NH-50. Nashik is a major road junction of major state highways. It is well connected to Surat, Aurangabad, Mumbai, Pune, Ahmednagar, Dhule and many other cities. It has been seeing reasonable grown in terms of road infrastructure in the past few years or so. A privately built and tolled expressway is nearing completion between Mumbai and Nashik. The National Highway Number 3 (NH3) is being converted into a multi-lane tolled road. This multi lane road has total 6 flyovers which will pass through the nasik city. This flyovers will start from garvare point and will end at hanuman temple in panchvati. Among this flyover one flyover is about 6800m.This flyover will start from mumbai naka and will end at hanuman temple. Larsen & Toubro is developing this project costing over thousand crores.

Intercity travel

Bus services

Buses are run by the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation to various cities, towns and villages around Nashik. They operate services from multiple bus terminals (New and old Central Bus Stand among others. The new CBS is the principal bus terminal. The city is well connected to major cities in the state Mumbai, Pune, Kolhapur, Satara, the Konkan Region, Aurangabad and other adjoining areas. Private bus operators run services buses to large cities around like Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara, Indore, Kolhapur etc.

Taxi services

Transport services are provided by Taxis in the city which ply to Mumbai, Thane, Shirdi, Pune and a few other locations.

Railways

Nashik Road Railway Station is an important railway station on the Mumbai-Kalyan-Manmad-Bhusaval (and further to Delhi or Kolkata) sector of the Central Railway Division of Indian Railways which was the first ever electrified section in India. The railway station is about 11 km away from the city center (and hence called Nashik Road instead of Nashik). Also the Railway Minister announced rail wroughts to Dahanu road. A new bottling plant also will set up at Nasik. Train from Hyderabad will start shortly. Trains to Shirdi also passes from Nasik.

Deolali is another station (about 10 minutes train travel towards Mumbai) which serves the population residing in the Deolali Cantonment

More than 50 trains pass through this station daily and it is thus connected to Mumbai, Aurangabad, Nanded, Hyderabad, Bhopal, Agra, Delhi, Nagpur, Kolkata, Jamshedpur, Guwahati, Jammu, Madgaon, Mangalore and so on.

Airways

Kingfisher Airlines runs only one daily flight in the evening at 17:30 hrs to Mumbai from Nashik's Ozar Airport located at some 24 km from the city center. Deccan Airways also used to operate a flight to Mumbai from Ozar airport a couple of years ago which was later taken off due to lack of passengers. Nashik has another airport at Gandhinagar with a shorter runway and hence unfit for modern-day passenger aircraft. The government run Vayudoot used an operate a service to Mumbai from this Gandhinagar Airport during the 1980s.

References

External links

Nashik Map

Nashik Ads

Overview of Nashik on Wikimapia

Nasik district Gazetteers

Category:Cities and towns in Nashik district Category:Hindu holy cities Category:Hindu pilgrimage sites Category:Bhusawal-Igatpuri rail line Category:Nashik Category:Talukas in Maharashtra Category:Nashik district Category:Bhusawal railway division Category:Railway stations in Maharashtra

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Name	Anna Hazare
Birth name	Kisan Hazare
Birth date	June 15, 1937
Birth place	Bhingar, Bombay Province, British India
Hometown	Ralegan Siddhi
Nationality	Indian
Known for	Indian anti-corruption movement - 2012, Indian anti-corruption movement - 2011, Watershed development programmes, Right to Information
Movement	Indian anti-corruption movement, Peace movement
Organisation	India Against Corruption
Influences	Mahatma Gandhi, Swami Vivekananda
Other names	Kisan Baburao Hazare
Spouse	Never Married
Parents	Laxmibai Hazare Baburao Hazare
Religion	Hinduism
Awards
Website	}}

Kisan Baburao Hazare () (born 15 June 1937), popularly known as Anna Hazare () is an Indian social activist and a prominent leader in the 2011 Indian anti-corruption movement, using nonviolent methods following the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi. Hazare also contributed to the development and structuring of Ralegan Siddhi, a village in Parner taluka of Ahmednagar district, Maharashtra, India. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan—the third-highest civilian award—by the Government of India in 1992 for his efforts in establishing this village as a model for others.

Anna Hazare started an indefinite hunger strike on 5 April 2011 to exert pressure on the Indian government to enact a stringent anti-corruption law as envisaged in the Jan Lokpal Bill, for the institution of an ombudsman with the power to deal with corruption in public places. The fast led to nation-wide protests in support. The fast ended on 9 April 2011, a day after the government accepted Hazare's demands. The government issued a gazette notification on the formation of a joint committee, consisting of government and civil society representatives, to draft the legislation.

For the year 2011 Foreign Policy magazine named him among top 100 global thinkers. Also in 2011 Anna was ranked as the most influential person in Mumbai by a national daily newspaper. He has faced criticism for his authoritarian views on justice, including death as punishment for corrupt public officials and his alleged support for forced vasectomies as a method of family planning.

Early life

Kisan Hazare was born on 15 June 1937 (some sources say 1940) in Bhingar, near to Ahmednagar. The eldest son, with two sisters and four brothers, the later adoption of the name ''Anna'' reflects the Indian word for "elder brother". His father worked in a pharmacy and struggled to support the family financially. In time, the family moved to their ancestral village of Ralegan Siddhi, where they owned a small amount of agricultural land. A relative took on the burden of providing Kisan with an education, taking him to Mumbai because the village had no primary school. The relative became unable financially to continue the support and Kisan's schooling ended in the Standard Seventh grade; his siblings never attended school. He started selling flowers at the Dadar railway station in Mumbai and eventually managed to own two flower shops in the city. He also became involved in vigilantism, joining groups who acted to prevent landlords' thugs from intimidating the poor out of their shelter.

Military service

The Indo-China War of 1962 caused the Indian Army to commence emergency recruitment measures. Hazare was drafted in April 1963, despite not meeting the physical requirements, and was attested as a soldier on 16 November of that year after undertaking training at Aurangabad.

During the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, Hazare was posted at the border in the Khem Karan sector. He was the sole survivor of an enemy attack—variously claimed to have been a bomb, an aerial assault and an exchange of fire at the border—while he was driving a truck. The experiences of wartime, coupled with the poverty from which he had come, affected him. He considered suicide at one point but turned instead to pondering the meaning of life and death. He said of the truck attack, "[It] sent me thinking. I felt that God wanted me to stay alive for some reason. I was reborn in the battlefield of Khem Karan. And I decided to dedicate my new life to serving people." He spent his spare time reading the works of Swami Vivekananda, Gandhi, and Vinoba Bhave. In a blog post, Hazare expressed his views on Kashmir by saying that it was his "active conviction that Kashmir is an integral part of India" and that if required once again for service, he would remain "ready to take part in war against Pakistan."

During the mid-1970s, Hazare survived a road crash while driving for the army. He interpreted his survival as a further sign that his life was intended to be dedicated to service. Despite subsequent allegations that he had deserted from the army, official records show that he was honourably discharged in 1975 after completing 12 years of service.

Transformation of Ralegan Siddhi

Hazare returned to Ralegan Siddhi, a village then described by Satpathy and Mehta as "one of the many villages of India plagued by acute poverty, deprivation, a fragile ecosystem, neglect and hopelessness."

Although most of the villagers owned some land, cultivation was extremely difficult due to the rocky ground preventing retention of the monsoon rains, this situation was worsened by gradual environmental deterioration as trees were cut down, erosion spread and droughts were also experienced. The shortage of water also led to disease from unsanitary conditions and water reuse for multiple purposes. The economy of the village had become reliant on the illegal manufacture and sale of alcohol, a product on which many of the villagers had become dependent. Many inhabitants borrowed from moneylenders to survive, paying monthly interest rates of as much as 10%. Crime and violence (including domestic violence) had become commonplace, while education and employment opportunities were poor.

Hazare was relatively wealthy because of the gratuity from his army service. He set about using that money to restore a run-down, vandalised village temple as a focal point for the community. Some were able to respond with small financial donations but many other villagers, particularly among the elderly, donated their labour in a process that became known as ''shramdaan''. Some youths also became involved in the work and these he organised into a ''Tarun Mandal'' (Youth Association). One of the works of Vivekananda which he had read was ''Call to the youth for nation building''.

Prohibition of alcohol

Hazare and the youth group decided to take up the issue of alcoholism to drive a process of reform. At a meeting conducted in the temple, the villagers resolved to close down liquor dens and ban alcohol in the village. Since these resolutions were made in the temple, they became, in a sense, religious commitments. Over thirty liquor brewing units voluntarily closed their establishments. Those who did not succumb to social pressure were forced to close their businesses when the youth group smashed their premises. The owners could not complain as their businesses were illegal.

Drunken villagers were tied to pillars and then flogged, sometimes personally by Hazare. He justified this punishment by stating that “rural India was a harsh society”, and that

}}

Hazare appealed to the government of Maharashtra to pass a law whereby prohibition would come into force in a village if 25% of the women in the village demanded it. In 2009 the state government amended the Bombay Prohibition Act, 1949 to reflect this.

Grain Bank

In 1980, Anna started the Grain Bank at the temple, with the objective of providing food security to needy farmers during times of drought or crop failure. Rich farmers, or those with surplus grain production, could donate a quintal to the bank. In times of need, farmers could borrow the grain, but they had to return the amount of grain they borrowed, plus an additional quintal as an interest. This ensured that nobody in the village ever went hungry or had to borrow money to buy grain. This also prevented distress sales of grain at lower prices at harvest time.

Watershed development programme

Ralegan Siddhi is located in the foothills, so Hazare persuaded villagers to construct a watershed embankment and associated works to stop water and allow it to percolate and increase the ground water level and improve irrigation in the area. These efforts solved the problem of water scarcity in the village and made irrigation possible.

Cultivation of water-intensive crops like sugarcane was banned. Crops such as pulses, oilseeds, and certain cash crops with low water requirements replaced them. The farmers started growing high-yield varieties and changed cropping pattern. Hazare has helped farmers of more than 70 villages in drought-prone regions in the state of Maharashtra since 1975. When Hazare came to Ralegan Siddhi in 1975 only of land was irrigated, Hazare converted it into about .

Milk production

As a secondary occupation, milk production was promoted in Ralegan Siddhi. Purchase of new cattle and improvement of the existing breed with the help of artificial insemination and timely guidance and assistance by a veterinarian improvemd the cattle stock, increasing milk production.

Education

In 1932, Ralegan Siddhi got its first formal school, a single classroom primary school. In 1962, the villagers added more classrooms through community volunteer efforts. By 1971, out of an estimated population of 1,209, only 30.43% were literate (72 women and 290 men). Boys moved to the nearby towns of Shirur and Parner to pursue higher education, but girls were limited to primary education. Hazare, along with the youth of Ralegan Siddhi, worked to increase literacy rates and education levels. In 1976 they started a pre-school and a high school in 1979. The villagers formed a charitable trust, the ''Sant Yadavbaba Shikshan Prasarak Mandal'', which was registered in 1979.

Removal of untouchability

The social barriers and discrimination that existed due to the caste system in India have been largely eliminated by Ralegan Siddhi villagers. It was Hazare's moral leadership that motivated and inspired the villagers to shun untouchability and caste discrimination. Marriages of Dalits are held as part of community marriage program together with those of other castes. The Dalits have become integrated into the social and economic life of the village. The upper caste villagers built houses for the lower caste Dalits by ''shramdaan'' and helped to repay their loans.

Collective marriages

Most rural poor get into a debt trap as they incur heavy expenses at the time of marriage of their daughter or son. It is an undesirable practice but has become a social obligation in India. Instead, Ralegan's people started celebrating marriages collectively. Joint feasts are held, where expenses are further reduced by the ''Tarun Mandal'' taking responsibility for cooking and serving the food. The vessels, the loudspeaker system, the mandap, and the decorations have also been bought by the ''Tarun Mandal'' members belonging to the oppressed castes. From 1976 to 1986, 424 marriages have been held under this system.

Gram Sabha

The Gandhian philosophy on rural development considers the Gram Sabha as an important democratic institution for collective decision-making in the villages of India. Hazare campaigned between 1998 and 2006 for amending the Gram Sabha Act, so that villagers have a say in the village's development. The state government initially refused, but eventually gave in to public pressure. It became mandatory to seek the sanction of the Gram Sabha (an assembly of all village adults, and not just the few elected representatives in the gram panchayat) for expenditures on development works in the village.

Activism

Anti-corruption protests in Maharashtra

In 1991 Hazare launched the ''Bhrashtachar Virodhi Jan Aandolan'' (BVJA) (People's Movement against Corruption), a popular movement to fight against corruption in Ralegaon Siddhi. In the same year he protested against the collusion between 40 forest officials and timber merchants. This protest resulted in the transfer and suspension of these officials.

In May 1997 Hazare protested alleged malpractice in the purchase of powerlooms by the Vasantrao Naik Bhathya Vimukt Jhtra Governor P. C. Alexander. On 4 November 1997 Gholap filed a defamation suit against Hazare for accusing him of corruption. He was arrested in April 1998 and was released on a personal bond of . On 9 September 1998 Hazare was imprisoned in the Yerawada Jail to serve a three-month sentence mandated by the Mumbai Metropolitan Court. The sentencing caused leaders of all political parties except the BJP and the Shiv Sena to support him. Later, due to public protests, the Government of Maharashtra ordered his release. Hazare wrote a letter to then chief minister Manohar Joshi demanding Gholap's removal for his role in alleged malpractices in the Awami Merchant Bank. Gholap resigned from the cabinet on 27 April 1999.

In 2003 corruption charges were raised by Hazare against four NCP ministers of the Congress-NCP government. He started his fast unto death on 9 August 2003. He ended his fast on 17 August 2003 after then chief minister Sushil Kumar Shinde formed a one-man commission headed by the retired justice P. B. Sawant to probe his charges. The P. B. Sawant commission report, submitted on 23 February 2005, indicted Sureshdada Jain, Nawab Malik, and Padmasinh Patil. The report exonerated Vijaykumar Gavit. Jain and Malik resigned from the cabinet in March 2005.

Three trusts headed by Anna Hazare were also indicted in the P. B. Sawant commission report. spent by the ''Hind Swaraj Trust'' for Anna Hazare's birthday celebrations was concluded by the commission as illegal and amounting to a corrupt practice, though Abhay Firodia, an industrialist subsequently donated to the trust for that purpose. The setting apart of 11 acres of its land by the trust in favour of the Zilla Parishad without obtaining permission from the charity commissioner was concluded as a case of maladministration. The commission also concluded that the maintenance of accounts of the ''Bhrashtachar Virodhi Janandolan Trust'' after 10 November 2001 had not been according to the rules and spent by the ''Sant Yadavbaba Shikshan Prasarak Mandal Trust'' for renovating a temple thwarted its object of imparting secular education.

Right to Information movement

In the early 2000s Hazare led a movement in Maharashtra state which forced the state government to enact a revised Maharashtra Right to Information Act. This Act was later considered as the base document for the Right to Information Act 2005 (RTI), enacted by the Union Government. It also ensured that the President of India assented to this new Act.

On 20 July 2006 the Union Cabinet amended the Right to Information Act 2005 to exclude the file noting by the government officials from its purview. Hazare began his fast unto death on 9 August 2006 in Alandi against the proposed amendment. He ended his fast on 19 August 2006, after the government agreed to change its earlier decision.

Regulation of Transfers and Prevention of Delay in Discharge of Official Duties Act

Before 2006 in the state of Maharashtra, honest government officers were transferred to other places according to ministerial wish, while some corrupt and favoured officials stayed put for decades. Anna fought hard for a law whereby a government servant must clear a file within a specified time and that transfers must take place only after three years. After many years of Anna's relentless efforts, on 25 May 2006 Maharashtra issued a notification announcing the Prevention of Delay in Discharge of Official Duties Act 2006. This act provided for disciplinary action against officials who move files slowly and enabled monitoring of officials who overstay a post, and for involvement in a corrupt nexus.

This act mandated the government to effect transfers of all government officers and employees, except Class IV workers, no sooner and no later than three years, except in emergency or exceptional circumstances. Maharashtra was the first state to have introduced such an act.

Campaign against liquor from food grains

Article 47 of India's Constitution commits the State to raise the standard of living, improve public health and prohibit the consumption of intoxicating drinks and drugs injurious to health.

In 2007 Maharashtra rolled out a grain-based liquor policy aimed to encourage production of liquor from food grain in light of the rising demand for spirits—used for industrial purposes and liquor. It issued 36 licenses for distilleries for making alcohol from food grains. One of the State ministers Laxman Dhoble said in his speech that those opposing the decision to allow use of food grains for the production of liquor were anti-farmers and that opponents should be beaten with sugarcane sticks. Hazare began fasting at Shirdi, but on 21 March 2010 the government promised to review the policy and Anna ended his 5 day long fast. But the government later granted 36 licences and grants of (per litre of alcohol) to politicians or their sons who were engaged in making alcohol from foodgrains. Recipients included Amit and Dheeraj Deshmukh, sons of Union Heavy Industries Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, Bharatiya Janata Party leader Gopinath Munde's daughter Pankaja Palwe and her husband Charudatta Palwe, sons-in-law of P.V. Narasimha Rao and Rajya Sabha MP Govindrao Adik. The government approved the licenses despite stiff opposition from the planning and finance departments, saying there was a huge demand in other countries for distilled spirits compared to that of molasses. Anna sued Maharashtra over the policy in the Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court. On 20 August 2009 Maharashtra stopped the policy. However, distilleries sanctioned before that date and those who started production within two years of sanction were entitled for subsidies.

On 5 May 2011 court refused to hear the suit, saying, "not before me, this is a court of law, not a court of justice" as a reason for not hearing the plea. A Maharashtra Principal Secretary, C.S. Sangeet Rao, stated that no law existed to scrap these licences. These included placing "the Prime Minister within the ambit of the proposed lokpal’s powers".

Hunger strike

Hazare began his Indefinite Fast on 5 April 2011 at Jantar Mantar in Delhi to press for the demand to form a joint committee of the representatives of the Government and the civil society to draft a stronger anti-corruption bill with stronger penal actions and more independence to the ''Lokpal'' and ''Lokayukta''s (Ombudsmen in the states), after his demand was rejected by Prime Minister Singh. He stated, "I will fast until Jan Lokpal Bill is passed".

The movement attracted attention in the media, and thousands of supporters. Almost 150 people reportedly joined Hazare in his fast. Social activists, including Medha Patkar, Arvind Kejriwal, former IPS officer Kiran Bedi, and Jayaprakash Narayan lent their support. People showed support in social media. In addition to spiritual leaders Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Swami Ramdev, Swami Agnivesh and former Indian cricketer Kapil Dev, many celebrities supported him. Hazare decided that he would not allow any politician to sit with him. The protesters rejected Uma Bharti, Om Prakash Chautala and others when they visited the protest. On 6 April 2011 Sharad Pawar resigned from the ''group of ministers'' formed for reviewing the 2010 draft.

Protests spread to Bangalore, Mumbai, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Guwahati, Shillong, Aizawl and other cities.

On 8 April the Government accepted the movement's demands. On 9 April it issued a notification in the Gazette of India on formation of a joint committee. It accepted the formula that there be a politician chair and an activist, non-politician co-chair. The notification stated, “The Joint Drafting Committee shall consist of five nominee ministers of the Government of India and five nominees of the civil society. The five nominee Ministers of the Government of India are Pranab Mukherjee, Union Minister of Finance, P. Chidambaram, Union Minister of Home Affairs, M. Veerappa Moily, Union Minister of Law and Justice, Kapil Sibal, Union Minister of Human Resource and Development and Minister of Communication and Information Technology and Salman Khursheed, Union Minister of Water Resources and Minister of Minority Affairs. The five non-politican nominees were Anna Hazare, N. Santosh Hegde, Shanti Bhushan Senior Advocate, Prashant Bhushan, Advocate and Arvind Kejriwal.

On the morning of 9 April Hazare ended his 98-hour hunger strike. He addressed the people and set a deadline of 15 August to pass the bill.

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Anna Hazare said that if the bill did not pass he would call for a mass nation-wide agitation. He called his movement as "second struggle for independence" and he will continue the fight.

Draft bill

During the meeting of the joint drafting committee on 30 May, the Union government members opposed the inclusion of the prime minister, higher judiciary and the acts of the MPs under the purview of the Lokpal in the draft bill. On 31 May, Mukherjee sent a letter to the chief ministers of all states and party leaders seeking their opinion on six contentious issues, including whether to bring the prime minister and judges of India's Supreme Court and High Courts under the law's purview. But the civil society members of the drafting committee considered that keeping them out would be a violation of the United Nations Convention against Corruption.

Anna Hazare and other civil society members decided to boycott the 6 June drafting committee meeting to protest the forcible eviction of Swami Ramdev and his followers by the Delhi Police from Ramlila Maidan on 5 June, while they were on a hunger strike against black money and corruption and doubting the government's seriousness.

On 6 June, the civil society members wrote to Mukherjee, explaining reasons for their absence and also asking government to go public on the major issues. They also decided to attend only future meetings that were telecast live. On 8 June at Rajghat, describing his movement as the second freedom struggle, Anna criticised the Government for trying to discredit the drafting committee and threatened to go on indefinite fast again from 16 August if the Lokpal Bill had not passed. He also criticised the Government for putting hurdles in front of the Bill and for maligning the civil society members.

Indefinite fast

On 28 July the union cabinet approved a draft of the Lokpal Bill, which kept the Prime Minister, judiciary and lower bureaucracy out of the ombudsman's ambit. Hazare rejected the government version by describing it as “cruel joke’’ and wrote a letter to Singh announcing his decision to begin an indefinite fast from 16 August at Jantar Mantar, if the government introduced its own version of the bill without taking suggestions from civil society members. Hazare wrote:-

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Within twenty four hours of cabinet's endorsement of a weak Lokpal Bill, over ten thousand people from across the country sent faxes directly to the government demanding a stronger bill. The Mumbai Taxi Men’s Union, comprising over 30,000 taxi drivers supported Hazare’s fast by keeping all taxis off the roads on 16 August. Lawyers of Allahabad High Court described the government proposal as against the national interest and pledged their support to Hazare by hunger striking at Allahabad on 16 August. On 30 July Vishwa Hindu Parishad supported his fast by saying movement for an effective anti-corruption ombudsman needed the people's backing.

On 1 August, Public interest litigation was filed in the Supreme Court of India by Hemant Patil, a Maharashtra-based social worker and businessman, to restrain Hazare, alleging that Hazare's demands were unconstitutional and amounted to interference in the legislative process.

Arrest and aftermath

On 16 August, Hazare was arrested, four hours before the planned indefinite hunger strike. Rajan Bhagat, spokesman for Delhi Police, said police arrested Hazare for illegally gathering in a Delhi park to begin his hunger strike, claiming that Hazare refused to meet police conditions for allowing the protest. The conditions included restricting the fast to three days and the number of protesters to 5,000. Later in the afternoon, Hazare refused bail. The magistrate dispatched him to Tihar jail for seven days. After announcements by Prashant Bhushan, local television, and social media sites (including Facebook), thousands marched in support from the India Gate to Jantar Mantar.

Media reported that about 1,300 supporters were detained in Delhi, including key members of the India Against Corruption movement such as Arvind Kejriwal, Shanti Bhushan, Kiran Bedi and Manish Sisodia. Other reports other protests with people courting arrests in different parts of the country. Opposition parties came out against the arrest, likening the government action to the emergency imposed in the country in 1975. Both houses of Parliament adjourned over the issue.

After four hours in detention he was released unconditionally on a request by the police, but refused to leave Tihar Jail. He demanded unconditional permission to fast at Ramlila Maidan (Ground) and refused to leave. Hazare continued his fast inside the jail.

After his arrest, Hazare received support from people across the country. There were reports of "nearly 570 demonstrations and protests by Anna supporters across the country". Due to the millions of protesters nationwide, the government allowed him to begin a public hunger strike of fifteen days. After talks with public authorities, Hazare decided to hold his protest at Ramlila Maidan, New Delhi. On 20 August Hazare "left the Tihar Jail for the Ramlila Grounds". Hazare promised reporters "he would fight to the 'last breath' until the government gets his team's Jan Lokpal Bill passed in this session of Parliament, which ends on 8 September."

Fast at Ramlila Maidan

On 20 August thousands came to show their support for Hazare, while "his advisers made television appearances to rally public support and defend themselves against criticism that their protest campaign and refusal to compromise is undermining India's parliamentary process." The National Campaign for People’s Right to Information (NCPRI) condemned Hazare's deadline for passing the bill as undermining democracy, which operates by

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The Congress party confirmed that Maharashtra Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Umesh Chandra Sarangi (who has a history of mediating between Hazare and officials) was meeting with him again "to find points of consensus and defuse the situation". On 21 August "tens of thousands" watched Hazare as he sat on an elevated platform. It was reported that Hazare at that point had "lost more than seven pounds since beginning his fast". Despite this he stated, "I will not withdraw my hunger strike until the Jan Lokpal bill is passed in the Parliament. I can die but I will not bend." Hazare ended his fast on 28 August, after the Lokpal Bill passed unanimously.

He was admitted to Medanta Medicity, Gurgaon for post-fast care. He had lost and was very dehydrated after the 288 hour fast.

I Am Anna Chant

Within a few days of Anna Hazare's first fast demanding a strong Lokpal (on 5 April 2011), supporters started a campaign known as "I Am Anna Hazare", which was similar to the "We Are All Khaled Said" campaign from the Egyptian uprising. During Anna Hazare's second fast, his ''topi'', the cap which became synonymous with Anna Hazare, became almost a fashion statement. Sales of the topis hit an all-time high. Kiran Bedi recommended that the "I am Anna" topi be displayed whenever someone asked for a bribe.

Fast on MMRDA ground

On 27 December, Hazare began a 3–day hunger strike at MMRDA grounds, Bandra Kurla Complex, to demand a stronger Lokpal bill than was in debate. Hazare ended the fast on 28 December, after his doctors said that his kidneys might fail if he continued.

Before reaching the venue, Anna paid tribute to Mahatma Gandhi at Juhu Beach. On his way to a rally with several thousand people, he took two-and-half hours to reach the ground, passing through Santacruz, Tulip Star Hotel, Mithibai College, SV Road, Vile Parle, Khar and Bandra Highway.

A PIL petition filed against the fast was turned down by the Karnataka High Court. A judge noted that there was no public interest in the petition.

Electoral reform movement

In 2011, Anna Hazare demanded an amendment to the electoral law to incorporate the option of None of the above in the electronic voting machines during the Indian elections. The "None of the above (NOTA)" is a ballot option that allows an electorate to indicate disapproval of all of the candidates in an electoral system, in case of non-availability of any candidate of his choice, as his Right to Reject. Soon, the Chief Election Commissioner of India Shahabuddin Yaqoob Quraishi supported Hazare's demand for the electoral reforms.

Protest against atrocities against Swami Ramdev and his supporters

On 8 June Anna Hazare and thousands of his supporters fasted from 10 am to 6 pm at Rajghat to protest against the midnight crackdown of 5 June by the Delhi Police on Swami Ramdev’s fast at Ramlila ground protests. Anna Hazare held the Prime Minister of India responsible for the atrocities and termed the police action as an attempt to stifle democracy. According to one of Anna's young supporters, the large presence of youths at the protest was due to his use of nonviolent protest, similar to Gandhi.

Controversies and criticism

Alleged link with Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh

Anna Hazare has been criticized for being an agent of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) a right-wing Hindu body. United Progressive Alliance,the present ruling government in India has seldom made that charge. According to Digvijay Singh a senior leader of the Indian National Congress the entire crusade of 2011 Indian anti-corruption movement was planned by RSS in which Plan-A was Baba Ramdev while Plan-B was Anna Hazare. Their basic job was to disturb national security. Further Digvijay Singh had charged Hazare for having links with late RSS leader Nanaji Deshmukh with whom he worked as a secretary. Anna denied any such associations.

Views on Narendra Modi and Nitish Kumar

In a press conference in April 2011, Anna Hazare praised Narendra Modi, the chief minister of Gujarat and Nitish Kumar, chief minister of Bihar for his efforts on rural development, saying that other chief ministers should emulate them. Subsequently, Modi wrote an open letter to him, hailing him as a Gandhian anti-corruption activist while Digvijay Singh, the General Secretary of the Congress party, criticised him for his comment. In May 2011, during his visit to Gujarat, Hazare changed his view and criticised Modi for rampant corruption. He urged Modi to appoint a Lokayukta. He also commented that the media had projected an incorrect image of Vibrant Gujarat.

Fraud during fasts

A cardiologist from Pune, Abhijit Vaidya—founder of Arogya Sena, a non-governmental agency active in public health, disaster management and social campaigns—claimed that he was informed by Hazare's close associates that during a fast in Ralegan-Siddhi, Hazare was given glucose and electrolyte solutions during a fast. Hazare and his associates refused to comment on the allegation.

Accusations of corruption

The government of the state of Maharashtra instituted a Commission of Inquiry under Justice PB Sawant in September 2003 to enquire into allegations of corruption against several people, including four ministers in the state as well as the "Hind Swaraj Trust" headed by Hazare. The Commission submitted its report on 22 February 2005, indicting the Trust for corruptly spending Rs. 2.20 lakhs on Hazare's birthday celebrations.

Two days ahead of Hazare's Lokhpal fast, the Indian National Congress, attacked him, alleging that "the moral core of Hazare has been ripped apart" by the Justice P B Sawant Commission.

Hazare's lawyer Milind Pawar responded that the commission had remarked about "irregularities" in the accounts, but had not held him guilty of any "corrupt" practices. Pawar said that on 16 June 1998, a celebration was organised to congratulate Hazare on winning an award from a US–based NGO and it coincided with his 61st birthday. The trust spent Rs 2.18 lakh for the function. Abhay Phirodia, a Pune-based industrialist, who took the initiative to organise this function donated an amount of Rs 2,48,950 to the trust by cheque soon afterwards. Hazare dared the government to file a First Information Report (FIR) against him to prove the charges.

Accusation of being anti-democratic and anti-Dalit

An article written in Kolkata Telegraph by Ramchandra Guha stated that that environmental journalist Mukul Sharma claimed that Anna Hazare forced the Dalit families in Ralegan Siddhi to adopt a vegetarian diet, and that those who violated the decree were tied to a post and flogged. Mukul Sharma also found that no panchayat elections have been held in the village for the past two decades, and that no campaigning was allowed during state and national elections, upon Hazare's instructions. Activist Anoop Kheri claimed that "The language, symbols used by the movement clearly reflects its upper caste Hindu nature, a very rightwing Hindu patriotism is being used to get the entire country against corruption. And as a dalit, I have a problem with it."

There was also an allegation that an RTI activist was denied permission to protest by having a fast-unto-death at Ralegan Siddhi, the grama sabha stating that the reason was that only Anna Hazare can hold such fasts in his village.

Activist Udit Raj was denied permission to protest against Anna Hazare, whom he claimed was against parliamentary processes. Raj warned that succumbing to Hazare's demands would set a dangerous trend rendering the "backward" classes more vulnerable. He claimed that mass mobilisations coerced the government into a "set of solutions" against constitutional processes could be used against affirmative action and threatened democracy. Later, it came to light that poor dalits had been paid up to 200 each to shout slogans against Anna, although the organizers denied it. Some protesters said that they had been told that it was a pro-Anna protest, but felt cheated after realising that it was against Hazare.

Accusation of being anti-Muslim

On 22 August 2011 writer-actor Arundhati Roy accused Hazare in a newspaper article of being nonsecular. She questioned his secular credentials, pointing out his "support for Raj Thackeray's Marathi Manoos xenophobia and [has praised] the 'development model' of Gujarat's CM who oversaw the 2002 pogrom against Muslims". The website of the newspaper published many responses to her article and these were mostly critical of her views. Activist Medha Patkar criticised Roy, saying that her views were misplaced.

Hazare in the past stood in firm opposition to the Shiv Sena and BJP governments in Maharashtra. Activist and writer Asghar Ali Engineer in an EPW article on Communalism and Communal Violence reported,

Hazare was accused of working for RSS and BJP's behest, and against Muslims by cleric Bukhari of the Jama Masjid. Bhukhari was subsequently criticised for being a Royal Imam and for claiming that his personal views represented the view of ordinary Muslims.

Support for selective violence

Hazare acknowledged his belief in violence after his "just one slap" remark in which the victim of violence was Sharad Pawar, a rival in Maharashtra.

Conspiracy to murder Hazare

Anna Hazare exposed corruption in cooperative sugar factories in Maharashtra, including one controlled by Dr.Padamsinh Bajirao Patil, a member of Parliament of 15th Lok Sabha and higher-ranking Leader of Nationalist Congress Party from Osmanabad. Patil was accused in the 2006 murder case of Congress leader Pawanraje Nimabalkar.

The conspiracy to kill Hazare was exposed when Parasmal Jain, an accused in the Nimbalkar murder case, in his written confession before a magistrate said that Patil had paid him to murder Nimbalkar, and also offered him supari (contract killing sum) to kill Anna Hazare. After this written confession, Anna appealed to the state government of Maharashtra to lodge a separate First Information Report ( FIR ) against Patil but the government declined. On 26 September 2009 Hazare lodged his own complaint at Parner police station of Ahmednagar District in Maharashtra against Patil. Patil approached the High Court seeking anticipatory bail but on 14 October 2009, the Aurangabad bench of Bombay High Court rejected his application, observing that there was prima facie case against him. Padmasinh Patil appealed to the Supreme Court of India losing again, on 6 November 2009. On 11 November 2009 Patil surrendered before the sessions court in Latur and was sent to judicial remand for 14 days. On 16 December 2009 the Aurangabad bench granted bail. , the verdict is pending.

As of December 2011, Anna Hazare received Z+ security.

Honours, awards and international recognition

! Year !! Award !! Awarding organization
2011	NDTV Indian of the Year with Arvind Kejriwal	NDTV
2008	Jit Gill Memorial Award	World Bank
2005		Gandhigram Rural University
2003	Integrity Award	Transparency International
1998		CARE (relief agency)
1997	Mahaveer Award
1996	Shiromani Award
1992	Padma Bhushan	President of India
1990	Padma Shri	President of India
1989	Krishi Bhushana Award	Government of Maharashtra
1986	Indira Priyadarshini Vrikshamitra Award	Government of India

Personal life

Anna Hazare is unmarried. He has lived in a small room attached to the Sant Yadavbaba temple in Ralegan Siddhi since 1975. On 16 April 2011, he declared his bank balance of and as money in hand. He owns 0.07 hectares of family land in Ralegan Siddhi, which is being used by his brothers. He donated for village use two other pieces of land donated to him by the Indian Army and by a villager. His only income is his Indian Army pension.

Writings

References

Further reading

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Periwinkle Environmental Education Part-X Author-Harendra Chakhaiyar, Publisher- Jeevandeep Prakashan Pvt Ltd, ISBN-8177444948, 9788177444940

From poverty to plenty: the story of Ralegan Siddhi Volume 5 of Studies in ecology and sustainable development. Authors- Ganesh Pangare, Vasudha Pangare. Publisher: Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage,1992.Original from the University of Virginia. Digitized 20 Oct 2009. ISBN 8190006142, 9788190006149 Length-47 pages.

Dynamics of rural development: lessons from Ralegan Siddhi Publisher- Foundation for Research in Community Health, 2002. Original from The University of Michigan. Digitized 21 Jul 2009 Length 181 pages.

Troubles and Wet Solutions: Success Story of Ralegan Siddhi's Watershed Development Project Centre for Alternative Agriculture Media

Ralegan Siddhi Authors: Ramesh Awasthi, Dashrath K. Panmand, Foundation for Research in Community Health (Bombay, India) Publisher: Foundation for Research in Community Health, 1994. Original from The University of Michigan. Digitized 22 Dec 2009. Length 92 pages

Religion and ecology in India and Southeast Asia Authors- David L. Gosling, Ninian Smart, Contributor- Ninian Smart, Edition-illustrated, Publisher- Routledge, 2001, ISBN 0415240301, 9780415240307, Length 210 pages

Springs of life: India's water resources Authors Ganesh Pangare, Vasudha Pangare, Binayak Das, World Water Institute (Pune, India), Bharathi Integrated Rural Development Society, Edition- illustrated, Publisher-Academic Foundation, 2006. ISBN 817188489X, 9788171884896

External links

Anna Hazare – ''Official website''

Civil Society – ''Official website''

Profile at NDTV

Biography at CNN

Anna Hazare collected news and commentary at ''The Times of India''

A successful case of participatory watershed management at Ralegan Siddhi Village in, Maharastra, India

''Draft Lokpal Bill'', 2010

''India Against Corruption''

A documentary film about Anna Hazare and the Jan Lokpal movement.

An exhibition of E. P.Unny's cartoons on Anna Hazare,

;Images

The anti-corruption movement by Anna Hazare, slideshow by ''The First Post''

Ahead of fast, Anna Hazare at Rajghat, slideshow by ''NDTV''

The face of a protest: Anna Hazare, slideshow by ''CNN-IBN''

Photo Essay: "Indian Protest the Arrest of Anna Hazare", ''Time''

Category:Indian activists Category:1937 births Category:Indian Hindus Category:Living people Category:Marathi people Category:People from Maharashtra Category:Founders of Indian schools and colleges Category:Indian civil rights activists Category:Gandhians Category:Indian Army personnel Category:Nonviolence advocates Category:Freedom of information activists Category:Recipients of the Padma Shri Category:Recipients of the Padma Bhushan Category:Prisoners and detainees of India Category:Indian human rights activists Category:Indian vegetarians Category:Indian sociologists Category:Indian revolutionaries

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Name	Raj Shrikant Thackerayराज श्रीकांत ठाकरे
Office1	Founder and President of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena
Term start1	9 March 2006
Birth date	June 14, 1968
Birth place	Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Party	Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (2006–present)
Otherparty	Shiv Sena (Before 2006)
Spouse	Sharmila Thackeray
Children	Amit Thackeray (Son)Urvashi Thackeray (Daughter)
Alma mater	Balmohan Vidyamandir, MumbaiSir Jamsetjee Jeejebhoy School of Art, Mumbai
Profession	Politician, Cartoonist
Religion	Hindu
Website
Signature	Raj Thackeray Sign.png }}

Raj Shrikant Thackeray () (born 14 June 1968) is the founder and president of the right-wing Marathi ethnocentric regional political party, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena ("Maharashtra Reformation Army") in the state of Maharashtra, India. His official name is ''Swararaj'' which means the king of musical notes. He is the nephew of Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray, and a cousin of the current Shiv Sena Executive President Uddhav Thackeray.

Early life

Raj was born on 14 June 1968 in a Marathi Kayastha (CKP) family to Shrikant Thackeray (younger brother of Bal Thackeray) and Kunda Thackeray (younger sister of Bal Thackeray's wife Meena Thackeray). Raj’s father Shrikant Thackeray was a musician, cartoonist and was also well versed in Urdu. He studied in Balmohan Vidyamandir, Mumbai and graduated from the Sir Jamsetjee Jeejebhoy School of Art, Mumbai. As a child he is said to have learnt the tabla, the guitar and the violin. He also loved drawing which later turned into a passion for drawing cartoons.

Political career

Raj started his political career with his Uncle Bal Thackeray. Bal Thackeray has been a huge influence on Raj’s life. Raj has been said to have modeled himself after him. In 1997, he started the ''Shiv Udyog Sena'' a youth wing for the Shiv Sena. With this he tried to strengthen his youth leader image. "He raised funds for the employment agency with, among other sources, concerts by Michael Jackson and Lata Mangeshkar — and thus, simultaneously, propagated the new brand of the Sena's popular culture and its implications for a nascent generational change within the organization". But his association with the Sena ended in 2006. In January 2006 he resigned from the Sena alleging that it was being "run by petty clerks" because of which it had "fallen from its former glory". There has been quite a lot of speculation over the real reason why he left the party. The popular rumor being that he was being "sidelined" by Bal Thackeray’s son Uddhav. In the same year Raj announced his intention to start his own political party. Although separated from his mentor, Raj has always maintained that he does not want to have hostilities with his uncle who "was, is and always will be (his) mentor".

Political Views

Marathi Identity

Raj Thackeray and his party, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, state that Maharashtra State, Marathi language and Marathi ''Manoos'' are subverted by the influence of non-Marathi politicians within and outside the State, and that these politicians should be opposed in order to attain prosperity for Maharashtra and Marathi people.

Opposition to Immigrants

Since the creation of his party, Raj Thackeray has opposed immigration into Maharashtra from North India. According to Raj Thackeray, he is against immigrants specifically from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, and not from North India or elsewhere, in general. According to him, bad governance, corruption, high crime rates and criminal, politicians in these two states for decades, has degraded the socio-economic conditions there, causing exodus of people from these states to other states, like Maharashtra. This causes unemployment and increased crime rates in Maharashtra and other states which receive these immigrants. Also, due to rising number of immigrants, the politician from these two states have gained power in Maharashtra. He, however has made it clear that he is not against Hindi.

Violence in Agitations

Raj Thackery and his party MNS have been criticized for use of violence during their agitations, especially directed towards immigrants from UP and Bihar. He is facing several charges for instigating violence in various courts. On use of violence, Thackeray says that violence is a part of all agitations in Indian politics, and there are several cases of much more violence carried out by other parties and organisations. According to him, the incidents of violence involving members of his party have been unduly highlighted by North Indian politicians and journalists.

Supporter of Narendra Modi's Governance

Thackeray is an admirer of Gujarat Chief Minister, Narendra Modi for his governance, and the development of Gujarat during his tenure. In August 2011, Raj Thackeray visited Gujarat on a 9-day trip as 'state guest' to study the development in Gujarat. He also advised politicians in Maharashtra, irrespective of party, to take lessons from Modi and Gujarat. He has also expressed support for Modi for the post Prime Minister of India for the 2014 Lok Sabha (general) election.

Agitations

Marathi signboards for shops

In July 2008, Raj issued a public warning that Mumbai shops needed to have Marathi signboards in addition to the existing English signboards. He warned that after one month, MNS workers would start blackening non-Marathi signboards. While there had been a law to this effect passed earlier by Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, it had not been enforced.

Raj had also insisted that the Marathi signboards had to be at least as big as the English signboards. A number of big shopowners, notably Viren Shah (Roopam chain) went to court against this move. The high-court provided them relief, passing a judgement that the Marathi signboards did not have to be as big as English signboards.

In September 2008, MNS workers resorted to blackening signboards, to enforce the demand, after which most shop owners complied. Six MNS workers were arrested but later released on bail. The Congress government was dilatory in filing chargesheets against them, following which the Maharashtra high-court passed strictures against the government. When the government prosecutor submitted in December that the chargesheets had not been filed as investigation was ongoing, the judge remarked sarcastically whether this was a murder case to warrant such long investigations, three months after the arrest of the MNS workers, but Raj was attempting to enforce a rule previously on the books.

Agitation against Jet Airways layoffs

In October 2008, on the eve of the major Indian festival Diwali, Jet Airways laid off 800 temporary workers and announced layoffs of an additional 1100 workers. The laid-off workers included Marathi as well as North-Indians. These workers met Raj Thackeray and asked him to intervene. Following this, Raj Thackeray declared that most of these workers had paid security deposits to the company, and he would meet Jet management to plead their case. Unless Jet Airways cancelled the layoffs, his party would not allow any Jet Airways plane to take off from any airport in Maharashtra.

Within 12 hours of Raj Thackeray's declaration, Jet chairman Naresh Goyal reversed the layoffs and reinstated the sacked employees. He claimed that he did it on his own and that there was no political pressure on him. Leftist Unions, Shivsena & Civil Aviation minister Praful Patel later tried to take credit for the decision. On announcement of the layoffs, Praful Patel had claimed that he had no jurisdiction over the layoffs issue. Sacked Jet employees on the other hand stated that they were warned by Jet management on reinstatement, not to meet Raj Thackeray to thank him.

Demand for Telecom customer service in Marathi

Telecom companies in Maharashtra had been providing customer service in English & Hindi only. Raj demanded that all telecom companies operating in Maharashtra start providing the service in Marathi also and set a deadline of 27 February 2010, after which his party MNS would launch an agitation. Following this demand, all telecom companies complied, introducing Marathi as an additional option in their customer service.

Maharashtra-Karnataka Border Issue

In Dec 2011, Raj Thackeray meeting a group from MES (Maharshtra Ekikaran Samiti) advised them that they should revisit their stand of merging Belgaum with Maharashtra in the interest of marathi speaking people of belgaum. In a major departure from the stance previously taken by traditional right wing groups of Maharashtra, Raj Thackeray argued that a practical approach rather than an emotional one was the need of the hour. However, he said that if the supreme court itself gives a decision in favor of Belgaum's merger he would welcome it, although the local situation in Belgaum should not be vitiated for the sake of it. He asked the MES leaders to first identify the real issue as to whether marathis in belgaum are being targeted for espousing the cause of marathi language or because they were supporting the merger of Belgaum with Maharashtra. Lamenting that strikes and bandhs only add to the misery of the Marathi-speaking community in Belgaum, Thackeray said: "If the Karnataka government is ready to respect the Marathi people, their culture and language, then there is nothing wrong in Belgaum being there." His comments were strongly criticized by his cousin Uddhav Thackeray as a cruel joke on the marathi manoos.

Controversies

2008 violence against UP & Biharis

At a rally in Shivaji Park, Raj warned that if the ''dadagiri'' (intimidating dominance) of these people in Mumbai and Maharashtra continued, he would be compelled to make them leave the metropolis. Raj was arrested along with a Samajwadi Party leader, Abu Azmi, for their involvement in the fracas. He was released on paying a penalty of .

Acquittal in Kini murder case

In July 1996, Ramesh Kini was found dead in a cinema in Pune. Kini was a tenant in a ramshackle tenement in central Mumbai, whose landlord, Laxmikant Shah, was trying to evict him. Shah also happened to be a close childhood friend of Raj Thackeray. A CBI enquiry was later issued for the case, but the CBI dismissed the case as one of suicide.

Kohinoor mill controversy

Shiv Sena opposed sale of mill land, but Raj Thackeray bid for and won mill land in prime Mumbai real estate. On 21 July 2005, Raj and Unmesh Joshi, son of Shiv Sena Leader Manohar Joshi purchased a five acre plot of land, Kohinoor Mill No. 3, located across the road from the Shiv Sena party headquarters in Dadar, Mumbai for . The NCP leader from Mumbai, Sachin Ahir, objected to the sale of the Kohinoor Mill land, saying that there were forty bids, yet only three were short-listed. He demanded a re-bid as there was a lack of transparency in the move.

Reaction to Jaya Bachchan's controversial statement

The words of Jaya Bachchan, veteran actor and sitting Rajya Sabha MP of Samajwadi Party (with whom Raj's MNS has crossed swords a number of times), during the Music launch of the Hindi film Drona, were deemed hurtful by Raj Thackeray.

Jaya's words 'Hum UP (Uttar Pradesh) ke log hain, isliye Hindi mein baat karenge, Maharashtra ke log Maaf Kijiye' (We are from UP region, so we will speak in Hindi. People of Maharashtra, please excuse) in response to the film's Director, Goldie Behl, making his introductory speech in English and subsequently encouraging the actress Priyanka Chopra to speak in Hindi.

Raj commented that Jaya had no business alluding to all the people of Maharashtra in that statement. He threatened to ban all Bachchan films unless Jaya apologised in a public forum for hurting Maharashtrians. MNS workers began to attack theatres screening The Last Lear starring Jaya Bachchan's husband, Amitabh Bachchan. Shivsena MP Sanjay Raut also criticized Jaya's statement saying: "After making all your success & fortune in Mumbai, if you feel like saying that, We are From UP, its very unfortunate." It was only after Amitabh tendered an apology that the screening resumed.

Following Raj's threat, Mumbai police acted against Raj, issuing a gag order preventing him from speaking to the media.

Remarks on Chhath Puja and Migrants

Raj reproached North Indian leaders for politicizing Chhath Puja, a festival popular in Bihar, calling it a "drama" and a "show of numerical strength". He stated that the Chhath Puja was a political gimmick by some parties to attract the north Indian vote. He questioned the motives by citing that the puja is performed on the banks of a river, not the sea as it was being performed. He demanded that they only celebrate Maharashtra day and not UP day in Maharashtra. A petition was filed in the Patna civil court on 8 February against him for his remarks. His statements drew flak from political leaders across the board, especially those from the North Indian states. The then Indian Railways minister and former chief minister of Bihar, Lalu Prasad Yadav, vowed that he would come to Mumbai and perform Chhath Puja in front of Raj's house, which he failed to perform. He also ridiculed Raj saying, "He [Raj] is a child in politics". The Navnirman Sena leader accused migrants of swamping Maharashtra, India's most industrialised state, in search of jobs.

The MNS chief also accused migrants of disrespecting the local culture. On 9 February, expressing his stance on new migrants settling in Mumbai, Raj said, "New immigrants to the city should be denied entry into the city, while those already staying here should show respect to the Marathi 'manoos' and his culture".

Mumbai-Bombay Controversy: Wake Up Sid

On 2 October 2009, MNS workers disrupted the screening of the film Wake Up Sid on its release in a few Pune and Mumbai theatres, after Raj objected to references in the movie to "Bombay" rather than "Mumbai". The city of Mumbai was referred to as "Bombay" in many scenes and in some songs (lyrics by Javed Akhtar). The film's producer, Karan Johar, visited Raj's residence to apologise, and agreed to all of Raj's terms, including an apology on each of the 700 frames in the film.

Personal life

Raj is married to Sharmila, daughter of famous Marathi theater/films actor, producer-director Mohan Wagh. They have one son named Amit Thackeray and one daughter Urvashi Thackeray.

Like his father and uncle Raj is a painter and cartoonist. He had also expressed his desire to work for Walt Disney Studios. Raj Thackeray said when asked what he would have done had he not joined politics? "In my college days, I wanted to work with Walt Disney Studios. I drew cartoons even before my foray in politics. Film making is also a passion. I would have been doing either of these things."

External links

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena Official Website

Outlook India Back Issues

Raj Thackerey's response in ''The Indian Express'' to Sudheendra Kulkarni's criticism

New legal strategy to tame Raj

References

Category:Indian politicians Category:Living people Category:1968 births Category:Marathi people Category:Maharashtra politicians Category:Sir J. J. School of Art alumni Category:Maharashtra Navnirman Sena politicians Category:Indian politicians convicted of crimes

hi:राज ठाकरे kn:ರಾಜ್ ಠಾಕ್ರೆ mr:राज ठाकरे ta:ராஜ் தாக்ரே ur:راج ٹھاکرے

name	Urmila Matondkar
birth date	February 04, 1974
birth place	Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
occupation	Actress, television presenter
years active	1980–present }}

Urmila Matondkar (born on 4 February 1974) is an Indian film actress. Matondkar, who made her screen debut as a child artist in the 1980 film ''Kalyug'', debuted as an adult in ''Narasimha'' (1991). She established herself as a popular actress in mainstream Hindi cinema with her films such as ''Rangeela'' (1995), ''Judaai'' (1997), and ''Satya'' (1998), all of which earned her Filmfare nominations. These roles contributed to a new screen persona, where she was known for her intense style and dancing skills, and was frequently featured in the Indian media as a sex symbol.

She subsequently took on several psychological roles, delivering a range of critically acclaimed performances. These parts include a psychopath in ''Kaun'' (1999), an obsessive lover in ''Pyaar Tune Kya Kiya'' (2001), a ghost-possessed woman in ''Bhoot'' (2003), and a merciless avenger in ''Ek Hasina Thi'' (2004). For her performance in ''Bhoot'', she won her first Filmfare Award in the Best Actress (Critics) category, among others. She followed with leading roles in art and independent films, such as ''Tehzeeb'' (2003), ''Pinjar'' (2003), ''Maine Gandhi Ko Nahin Mara'' (2005), and ''Bas Ek Pal'' (2006).

Early life

Urmila Matondkar was born to a Maratha family in Mumbai on February 4, 1974. Her father was a lecturer.

Career

Urmila's first role as a child artist was in 1981 with ''Kalyug'' and she achieved success at the age of 9 in Shekhar Kapur's ''Masoom'' in 1983. She made her adult debut as an actress with the film ''Bade Ghar Ki Beti''. She next starred in the fantasy film ''Chamatkar'', along with Shahrukh Khan.

She went on to frequently collaborate with film director Ram Gopal Verma, who is known for his thrillers. Her first film with him was ''Antham'', which was a bilingual film and was titled as ''Drohi (1992 film)'' in (Hindi). She has also made her appearance in Doordarshan Serial Bible Ki Kahaniyan. Since then, she has starred in numerous subsequent RGV pictures, like ''Gaayam'' (Telugu), her 1995 musical hit ''Rangeela''. She played a star-struck dancer in the film, and received her first Filmfare Best Actress Award nomination for her performance in the film. Following RGV projects were ''Anaganaga Oka Roju'' (1997), ''Daud (film)'' (1997), ''Satya'' (1998), ''Kaun'' (1999), ''Mast'' (2000), ''Jungle'' (2000), ''Pyaar Tune Kya Kiya'' (2001), ''Bhoot'' (2003), and ''Ek Hasina Thi'' (2004).

In 1997 her film ''Judaai'' was a hit but her other releases such as ''Daud'' and ''Aflatoon'' were not as successful. Her performance in ''Judaai'' earned her a Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award nomination.

In 1998, she earned critical acclaim for her performance in ''Satya'', for which she received another Filmfare nomination. ''Satya'' was a critical and commercial success.

In 1999, she got rave reviews for her performance as a pschycopath in ''Kaun'', which was a moderate success. Khalid Mohamed of ''The Times of India'' (who would later cast her in ''Tehzeeb'') wrote that she "rivets the viewer's interest, carrying off entire reels on her shoulders, through a gamut of quicksilver facial expressions. Vulnerable and baffled, she is utterly believable as the traumatised girl-next-door." She saw further success with ''Jaanam Samjha Karo'', ''Hum Tum Pe Marte Hain'' and ''Khoobsurat'', all moderate successes at the box office.

During the 2000s, Matondkar revealed strong, dramatic and psychological features in her roles, and delivered a number of critically acclaimed performances. She won favourable reviews for her role as an obsessive lover in ''Pyaar Tune Kya Kiya'' (2001), and received various ''Best Villain'' nominations for her performance.

In 2003, she was part of several projects. She played the role of a north Indian girl in the background of the 1947 India partition in the critically acclaimed ''Pinjar''. She played the title role in Khalid Mohammed's drama ''Tehzeeb'', starring along Shabana Azmi. However, she was mainly noted for her performance in ''Bhoot'', a horror movie. Matondkar enacted a ghost-possessed woman; her performance was much appreciated by critics and audiences and she won her first Filmfare Award under the Best Actress (Critics' Choice) category, as well as various ''Best Actress'' awards at different award ceremonies, such as Star Screen Awards, Zee Cine Awards and Bollywood Movie Awards. She later received the national honour ''Rajiv Gandhi Award'' for the film, as a recognition to her achievement in Bollywood. Taran Adarsh wrote of her performance, "...the film clearly belongs to Urmila Matondkar all the way. To state that she is excellent would be doing gross injustice to her work. Sequences when she is possessed are simply astounding. If this performance doesn't deserve an award, no other performance should. It beats all competition hollow."

In 2004, she got critical recognition for her performance as a merciless avenger in Ram Gopal Verma's ''Ek Hasina Thi'', co-starring Saif Ali Khan. She played the role of a deceived woman who is jailed because of her lover, played by Khan, and later flees from prison to avenge him. Once again, Matondkar was nominated for a Filmfare for her performance in the film.

Next year in 2005, she tried her hand with another horror film, playing the title role in the film ''Naina'', which failed. However, her performance as the caring daughter of Anupam Kher in Jahnu Barua's art film ''Maine Gandhi Ko Nahin Mara'' was very well received, and she won her second Bollywood Movie Award for Best Actress.

Apart from holding a successful acting career, she is regarded as an outstanding dancer and has been a featured performer in many Bollywood item numbers. Her best-known item number is the ''Chamma Chamma'' sequence from the 1998 ''China Gate''. Other hit numbers include ''Aaiye Aajaye'' from the hit film ''Lajja''. She was signed to perform the item song in ''Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag'', a remake of the 1975 blockbuster ''Sholay''. She played the role originally played by Helen.

In 2007, Matondkar lent her voice for Asha Bhonsle's album ''Asha and Friends Vol 1'', where she performed with Bhosle the duet song "Mehbooba Dilruba". In fact, throughout the 1990s – 2000s, Bhosle sang the maximum number of songs for Urmila. In that same year, she was seen on the second season of the dance reality show ''Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa'' on Sony Television as a judge along with Jeetendra and Shiamak Davar.

In 2008, Matondkar was seen with Himesh Reshammiya in a remake of the 1980 film ''Karz'', titled ''Karzzzz''. Even though the film flopped miserably at the box office, Urmila was praised for her acting and adding her own flavour to the role of Kamini. That year also marked Matondkar's debut on Indian television as a host of a reality show named Waar Parriwar.

In 2011, Matondkar was one of the judges on the dance reality show named Chak Dhoom Dhoom on Colors channel, along with Javed Jaffrey and Terence Lewis.

Awards and nominations

Filmography

{| class="wikitable" border="1" |- style="background:#CCC; text-align:center;" ! Year ! Title ! Role ! Notes |- |rowspan="2"|1980 |''Kalyug'' |Parikshit | |- | ''Zakol'' | | |- |rowspan="1"|1983 |''Masoom'' |Pinky | |- |rowspan="1"|1984 |''Bhavna'' | | |- |rowspan="1"|1985 |''Sur Sangam'' | | |- |rowspan="2"|1987 |''Dacait'' | | |- |''Zindagi'' | | |- |rowspan="2"|1989 |''Bade Ghar Ki Beti'' | | |- |''Chanakyan'' |Renu |Malayalam film |- |1991 |''Narasimha'' | | First Adult role in Hindi |- |rowspan="3"|1992 |''Chamatkar'' |Mala | |- |''Antham'' | |Telugu film |- |''Drohi (1992 film)'' |Bhavna | |- |rowspan="3"|1993 |''Shreeman Aashiq'' |Shanno | |- |''Gaayam'' | |Telugu film |- |''Bedardi'' | | |- |rowspan="2"|1994 |''Kanoon'' | | |- |''Aa Gale Lag Ja'' |Roshni | |- |rowspan="2"|1995 |''Rangeela'' |Mili Joshi |Nomination, Filmfare Best Actress Award |- |''Thacholi Varghese Chekavar'' |Maya |Malayalam Film |- |rowspan="1"|1996 |''Indian'' | Sapna | Tamil film, dubbed in Hindi as ''Hindustani'' |- |rowspan="5"|1997 |''Judaai'' |Janhvi Sahni |Nomination, Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award |- |''Mere Sapno Ki Rani'' | | |- |''Anaganaga Oka Roju'' |Madhu |Telugu film |- |''Daud'' |Bhavani | |- |''Aflatoon'' | | |- |rowspan="4"|1998 |''Satya'' |Vidya |Nomination, Filmfare Best Actress Award |- |''Kudrat'' |Mala | |- |''China Gate'' | |Item number |- |''Chhota Chetan'' | | |- |rowspan="6"| 1999 |''Jaanam Samjha Karo'' |Chandni | |- |''Hum Tum Pe Marte Hain'' |Radhika | |- |''Mast'' |Mallika | |- |''Dillagi'' |Shalini | |- |''Khoobsurat'' |Shivani | |- |''Kaun'' |Nameless character |First Villain role |- |rowspan="3"|2000 |''Jungle'' |Anu | |- |''Deewane'' |Sapna | |- |''Kunwara'' |Urmila | |- |rowspan="2"|2001 |''Pyaar Tune Kya Kiya'' |Ria |Villain role.Nomination, Filmfare Best Villain Award |- |''Lajja'' | |Special appearance in an item number |- |rowspan="3"|2002 |''Company'' | |Special appearance in song |- |''Om Jai Jagadish'' |Nitu | |- |''Deewangee'' |Sargam | |- |rowspan="3"|2003 |''Bhoot'' |Swati |Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress |- |''Tehzeeb'' |Tehzeeb Mirza | |- |''Pinjar'' |Puro | |- |2004 |''Ek Hasina Thi'' |Sarika Vartak |Nomination, Filmfare Best Actress Award |- |rowspan="2"|2005 |''Naina'' |Naina | |- |''Maine Gandhi Ko Nahin Mara'' |Trisha | |- |rowspan="2"| 2006 |''Banaras'' |Shwetamabri | |- |''Bas Ek Pal'' |Anamika | |- |rowspan="3"|2007 |''Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag'' |Gypsy Dancer |Item number |- |''Om Shanti Om'' |Herself |Special appearance |- |''Speed'' | Richa | |- |rowspan="2"|2008 |''Karzzzz'' |Kaamini | |- |''EMI– Liya Hai Toh Chukana Parega'' |Prerana Joshi | |- |rowspan="1"|2011 |''Shabri'' | | Cameo |- |rowspan="1"|2012 |''Delhi Safari'' | (voice) | Animated Film |}

See also

List of Indian film actresses

References

External links

Category:1974 births Category:Indian film actors Category:Living people Category:Marathi people Category:People from Mumbai Category:Indian child actors Category:Hindi film actors Category:Reality television judges Category:Indian television presenters Category:Indian actors

da:Urmila Matondkar hi:उर्मिला मातोंडकर it:Urmila Matondkar kn:ಊರ್ಮಿಳಾ ಮಾತೋಂಡ್ಕರ್ ml:ഉർമിള മാതോന്ദ്കർ mr:ऊर्मिला मातोंडकर pl:Urmila Matondkar fi:Urmila Matondkar sv:Urmila Matondkar ta:ஊர்மிலா மடோண்ட்கர்

name	Uddhav Thackeray
birth date	July 27, 1960
birth place	Mumbai
residence	Mumbai, India
office	Executive president of the Shiv Sena
party	Shiv Sena
religion	Hindu
spouse	Rashmi Thackeray
children	Aditya Thackeray, Tejas Thackeray
date	4 May |
year	2008 |
source	}}

Uddhav Thackeray () (born 27 July 1960) is the executive president of the Shiv Sena, a right-wing, Marathi ethnocentric regional political party based in the Indian state of Maharashtra. He was given this role in 2004, taking over from his father and party founder, Hindu nationalist politician Balasaheb Thackeray.

Earlier, Uddhav was looking after ''Saamana'' (a daily Marathi newspaper) while being actively involved in election campaigning activities. The party won the Brihan Mumbai Municipal Corporation election in 2002 and, thereafter, he was appointed as the party working president in 2003. Differences between Thackeray and former Shiv Sena leader Narayan Rane culminated in the expulsion of Rane from the Shiv Sena. Another split in the Sena came when Thackeray and his cousin Raj Thackeray had a falling-out, leading to Raj leaving the Shiv Sena in 2006 to form his own party, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena.

''Maharashtra Desha''

The ''Maharashtra Desha'', a book by Uddhav, depicts the heritage of Maharashtra in the form of aerial photographs.

In the sections of the book, "Mumbaichya desha" depicts the normal life from Mumbai. "Kankhar desha" consists of the strongholds of Shivaji, for example, the historic forts like Raigad, Torna, Purandar, Shivneri as well as their brief information. The following category of "Pavitra desha" shows the sanctity of temples like Saptashrungi, Kolhapur Ambabai, and Vittal Temple Pandharpur. "Dagadanchya desha" represents the Ajanta, Ellora, Kanheri, Karla Caves whereas "Jeevan desha" consists of lifelines — the rivers of Maharashtra: Chandrabhaga, Krishna, Mutha, Vashisthi. "Adbhut desha" has a collection of photography related to nature and other resources of Maharshtra.

References

1. http://in.news.yahoo.com/248/20101102/1582/tnl-uddhav-fails-sena.html http://ibnlive.in.com/blogs/rajdeepsardesai/1/61523/an-open-letter-to-uddhav-thackeray.html

http://www.sahyadribooks.org/books/MHDesha.asp?bid=508

External links

The son rises - Frontline, Volume 20 - Issue 04, February 15 - 28, 2003

Up close and personal with Uddhav Thackeray - Rediff India, April 2004

Category:1960 births Category:Living people Category:Maharashtra politicians Category:Shiv Sena politicians

hi:उद्धव ठाकरे mr:उद्धव ठाकरे