I am Sangappa!

I am not Anna. I am Sangappa!

I am not Anna. I wish him all the very best, and I admire all those who are giving him support to ensure that we get a strong Lok Pal, etc. I do not know much about law, hence I do not know how much the Lok Pal can reduce corruption. But I know that there are many corrupt people who will go on corrupting, Lok Pal or no Lok Pal, and I also know that our country is full of people who are not only NOT corrupt, but uphold the highest of values in every transaction.

I have decided that I am Sangappa. If there was a cap on which I could write it and walk around wearing it, I would most willingly do it. The person I am talking about is absolutely unknown. He is a fifty-year-old illiterate man with an artificial leg, who sells delicious and hot tea on the “Yashwantpur-Solapur Express”, when it crosses Gadag and heads towards Bagalkot. His name is Sangappa Hanumanthappa Pujari.

He walked into the aisle calling out in the typical style characteristic of vendors in trains, “Chaaayaaa….” There were two of us. We asked him how much the tea costed, and he promptly replied, “Ten rupees." Feeling that it was a little higher than usual, we nevertheless took out two ten-rupee notes for two teas and handed them over to him. He smiled knowingly, gave back one note, and said, “Five rupees each, total ten rupees.” That is Sangappa. And I know that there are millions of them in our country. The extra ten rupees would have meant a lot to him – and it had been given willingly – yet he returned it. If this principle and practice is inculcated in every Indian child, rich or poor, we will not require a Lok Pal.

Hence I want to support the innumerable ignored Sangappas around us. Tell each of them that we all love you and respect you – and I would like to declare
“I am Sangappa!”

I am Panduranga!