The culmination on April 8, of  Indian anti-corruption icon, Anna Hazare’s 4-day Gandhian protest hunger strike and the nationwide empathy it triggered, may owe much of its success to round-the-clock television coverage. But as the following extracts from leading media elements show, new media – principally the social media sites of the Internet like FaceBook, Twitter and YouTube-- played no small part in stitching a nation of concerned citizens together. As an IT portal, we  believe this  represents a new, exciting, technology-driven maturity in the way ordinary Indians  demand an increasing say in how their country is run.

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS TIMES ( IBTIMES.COM):
Social media support pours in for anti-corruption crusader Hazare in India After Middle East and North Africa, social media-fuelled revolution sparks in India
The overwhelming support Hazare is receiving across India in his latest fight against corruption has transformed into a massive movement on the web sphere as well. Hazare, who has come to be dubbed "Modern Mahatma" and Mahatma Gandhi 2.0" among other titles, and his latest cause, which has been titled "India Uprising", has blazed the internet, the search trends and the social media since the onset of the fast on April 5. Besides being the most searched on the Google India page, Hazare reigned theTwitter Trends and has garnered 70,000 likes on Facebook.
As tweets from high-profile celebrities to laymen flood the microblogging site, various pages on Facebook has gathered followers in thousands.
"When somebody is fighting corruption, I don't judge his ways. I applaud his intentions and actions. I am with ANNA HAZARE. Are you?:)" tweeted Bollywood actor Anupam Kher.Rahul Bose, another actor known for his statements on social issues, posted, "That it takes an Anna Hazare fasting unto death to effect systemic change is comment enough. corruption part of our DNA."
Meanwhile, media such as photos and videos related to Hazare crusade has hit the internet. Photos depicting the support that Hazare has attracted across the country have been posted on Twitpic as well as the social networking site Facebook, while videos have emerged on Youtube. For instance, theFacebook page of India Against Corruption aggregates pictures of protests happening across the country.With the campaign gaining momentum through social media, online petitions have also garnered massive responses.

Full report: http://uk.ibtimes.com/articles/132110/20110408/anna-hazare-fast-corruption-photos-video-social-media-internet-facebook-twitter-youtube.htm  

Times of India Candles, signatures, webpages "I created a webpage on Facebook titled 'Support Anna Hazare, Make India Corruption Free' on Wednesday. In only 24 hours, there have been over 1,600 hits on the webpage. This will help in propagating the message of Anna," said Manish Kumar, a media professional. Full report: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Candles-signatures-webpages/articleshow/7910117.cms  

Hindustan Times: Mumbai battles corruption with tweets, ‘likes’
Mumbai coordinator of India Against Corruption (IAC), Mayank Gandhi, said the idea to use Facebook and Twitter reaped dividends. “We had to get more youngsters into the campaign and the best way to target them was through these sites; 90% of our volunteers came through Facebook,” he said.
Till last night, the IAC page had 1.04 lakh followers. It featured an update every few minutes. Along with a central IAC group, there are also city and regional groups. IAC Mumbai had about 2,500 followers.  Full report: http://www.hindustantimes.com/Mumbai-battles-corruption-with-tweets-likes/Article1-682594.aspx  
Financial Express: Cyberspace sees huge support for Hazare’s cause At last count, the India Against Corruption Facebook page had 1,45,682 ‘likes’. Hazare himself has at least 500 pages on Facebook dedicated to him. However, the online movement no longer comprises the passive ‘liking’ of a page; an increasing number of people are exhorting anyone and everyone, via their status messages, to support the cause and physically go to Jantar Mantar, the 16th century astronomical observatory. Every day his fast continues sees new Facebook events being created, all rallying support for the cause. Full report: http://www.financialexpress.com/news/Cyberspace-sees-huge-support-for-Hazare-s-cause/773746/  
Netizens drum up support for Anna Hazare Anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare’s indefinite fast to demand the Jan Lokpal Bill has won thousands of supporters and followers on social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter.
The community called ‘Join Anna Hazare’s Fast To Bring the Jan Lokpal Bill’ has 21,833 members already, where they have posted strong comments criticising the government.
Caricatures with witty punch lines like ‘7 Scam Maaf’ directed at Sonia Gandhi are also doing the rounds. “Are you happy winning the World Cup while you lose out to corruption?” is a question asked by a Facebook member.  Full report  http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report_netizens-drum-up-support-for-anna-hazare_1529654  

April 9 2011