The festivities which began last night reached a crescendo when the Gandhian accepted a glass of coconut water from the Dalit and a Muslim girl — Simran and Ikrah — at 10: 20 'm, breaking his 288 hours of fast that began on August 16.
Because Mr Hazare started his address, people who had started descending at the historic ground since early today, jostled with each other to get a glimpse of the 74-year-old.
“I 'm witnessing a historic moment. I will keep this moment alive always, ” stated Mr Sandip Dwivedi, a 32-year-old man from Dehradun, who has been in the Ramlila Maidan going back six days.
Holding a tri-colour in one hand and a digital camera within the other, the young professional, who is also is associated with an NGO, stated: “corruption is the single biggest hindrance for inclusive growth and Mr Hazare’s fast has given a direction to cope with the problem and inspire millions of people to lead an honest life’’.
Since the roar of the people grew louder, Mr Hazare kept appealing to these phones celebrate the victory peacefully but the supporters were in no mood in order to relent.
“This is our day. Let us celebrate, ” said Ms Ruchi Gupta, an 18-year-old girl from Saket as she tried to push a policeman to possess a glimpse of Mr Hazare.