Gaali Janardhana Reddy, the fabulously rich mining baron arrested by the CBI in Bellary today, began life as the son of a police constable. Now in custody, he is considered the face of the mining mafia in Karnataka.

Bellary is too poor to have a commercial airport, but the Reddy brothers and other miners maintain their own runways and helipads in a district once considered godforsaken.

The miners also drive around in Audis and BMWs, cars you would think only the uber rich in Mumbai and Delhi could afford. Bellary district, hot, dusty and with no industry but mining, was buying the largest number of luxury cars in India some years ago, all thanks to the money miners were raking in.

The Telugu-speaking Janardhana Reddy, his two brothers, and his deputy Sriramulu allegedly masterminded illegal mining in the border district of Bellary till a couple of months ago, when adverse court orders and a Lokayukta report put an end to it. Before the Reddys got into mining, they used to run a chit

"We for sure need a Lokpal Bill because it will bring in a clean government. Anna Hazare should be worshipped for what he is doing," Sonu, a barber, told me earlier this week.

Not just Sonu, but many I chatted with believe the Lokpal can be a solution to all their problems, from water supply to ration cards to gas connections.

So what do we understand from the Sonus of this world?

A) Many supporting Anna Hazare's movement don't have the slightest clue about the specifics of the bill. They think the Lokpal is a magic cure for all the ills in the country.

B) Team Anna (led by Arvind Kejriwal) has captured the imagination of everyone tired of the bureaucratic and political corruption in this country. Their call to fight 'corruption' with a 'fast' is working wonderfully in mobilising people.

What is being forgotten in all this is that the team is offering a simplistic solution to a complex problem. Team Anna is offering a quick fix to corruption via the Jan Lokpal Bill.

As Anna Hazare's anti-corruption movement gains critical momentum, we take you back to some basic information you might have missed in all the action.

Anna who?
Most middle-class Indians hadn't heard of Anna Hazare till he became the face of the anti-corruption movement. Anna's real name is Kisan Baburao Hazare, and he hails from Maharashtra. He is now 74. He worked for a while as a driver in the army. He was on the verge of suicide when he happened to pick up a book by Swami Vivekananda. It inspired him to take up social service. He returned to his impoverished, drought-prone village. His water conservation efforts won him praise and support. The Guardian gives a quick overview of his life, tracing his rise from despondent driver to popular anti-corruption campaigner.

What has he done so far?
His philosophy is shaped by Gandhian ideals of truth, non-violence, and village empowerment. Wikipedia gives us an idea of the projects he took up in his village. They cover prohibition, education,

Hazaaron voices on Hazare

As Anna Hazare's standoff with the government over the Jan Lokpal Bill continues, talking heads waxed eloquent. There were kudos and barbs from acolytes and cynics alike. Fence-sitters and tongue-in-cheekers joined the fray.

Here's the pick of what's around. And if you find something that's not yet here but should be, point us to it.

In a lucid analysis published in the Hindustan Times, author and historian Ramachandra Guha gently chided our haste to compare Anna Hazare's movement with the Jayaprakash Narayan-led uprising against corruption in the 1970s. Both are septuagenarian Gandhians, both espoused nonviolent means of protest, and both inspired a mass following.  Guha wrote: "While Anna cannot be blamed for the infiltration of his movement by partisan interests, he certainly stands guilty, as did JP, of suggesting that the street — or the maidan — should have a greater say in political decision-making than a freely elected Parliament."

Author and activist Arundhati Roy