NEW DELHI, Aug 28 (IANS): Anna Hazare ended his 12-day fast Sunday morning before tens of thousands of cheering supporters at Ramlila Maidan by sipping a glass of coconut water with honey offered to him by two girls.
The nation, particularly the government of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, heaved a collective sigh of relief at the resolution of a major national cris as the 74-year-old activist ended his fast at around 10.20 a.m. He began his fast Aug 16 morning and completed 288 hours of fasting Sunday.
Five-year-old Simran, a Dalit from Sunder Nagri in the capital, and Iqri, a Muslim girl from Turkman Gate, offered the coconut water and honey mixture to him.
As a smiling Anna sipped from a steel glass, people in Ramlila Maidan cheered and hugged each other while some sang "Desh ke pyare Anna Hamare".
He will be taken to Medanta Hospital for a couple of days due to his deteriorating health condition, doctors said.
Hazare agreed to break his fast after parliament Saturday broadly agreed to three key demands of his civil society group to battle corruption.
