A young boy, hardly 16 years old, filled with energy & dynamism, AnanthKumar responded to the clarion call of Shri Jaya Prakash Narayan, a call against the misrule of the Congress which was a threat to the very fabric of Democracy. Arrested, he spent thirty days in jail, strengthening his resolve to work for national regeneration.
• 1977 to 1987 – was a decade of continuous learning for AnanthKumar. As an active ABVP member, he toured the length & breadth of Karnataka, empathizing with the joys and sorrows of the people and understanding the aspirations of the youth. The smells, sounds and colours seeped into him. This experience showed him the path to his life mission.

Leadership qualities, perseverance and hard work, saw AnanthKumar taking on newer roles and responsibilities in ABVP:

1. Spearheaded – Save Campus Movement at University level.
2. State Convenor of the Save Assam Movement
3. State Convenor of the Drought Relief Committee of the RSS
4. State Convenor for the Student Youth Committee of the International Youth Year in 1985
5. State General Secretary of ABVP
6. State Organizing Secretary of ABVP
7. National Secretary of the ABVP