Tamil Nadu - Chennai   

Activists support Medha Patkar's cause

Staff Reporter

SOLIDARITY: Activists in Chennai staging fast on Friday in support of Narmada Bachao Andolan leader Medha Patkar's agitation. — Photo: K. Pichumani

CHENNAI: Slogans filled the air as a group of students, teachers and activists gathered under a shamiana in front of the State Guesthouse on Friday in support of the ongoing agitation by the Narmada Bachao Andolan movement in New Delhi.

The one-day fast attracted a "motley crowd" according to Sumitra M. Gautama, a teacher with the Krishnamurthi Foundation of India (KFI). She and her colleague, V. Arun, contacted peopleand distributed pamphlets to strangers on the Marina

"hoping this would be the beginning for the middle class to ask questions and raise their voices."

According to Mr. Arun, the fast was also a platform for the people with social awareness to raise their voice in support of Ms. Patkar's agitation for rehabilitating families that would be displaced once the Government increased the height of the dam.

Students, activists from Pennurumai Iyakkam, Consumer Action Group, and Women's Collective participated.

"The protest is not just about saving Ms. Medha's life but also about preserving people's livelihood," R. Geeta, Unorganised Worker's Federation said.

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