The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Silence is his weapon

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Feb 05, 2007
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Silence is his weapon

Raghava M.

LONE WARRIOR: Amruta

BANGALORE: Fifty-year-old Amruta is on a campaign against bottled water for the last two years and he has not uttered a single word during this time. Campaign and silence, under ordinary circumstances, may sound contradictory. But for Amruta, silence itself is the weapon of campaign.

"My silence is a form of satyagraha against the might of multi-national companies who are minting money by selling water," writes the khadi-clad man on a piece of paper.

He explains the purpose of his campaign with yet another note: "The water given in bottles is also the same Cauvery water we get in taps. The companies pack it and sell it at Rs. 14. Marketing of drinking water is an offshoot of globalisation."

Amruta, who holds a Master's degree in Kannada and specialises in contemporary literature, has intensified his campaign from this Ramzan. In his characteristic style, this has meant cutting his food down to one meal a day. Amruta works as a guard at the office of Alphasankhyataru, Hindulidavaru and Dalitaru (AHINDA) here in Gandhinagar for a livelihood.

He is otherwise occupied with helping those in need of medical assistance.

He takes them to hospitals and serves them as an attendant without expecting anything in return. He often ends up helping other people in the ward as well. All this without uttering a word.

Any communication is either through signs or by writing on a piece of paper. In the process, many have been impressed with his campaign against bottled water as well. Amruta is also a familiar figure in protests organised by groups such as Karnataka Sahitya Parishat (KSP), Samata Sainik Dal (SSD), and Dalit Sangharsh Samiti (DSS).

He says that maintaining silence, taking one meal a day and walking barefoot have been effective enough in spreading his message. "The way I behave attracts people's attention. People sit with me and have a healthy debate. With my writing I try to convince them," he writes. There have been instances where he has been abused for refusing to fetch bottled water.

"But my silence has made these people see my point," Amruta writes. The organisations such as Karnataka Rajya Raita Sangha and SSD, where he has worked, and places such as KSP, which he regularly visits, have indeed stopped using mineral water bottles in functions!

Amruta signs off with yet another message: "It will take a long time to remove the addiction towards the use of mineral water. I will continue my campaign."

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Karnataka