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New Delhi
Divided by geography, united by misery
By Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar
NEW DELHI, FEB. 7. ``Venda venda, venda venda!'' shouted the Narmada Bachao Andolan leader, Medha Patkar, outside Shastri Bhavan here today as many passers-by listened quietly. But the words -- which mean ``Don't need it'' in Malayalam -- were not Greek to the hundreds of aggrieved villagers who had come from as far away as Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra.
In fact, the NBA protest against the proposed increase in the height of the Narmada dam in Gujarat brought before Delhiites a unique aspect of national integration. Here in the protestors they found people from remote corners of Kerala and other southern States fighting for a primarily ``distant'' cause. And the protestors too appeared to be enjoying every line of the Malayalam songs the activists sang. ``These inspirational songs have been taken from the Art School of Kanavu in north Kerala,'' said Philip Mathew from Kottayam who teaches at Faridabad in Haryana.
The songs, he said, are aimed at making the affected people more aware. ``Even I have never been to Kanavu and yet the content of the songs drew me to them. Similarly, these activists have taken a liking for them.''
Noting that activists from all over the country have joined the Narmada cause, Mathew said that gradually the leadership of the movement is passing into the hands of the younger lot. Also, the constant exposure of ``outsiders'' has made people of the Narmada Valley more receptive.
The activists, who have come prepared for a long sit-in protest, are also carrying musical instruments. All day long they sang and clapped while their leaders were busy meeting officials and politicians. While some activists such as Deoram Bhai from Madhya Pradesh spoke out against monetary compensation in lieu of land acquisition, saying, ``Do they expect us to run shops?'', others like Majle Bhai from Maharashtra talked about lack of land back home for compensation.
Still, despite the hardships and threats faced by them, they all seemed concerned about other landowners. Shanti Bai from Madhya Pradesh condemned forcible acquisition of farmers' land for resettlement: ``It is also wrong to take land from one farmer and distribute it among others.''
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