Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) has aged to 35 years now, yet the movement carries the valour, zeal, determination and anguish of those days intact. Third generation leadership has take over the inheritance. This movement has been a source of inspiration for thousands of people’s movements across the country which have given birth to many sincere workers of people’s movement. Medha Patkar, who dedicated her precious 35 years behind the sustained struggle, has now become an icon not only in India, but in the entire world. She is being held in high esteem across political parties, castes, languages, religion, region and gender. Even administrators, Police officers, MLAs and MPs of different parties, Ministers, Chief Ministers have a deep respect for her. Leaders with skill of organizing struggles, doing constructive work and working with creative ideas on ideological front together are very rare. Medhaji is among such rare personalities who continued challenging various governments on the street even amidst Corona period against the injustice, exploitation, corruption and discrimination against migrant labourers. Several times I requested her to be cautious about her health, she always replied that your concern should be for the country, not for any individual.
It is quite justified to evaluate any movement on completion of its 35 years. It should begin with the significant question that can a personality with rare qualities build up and sustain any movement for 35 years? I think a leader can only pull it, but it’s very difficult to keep the organization vibrant and lively that too confronting with new issues.
It is generally said about movements that they do not sustain for long, irrespective of whether they are successful or unsuccessful. The movements sustain for few years only. And in case of an issue based movement, its life is still shorter. People thought that movement was aimed to resist the construction of Sardar Sarovar Dam and for the proper rehabilitation of the displaced people. As the Dam got constructed, without any proper rehabilitation for the affected people, most people expected the movement to gradually come to an end. But it didn’t happen so. This is the uniqueness of the NBA. The people observing the movement from far get an impression that the movement is centred around Medha Patkar only. But that is not the reality. The decisions regarding the movement are taken by a large number of active volunteers working in the smallest villages of the region, along with the common people of those villages. The decisions taken by the villagers of Narmada catchment areas are ratified in an Open Session of the volunteers. Medhaji merely announces those decisions. But in these 35 years not a single time one would have observed any press note issued in the name of Medha Patkar. The press notes contain the names of the leading organizers of the movement, with Medhaji’s name appearing in the end. Medha Patkar is neither the Convenor nor the President of Narmada Bachao Andolan. No one is an office bearer of the Organization. This is a people’s movement in the true sense.
The dedicated volunteers who face police atrocities and fabricated cases, and yet have continued wholeheartedly to take the movement ahead for the last 35 years are the real life of this movement. The uniqueness of the movement also lies in the fact that all its volunteers are ideologically equipped. They are articulate about alternate policy of development and ready to give their self and time anytime for the movement. Those who have gone to the valley to participate in the movement must have observed that their food was supplied from volunteers’ houses only. And they were hosted at volunteers’ houses only.
The number of books written on Narmada Bachao Andolan, the number of films made on it and the number of cases in High Courts and Supreme Court far exceed any other movement in the country. Amidst the movement, Medhaji has received many world renowned awards also. But she has never been introduced as the winner of so and so award. It means that her identity is not dependent on any award. The movement so impressed the well known social worker Baba Amte that he spent the last part of his life on the banks of the Narmada.
Eminent advocates like Prashant Bhushan, late Sh. Rajendra Sachar who was former Chief Justice of Delhi High Court, Sanjay Parikh, Rajiv Dhavan and so many others have appeared before the courts for the NBA. For the last few years, Medhaji herself has appeared before the High Court and Supreme Court on behalf of the Andolan. NBA has won several favourable verdicts in the courts that have benefited crores of displaced people, including land for the displaced people and financial compensation. It has also played a key role in getting rid of the colonial era Land Acquisition Act.
Inspired by NBA, ‘Ghar Bachao, Ghar Banao’ movement became successful in Mumbai which has helped lakhs of poor people to save their houses from demolition, and also won housing rights for the poor in the megapolis.
In the course of building the NBA, Medhaji felt the necessity of building up co-ordination among various people’s movements, and so 30 years ago National Alliance for People’s movement was formed under the guidance of eminent Socialist ,Gandhain and Sarvoday personalities. Today more than 350 people’s movements are allied with it. NBA has also played important role in formation of Bhumi Adhikar Andolan (Land Rights Movement) and All India Kisan Struggle Co-ordination Committee (AIKSCC).
It is not that there has been no opposition to the NBA. Gujarat Government has prohibited her entry since many decades. It is another thing that Congress party leaders of Gujarat are repenting their mistake because the claims made by Modi didn’t materialise.
Medha Patkar is the declared enemy of Narendra Modi even when he was the Chief Minister of Gujarat and even now when he is the Prime Minister of India. False cases of taking funds from foreign countries were fabricatted against her; she was assaulted in Ahmedabad and other places. But she always came clean against all the allegations foisted against her. Narendra Modi became successful in increasing the height of Sardar Sarovar Dam after becoming the Prime Minister. But he couldn’t succeed in submerging the 250 villages he had identified. Even after 35 years, the movement continues in full fledged manner in the valley.
Today on the occasion of completion of 35 years, more than 500 youths publicly took the pledge to educate the children of those villages who are not able to study as the schools are closed in Corona times. More than 5000 such students have passed out from the Jiwan Shalas (voluntary schools) run by the movement and have today become the strong support base of the movement. The credit of taking Narmada Bachao movement to this level goes to those lakhs of supporters of the movement who have formed support groups for the NBA across the country, and come to its defense whenever required.
I have been associated with the movement for the last 25 years. Whenever I go to the valley for the programmes of movement, I register my two objections. First objection is about one slogan ‘Rajneeti Dhokha Hai, Dhakka Maaro Mauka Hai’. I say that it is politics that determines everything. It was a political decision to construct the dam. Politics determines the course of development.
My second principled objection is about the indefinite hunger strikes undertaken by Medha Patkar. I have no objection with a limited fast or a relay fast. These days my objection is that Medhaji is not taking the necessay precautions that need to be taken during this Corona Pandemic situation. Despite these criticisms, made in a friendly spirit, I believe that Medha Patkar and the NBA have contributed immensely and provided many lessons for the people and people’s movements. So I have always appealed to people, and especially activists, to see films related to the NBA and visit the Narmada Valley at least once. It may change yur perspective towards development and life.
(Dr. Sunilam is a former MLA and the Working President of Kisan Sangharsh Samiti.)
