For smooth Ad free experience
While our necessities run up to roti, kapda aur makaan, we all make a special effort to build our houses. Turning a building into a home with love and care is something everyone desires to achieve. But what happens when people are kicked out of their homes? Where do they go?
Born on 1st December 1954
Everyone likes to be their boss, but many of us don't have the privilege to follow through. The lower strata of the society struggle day and night for survival amidst the hope of returning to the haven of their home sweet home. But the cruel ways of the world snatches that little piece of joy and the roof from their heads. This is how the modern notion of advancements works.
Nehru had coined the term 'Temples of modern India' for dams. While dams did bring India prosperity, they displaced and disappointed many lives in the long run.
By now, you might have got a hint about the subject at hand. It is about the 32-year-old people's movement, Narmada Bachao Andolan. The brainchild of the movement and the messiah of the masses, Medha Patkar, entered the picture as the knight in shining armour.
Patkar inherited her grit and kind heart from her family. Her mother, Indu Khanolkar, resorted to social work after retirement. Patkar's father, Vasant Khanolkar, was a full-time social worker and freedom fighter, which inspired her to pursue her passion in social work.
After completing her Masters in Social Work from Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Patkar was set to achieve her M.Phil. Her line of studies took her on a field trip to the Narmada Valley, from where her life changed completely. Patkar could not see the suffering inhabitants, who were barely surviving. Their homes were either submerged or demolished due to the construction. Having nowhere to go and falling prey to the false promises of rehabilitation, the people of Narmada Valley had lost all hopes.
Their struggle moved Patkar to the extent where she left her M.Phil behind to help these innocent people. And that's how Narmada Bachao Andolan or, NBA, was born. Patkar's primary aim was to provide the poor inhabitant of the Narmada Valley with a safe home, but as the movement grew, it also pointed out the adverse environmental consequences the project of Sardar Sarovar was threatening to unleash.
Patkar's voice questioned the wisdom behind the so-called developmental projects fueled by the misery of the poor. Sardar Sarovar came at the cost of displacing more than 40,000 families with no place to go and no source of income.
NBA also established Jeevanshalas or schools of life to empower future generations. About 5000 students have passed out with flying colours only to become successful in their respective walks of life.
Over time, NBA has grown to advocate employment guarantee, environmental protection, the right to rehabilitation and food and much more to ensure a happy and healthy life for the suffering class.
Patkar's rebellious voice again came to aid the poor slum people of Mumbai in 2005. The government turned on its words to demolish 75,000 houses, displacing a large crowd. Patkar came up with the Ghar Bachao Ghar Banao Andolan to fight for the right to livelihood for the powerless poor.
Patkar continues to devote her life to the helpless, following the Gandhian principle of non-violence. Her peaceful protests speak volumes about the internal corruption and mistreatment of the poor in our society. Patkar rightfully demands the right to livelihood for all those who can't. A saviour of the poor and a thorn on the path of success to the big-shots of developmental plans, Patkar works on the principles of humanity.
You might be interested in reading more from
