Case study of Mrs.Sundari (forefront women leader in PMANE) Background information Now Mrs.Sundari is known as forefront agitator and protestors of PMANE and she is being an example to other women in koodankulam community. A simple housewife belongs to fisher community travelled many parts of India to speak about impact and consequences of nuclear power plant at koodankulam. She also is icon other women who take in the struggle. If we go back to her family history and other information, she was a normal women brought usual way as like other women in the coastal area. She was born and brought in villages namely Perumanal and married and settled at Idinthakarai. Presently she lives here with her husband and two of her children. Her world was so small and her routine life comes under roofs and four walls, friendly neighbors, and relatives, sea and sea shore and unpolluted environment and healthy circumstance. She led her life with minimum facilities and not having much ambition. She was content enough with that peaceful life. She has done primary education and not much known about nuclear energy and nuclear power plant. This was not her cup of tea too on that time. Sharing all these basic and background information, we have some important and basic questions arises among all that few are listed below with the answers and few are self-explanatories. In this regards, I do remember the words of Mao, “Tree may prefer calm but the wind will not subside” What made to choose her life to be like this as a protestor? Can we ever imagined that the costal and fisher community women come forwards to this level and ready to face any consequence out her present status? Women are second to none. They have equal rights and responsibilities to acquire development and empowerment and in other hand their potential are very much acknowledged and recognized. When it comes to stand point of Mrs.Sundari in regards people’s movement against nuclear energy at koodankulam, she being a live example those rights and responsibilities in promoting development, empowerment and realizing women role and obligations in constructing healthy infrastructure and promoting sustainable development for the present generation and future generation. Her active participation set fire on many women locally and nationally. She also award winner for her contribution to the people movement against nuclear energy and author of book in Tamil (IDINTHAKARAI:UNPRISONED AGITAION, PROTEST AND FIGHT) carries the memories, struggles, speeches among prisoners, women, youths and media people, experience at prison and bold confrontation to the politician and ruling party of India. The following questions are asked to Mrs.Sundari and the answers are recorded as it is. What are means influence you to commit yourself in issue of nuclear power plant at koodankulam and into PMANE? The initial stage nuclear power plant at koodankulam, there were two kinds of messages me and other coastal communities which are closer to nuclear power plant at koodankulam received that one is promises with lot opportunities specially economic and infrastructure facilities and seconds is opposition notice with the disadvantages, impact and consequence of nuclear power plant generally and it mainly concentrate present and future generation local communities. Since coastal communities were unaware anything and nothing about nuclear energy and power plant. I too acknowledge I didn’t aware of anything. People of coastal area was heavily confused and due to promises and disadvantages and biased due to different caste, religion and economic background. But among all those entire drawbacks the fisher communities turned their ears to anti-nuclear movement at koodankulam. They took part on and off in the protest and agitate and I was also bit part of it. But the Fukushima disaster in 2011 drawn many of our attention and meanwhile the active involvement and their standpoint of Ayya Udaykumar, Pushparayan, Rev.Fr.MyPa.Jesu, Rev.Fr.Jejakumar and Annan mugilan influenced rightly to take part in this people’s movement against nuclear energy at koodankulam. Now I realize the fight what me and all other women, youth, children are waging is not only for the present generation and but the future generation too. How did you (women) organize yourself for fight against nuclear power plant? Before answering to this particular question, I would to give brief self-explanation about the fishing occupation and about the fisher communities and later I answer how women are organized well. The fishing occupation and the fisher communities so blessed enough by its nature. Because, if see other occupation there would two clauses will be there and that unavoidable. One is working class and non-working class (land lords, owners) or in other words employee and employer or manager and worker or investor and lessee. But when it comes fishing occupation, we are the boss and we are worker and we are investors and we are employee. No dependency on our occupation. We are independent in our economic and earning pattern. We can’t leave this and go anywhere else and do any kind work. Who are you (nuclear power plant) to decide our dwelling place and who you are appoint you to choose our occupation style. This is our land which is shared by generation by generation. Displacement is not possible. Ya, now I come to address your question, I do well aware of that there is false image created by the politician saying that women are organized in this anti-nuclear movement for drawing attention from various stakeholders nationally and internationally. I strongly condemn the very union of women, children, youth in this anti-nuclear movement is happened very spontaneously and naturally. This is our struggle; we are genuine in our means, ways and values. Don’t you think that mothers of fisher community are not allowed to fight for her children and future generation? Are we except someone to fight our children? The mother has all the right to provide safe and healthy environment to our children. This is our prime responsibilities that as being a mother I should fight for my children. For your kind attention to you all (to media, politician and government of India) that any mother does the same all around the world. Women are ruling the government both state and central. Can’t I have the right to fight for my own children and family? I condemn those who accuse our genuine gathering. We the mothers, sisters, brothers, children and youth are organized ourselves for the better future and promote peace and harmony to not only local communities but also to universe. Those who want to join hands with us all are welcome. If don’t wish, it is fine, we can manage but don’t accuse us by your assumption. Once again I strongly record feelings that we are organized by no other ill means and our means are genuine. We took long time nearly 25 years to organize ourselves don’t collapse us by your cheap politics. Your experience at prison I had an exposure of sea, sea shores, fishing smell, breeze, nice wind and peaceful environment coastal communities from childhood to till now. But the people’s movement to nuclear energy gave a good exposure to the reality of other communities and people and the realities of government organization and politician. Mainly prison and the correctional home, law and order organization are more inhuman in treating one’s own fellow human being. And being women is other crucial experience inside the cell. No rights are recognized while arresting, proceedings and while prisoning. Police behaved and turned vigorously to all the women who are arrested in the peak time of protest. Policemen eyes and sights were communicated negative note to all women who arrested by them. The spending 98 days in a jail and outside my home, my land, my children and husband affected my very being. I was mentally and physically affected. But at the same time my spirit and the women who with in the prison for a long time have not given up our hope and commitment. Everyone thought in same way that if women are prisoned that the protest will call off and sentimentally police and government tried to weaken our protest and agitation. But in reality what happened inside the jail is different, our mobility was restricted and we were behind the bar. Our voice were raised above and our voices are unified to address the issues like manual scavenging, water problem, issues related health and hygiene and special care to mentally retired women and pregnant women and we are also succeeded and received late answer for problems inside jail one by one. Meanwhile we also found to time educate and provide awareness to inmates regarding their rights. We also taught them about nuclear energy and nuclear power plant at koodankulam and impact and consequence on present and future generation. Jail bar failed to stop our protest. we become a messenger of PMANE even inside jail bar How do you going to face civil cases and charges of in future? The filed cases are very funny in nature even district court judge and lawyers were laughing when my hearings was going on, because the filed are like this, I handled the bomb and attacked police jeep and other is that I tried to kidnap district collector it seems. When these accuses were posed on me in the court my counterstatement was, there is security for local district collector then how are you going provide safe and security to the normal people? Everybody laughed in the court. Police were ashamed of their charges on us. The next charge on me is, I passed comments and criticism on prime minister and chief minister. My basic question arises in about said cases that there are lot of comments and confrontation and criticism are passed by the politician and opponents in the parliament, they do purposely for gain cheap name and fame and play cheap politics. But ours is not likewise. Ours is something serious and meaningful and we neither are nor passing criticism for gaining name and fame and for cheap politics. There were compromises made when we are in the prison by the police that they asked us to declare that we are forced protest and agitate by Udayakumar and all other forefront leaders, if we declare and sign to that, they offered us that we are freed from the civil charges and cases indefinitely. We answered them back, saying neither that Udayakumar, nor all other and we be now and die after sometime, we neither are nor waged war against nuclear power plant for us and present generation but we are here for to next generation. For that even we ready die for the future generation. If you are given chance for governing, what is your action plan? My first preference to provide and promote education to the women except education nothing I prefer. Because education would ignite their self-confidence and it would provide and explore chance mingle with different communities and people. Those things will automatically promote development and empowerment in them. Do you any thought of shifting your agitation and protest into other level? And what are they? We do have used and employed different strategies AND methods throughout process of PMANE. We already thought using different methods to address the issues and move to other level and carrying out the protest and agitation with same spirit. We also strongly believed in gandhian non-violence values and Dr.Ambedkar ideology we also continue to be like this. There is no chance in non-violence. The protest and agitation will continue until nuclear power plant close. Even we ready to give our life for this cause. (The content and source of the given case study are taken from the book of Mrs.Sundari and the personal interview made the journalist Kutty Revathi and published in the magazine named PUULAGIN NANBARGAL. THANKS TO ALL OF THEM.)
Posted on: Mon, 03 Feb 2014 11:33:52 +0000
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