One for India
Volunteers fasting in Solidarity with Dantewada Satyagraha

Albany, New York:  Prahalad | Anaheim, California: Shalini Gera | Bangalore, Karnataka:  Ashim Jain | Boston, Massachusetts: Asti Bhatt , Tathagata Sengupta , Umang Kumar , JC Prasad , Arjav Chakravarti , Gourab De | Chennai, Tamil Nadu:  Shweta Narayan | Dallas, Texas:  Karthik Ranganathan | Deepak Tirumalasetty | Srinadh Madhavapeddi | Detroit, Michigan:  Marcia Lee | Kolkata, West Bengal: Garga Chatterjee , Prithviraj Nath , Debolina Banerjee | Los Angeles, California:  Vishal Kudchadkar  | New York, New York:  Siddhartha Mitra , Balmurli Natrajan , Sangeeta Kamat | Silver Spring, Maryland:  Nalini Visvanathan

 

Asti Bhatt, Boston, Massachusetts:  "I am keeping a fast in solidarity with the tribal people in Chhattisgarh whose lands and livelihoods have been snatched away, and who have been driven away from their homes, all without their consent. I am keeping a fast in astonishment that an executive body like the govt. of Chhattisgarh in the republic of India has defied the constitution and the Supreme Court for so long without any consequences. I am keeping a fast in hope that the rule of justice will prevail in Chhattisgarh once again."

Tathagata Sengupta, Boston, Massachusetts: "I got introduced to the Chhattisgarh conflict through the Free Binayak Sen Campaign. The fact that someone of Dr. Binayak Sen's stature could be illegally incarcerated by the State under draconian laws like the CSPSA, turning a deaf ear to the outcries all across the world, was an indication to what the general people of Chhattisgarh go through on a day-to-day basis.

But military oppression is just the tip of the iceberg. The tribal people of Chhattisgarh have always been at the receiving end of relentless oppression, both political, social and economic. Although tribals constitute only 7% of India's population, they account for 40% of the people displaced owing to big "developmental" projects. It is worth noting that these are the people who are closest to the nature, have an extremely rich culture and a just and equitable social fabric, and are people who have a deep knowledge of medicine, science and technology.

It is highly ironic that given our present-day concerns about climate change, where certain Heads of States gather in banquet halls to decide on the planet's future, while others sit in closed quarters framing backstabbing treaties, our Governments are going around eliminating and crushing communities which are possibly the only ones who know how to save our planet in the future, because of their proximity to and understanding of nature.

As a citizen of the largest democracy in the world, I disagree to be a part of this crime against humanity that my Government has subscribed to, and I refuse to agree to the spending of my tax money for such military actions against my own people. I am fasting to stand in solidarity with the people of Chhattisgarh and with those who in trying to ensure legal rights for the tribal people have faced harassment, beating and illegal detention."

Prahalad from AID Troy chapter  Prahalad, Albany, New York: "I learnt about the atrocities being committed in Chattisgarh, India at the AID conference at Duke University, in May 2009. Recently the personal account of Himanshu Kumar moved me a lot. If you need more information about the current situation in Chattisgarh, please visit http://www.otherindia.org. To get more information about AID's work in the area please visit, http://aidindia.org/main/content/view/1077/1/. Meanwhile, I have decided to go on fast (no food between sunrise and sunset, only water) to raise awareness about this issue and encourage citizens of civil society to raise their voice against the perpetrators of violence.

My grandfather was a Air Marshall in the Indian Air Force. His eldest son, my uncle, is a retired Colonel from the Indian Army. No doubt, I myself wanted to enlist in the Armed Forces when I was kid. But, today when I am seeing the armed forces being sent to eliminate fellow Indians, I am deeply saddened and ashamed."

Umang Kumar, Boston, Massachusetts: "This is a tragedy where the most marginalized-of-the-marginalized in India, the adivasis are being constantly harassed, and it is being carried out with impunity. For most of us they are the "necessary expendables" in the story of grand march of a Shining India. Their very bases for livelihood -- jal, jangal, jameen -- are regularly usurped. My fast is a humble way to reach out to them in solidarity, to tell them many of us are trying to understand their pain and are with them in fighting the injustice."

JC Prasad, Boston, Massachusetts: "This is my little way of expressing my solidarity with those people who don't ask for much, who don't take much from the earth, and are being ruthlessly crushed by short-sightedness, vested interests, greed and corruption. Unfortunately due to ignorance and callous indifference of the larger sections of mainstream population. Their (our) rich culture and traditional knowledge is being destroyed with contempt. We are losing environment, precious biodiversity and rich natural heritage. They are losing the forests that they called home and protected for millennia, and lived with integrity, humility and respect for nature. These people who have never interfered or hurt anybody else' interests are being subjected to large scale human rights abuses, crimes of every kind by the Indian government forces, corporations, the naxalites, corrupt government officials, and ruthless middlemen.  I support their honest cause, and their fight for justice and their right to be treated with respect."

Arjav Chakravarti, Boston, Massachusetts: "It is vital that the Government of Chhattisgarh protect the tribals who simply desire the right to live in peace but are still being forced off their land. I'm fasting in the hope that better sense prevails before the hubris and lack of compassion of a few people leads to an even heavier price in Indian lives." 

Karthik Ranganathan, Dallas, Texas: "I'm fasting in solidarity with the Adivasis in Chhattisgarh who've been driven away from their homes, deprived of their lands and livelihoods and denied justice at every level. I'm fasting for justice to all those affected by the crimes of the state-sponsored vigilante Salwa Judum and for the release of Gandhian activists of Vanavasi Chetana Ashram, Kopa Kunjam and Sukhnath.

I'm fasting for lasting peace to prevail in Chhattisgarh; peace built upon the foundations of just and equitable development for all; development that is cognizant of the alternate livelihoods and needs of the marginalized sections of the society.
 
Gourab De, Boston, Massachusetts: "We all need a moment of self-purification - especially when we realize how the existing system is suppressing fairness and how that oppression is directly or indirectly being used to enrich our material existence. Amidst a beautiful rosy life this fast is nothing compared to the everyday struggle of the countless Adivasis - it's only a gentle self-reminder - an appeal to question the very way we view things."
 
Ashim Jain, Bangalore, Karnataka: "People in govt. need to ask themselves:
  •  Inherently, 99.99% of people (including people in govt.) want happiness, peace and prosperity.  So why is there so much tension, violence, etc?
  •  If I or any of them (govt people) had been born as a tribal, we would have done exactly what they are doing today.  The same is true if I were born as a govt. officer.  So why does everyone think they are right while others are wrong?
We need to spread the word about peace, equality, right to life and love to all.  We need to care for others more than ourselves (selfless service to fellow humans - the path to salvation).  That's what inspires me to take on a symbolic fast and support." 
 
Siddhartha Mitra, New York, New York: "My bottle of honey sits tightly sealed in a closed cabinet in my kitchen.

Not like the honey collected by an adivasi, which he stored in an earthen vessel in a corner of his flimsy mud hut.

My apartment is secure, no one can come in, and least of all come in and destroy my food. And if somehow the bottle gets damaged, I can always go to a store and get a new one.

I do not have Salwa Judum coming in and destroying my pot of honey, and mocking me that if I got the honey again, they would destroy it.

And for the advivasi whose honey store has thus been destroyed, starvation looms. He cannot go to the store and get another bottle. He does not even have any other food. He must leave his house, for he feels the same hunger as me. He will be forced to go to a Salwa Judum camp, where his sister and mother can be sexually assaulted, and he himself might have no option but to become a killer, a Special Police Officer (SPO). All to fight the proxy war for the mining companies, about whom he knows so little about.

The same mining companies that make the lid on my bottle of honey, the same companies that supply the steel to build the cars to bring the honey bottles  to the grocery stores, the same mining companies that supply the metal for the locks that keep my apartment secure.

The metal that divides us. The corporate lord that I am in silent obeisance to, thankful for my security, my comfort. Who I support implicitly by purchasing his products and being part of the industrial food system.

Is my honey sweeter?

I guess not. Though it says organic, raw from hive, etc., I am quite certain that the honey kept in the honey pot of the adivasi is also as sweet, if not sweeter, though it does not come in a bottle, and lacks the nutrition label, so much sugar, vitamin and carbohydrates, etc.

Does this make me a different, person, someone who has a greater right to live, someone who has a better understanding of nature and hence the right to its resources? Is that what science and knowledge has taught me, that if people do not bow to the system, people who do not know the science behind what they eat, they must be crushed, starved and destroyed?

I am not living in the forest. I am not sure if myself or the people in the “civilized” world have the right skill set to survive in such surroundings. If we tried to get the honey ourselves from a hive in the wild, most likely we would be badly bitten, which could be life threatening if we could not get to a hospital pronto.

And I do not have Salwa Judum breaking down my door and destroying my pot of honey. Why not? Perhaps, I have paid their masters, is that why?

But I want to know what it is like. Because I think that the adivasi is as human as I am. That he feels that same hunger, and thirsts for the same sweetness, and longs for the same happiness and empathy that make us human. And in some ways the adivasi is a better person, for though he does not read any nutrition labels, and buys no bottled honey, he in his own ignorant way is taking from the earth what can be replenished, while I am stripping the earth bare and polluting the atmosphere, making certain that the coming century will be a hell on earth, all for the sake of the same honey?

How did he know in his ignorance that what he is doing is the best for everybody, including himself? Or is he really that ignorant? I would like to think I am smarter, but I must say I am really hard-pressed to see that this is the case when it comes to the bottle of honey.

Perhaps the adivasi is right after all. And if he is right, I should do what he is doing. And if I cannot, as I am not in the forest, and as I do not know how to get the honey, I can at least voice my silent support for him. And if he goes hungry, I feel that I should too, because he is me. And because in some way I might be responsible for his misery.

So in my small way, I want to see what would happen if for one day I put myself in the adivasis shoes. For one day, I want to see what it is like to stay without food. I know I do not have to go to a Salwa Judum camp because there will be none even tomorrow, and that tomorrow I will have food, and will not have to starve.

Yet I will stay without.  For that briefest of periods, I will not bow down to the masters of the metal.

So that the adivasi can taste the honey again. And maybe someday so can I, like him, taste the honey without having to bottle it, cap it, transport it and lock it.

I am sure honey will never taste any sweeter than that."

Nalini Visvanathan, Silver Spring, Maryland: "I’m unable to visit Dantewada and show my solidarity with Himanshuji and others who are protesting the arrest of an innocent Adivasi social worker, Kopa Kunjam, who is being framed for a murder he clearly did not commit.  As a youngster growing up in India I was told that fasting was a medium to learn more about the issue or cause you addressed by making time for reflection,  and also for learning about your capacity to subordinate your basic need (for food) in order to highlight what was more important"

Deepak Tirumalasetty, Dallas, Texas: "I am fasting in support of innocent Adivasis in Chhattisgarh who are struggling for justice, just to keep what's theirs. 

I am fasting in shock, that the State, instead of easing their struggle, is the reason for their struggle. 
I am fasting in astonishment, that they should face the fury of Special Police Officers and get annihilated for pursuing justice. 
I am fasting in desperation, as I try to answer the question: "What more can I do?".  It still remains unanswered. "

Srinadh Madhavapeddi, Dallas, Texas: "This is a very small way of trying to show my solidarity with the Adivasi people of CG with whom I have had the good fortune of crossing paths in the past but have not been able to strengthen those connections as much as I would have liked to."

Marcia Lee, Detroit, Michigan: "I just wanted to take an action to let folks know that their suffering is felt and that they are not alone."

Shweta Narayan, Chennai, Tamil Nadu: "In solidarity with and respect for the residents of Dantewada who are fighting the oppression of the state and corporations and also to let the world know that they are not alone in their struggle."

Balmurli Natrajan, New York, New York: "Why am I fasting? There are many ways to scream STOP THE BRUTALIZATION, STOP THE THEFT, STOP THE HYPOCRISY. Fasting surely is one way to do this. It is a political and a moral act. When in a relay such as this, it is always collective and not simply an individualistic act. It obviously hopes to magnify the SCREAMS of so many human beings, the Aakrosh, or screams or cries of the wounded.

It is political since it recognizes and opposes power in its own way by drawing upon other sources of power, usually dismissed or unrecognized by most of us. But, it is also feared by many. Which is why Himanshuji’s fast will not be in vain. Neither will the sight of his aged father’s quiet show of solidarity with his son and his cause, egging him on to do the right thing. And the acts of so many activists engaged in solidarity work to bring out the hidden truths in the land that produced satyagraha. Will people in power listen? Maybe. Maybe not. Does it matter? Change has always been forced upon history by small and large acts of defiance of power. People get crushed. All the time. Only to rise again.

Fasting is about being able to stop – the fears, the consumption that is in excess of needs and which has quietly become greed, the violence that parades as non-violence, the bitterness that has grown into contempt for life itself and particular forms of life and human beings. It seeks to stop immediately, at least what is possible right away, in the hope of generating a scale and pace of stopping far bigger than the individual self.

I will not consume food today. So what? Too many others do not consume food everyday. Or at least not nearly enough to qualify as living in humane conditions. At least in the Republic of Hunger that is India (and elsewhere). Which is also Republic of Feasting and Gorging and conspicuous culinary consumption. No, development has not simply not come to those who go hungry in places like Chhattisgarh, India’s “rice-bowl” which has alarming rates of hunger according to the well-respected Global Hunger Index calculations. Actually, development has come to the hungry. It has taken over their homes, backyards, frontyards, playgrounds, sacred mounds for as long as one can think of independence. Our development, their underdevelopment. Our food, their hunger. Our monocropping, on their land. Their resources, our property.

We must learn to think of the world as connected, not disconnected. Joining the dots becomes possible when we fast.

Simply because one has the chance to think, feel and become – suffering. At least for some time. I am in far away New Jersey (USA), in a land that not too long ago was built upon genocide of its ādivāsis, and now caught in securing imperial manna for those who want it. But it also has undergone its own civil rights movement, its own regular attempts to renew itself. To be able to recognize the humanity of all. No exception. And realize what we owe each other. That too lives on in the lives of countless activists. The world over. From Des Moines to Dantewada.

No, we cannot show solidarity simply by pretending to share similar fates across all-too-real national borders, currency exchange rates, bread-basket calculations, and varieties of state repressions. But, we can show solidarity by beginning the long journey of comprehension and acknowledgement of our complicity in creating such a tragic situation of prosperity for the few at the cost of misery for the most. The two are inextricably linked. Simple charity will not be enough when the one hand that gives pretends that it does not know the other hand that takes. What is not yours, to begin with. Charity without connecting the dots, is complicit.

Chhattisgarh, Dantewada, Matwada, Singaram – not just any other regular places but one burnt on our minds forever...

CSPSA, POTA, TADA, UAPA – not just any other acronym but the fires that have made governance grotesque…

Binayak, Ajay TG, Alban Toppo, Himanshu Kumar, Andru Nachika, Madkam Hidme, Iqbal  – not just any other life snuffed out, but the brutalized who have not been silenced…

Operation Green Hunt…Or is it, as activists have pointed out: Operation Greed Hunt?...

All names with stories that are our present history.  Only sleepwalkers think this is not their history. Salute to the brave ones continuing this struggle. Your voices will not be unheard."

Vishal Kudchadkar, Los Angeles, California: "I am fasting to add my voice with those standing up against the atrocities and the collapse of democracy and governance in Chhatisgarh."

Garga Chatterjee, Kolkata, West Bengal: "Today a new year  and a new decade starts. I sit in the secure environment of my home, where I have spent many years of my life. Right now  the adivasis in Dantewada are being denied the right to their own lands, own home and own lives and are being hunted like shikar. The state that is complicit in this hunt is also the state whose citizen I am - the democratic republic we citizens have formed by resolve.This makes me complicit in this brutal hunting and destruction of the life and livelihood of my fellow citizens. I am fasting today in solidarity with the oppressed adivasis of Chhattisgarh, to let my adivasi fellow citizens know that such brutality cannot happen in my name and that I am ashamed at the behaviour our state has meted out to them.Among all the new year revelry, this fast is also a refuge for me to gather myself into  the consciousness that there is a world beyond revelry whose tears funds our cold drinks."

Prithviraj Nath, Kolkata, West Bengal: "Chattisgarh is witnessing one of the worst cases of encroachment on human rights, an encroachment, which is quite ironically being supported by the government. As a tax paying citizen of this nation, I disagree to be a part of this crime against humanity. I am fasting to stand in solidarity with the people of Chhattisgarh and all those who have been and continue to be subjected to such coercion, torture and highhandedness."

Shalini Gera, Anaheim, California: "Himanshu ji's location constrains him to call his fast just an "upwaas" for  introspection and not a protest.  But his fast is nonetheless challenging the Indian state and our collective conscience.  The past few weeks have further highlighted the government's high-handedness in dealing with dissent, as evidenced by:

  1. the repeated harassment of human rights activists--Binayak Sen, Ajay TG, Manish Kunjam, Kopa Kunjam, Sukhnath, Himanshu Kumar, Alban Toppo etc.
  2. intimidation and suppresssion of tribal voices who are asking for accountability, such as the illegal imprisonment of the four rape victims who have filed complaints against security personnel
  3. flouting of Supreme Court orders which have asked for rehabilitation and compensation to all victims of violence by Salwa Judum and security forces
  4. continued use of draconian acts such as the CSPSA which are used to silence and threaten all those who chose to dissent with government policies. 

No doubt I also need to do a lot of introspection, but my fast is definitely in protest against the impunity of the Indian state, and its utter disregard of democratic norms and justice."

Sangeeta Kamat, New York, New York: "I am joining in the fast today in solidarity with the struggle for the rights of adivasis in Chattisgarh and Himanshu Kumar's hunger strike to protest state violence against tribals in the region. The murder of innocent men, women and children in Dantewada is an open war by the state to dispossess adivasis of land and forests, that is their home and way of life. My fast today is a small token of my solidarity with Himanshu Kumar and other activists of the region whose courage and struggle is an inspiration to us all."

Debolina Banerjee, Kolkata, West Bengal: "Violation of human rights is an increasing issue in the tribal lands of Chhattisgarh. In the tug of war between the state and antisocials, it’s the innocent adivasis who are constantly being harassed, oppressed and abused. Their very basic Right to Live Freely with Dignity is being threatened. As a citizen of free India, I appeal for protection and justice to this marginalized section of the society; I appeal for immediate release of activists Kopa Kunjam and others of VCA; I appeal for prevailing peace in the state of Chhattisgarh."

 

 
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