How Vimal Bhai organised, educated displaced Khori settlers, termed 'encroachers' by SC

Counterview Desk
The Khorigaon Team Saathi, formed following the massive demolition drive in Haryana's Khori village in which a few thousand houses were razed last year after a Supreme Court order calling the 50-year-old settlement an encroachment on forest land, in a glowing tribute to activist Vimal Bhai, has said, "He was the force behind our determination to fight for justice against the demolition of our homes."
A senior social and environmental activist with the National Alliance of People's Movements (NAPM), Vimal bhai, unwell with fever and fatigue after suffering from Covid-19 complications, was admitted first in Delhi's Safdarajang hospital on August 10, and the same evening was admitted to the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Delhi, owing to his deteriorating health situation. He passed away on August 16.
In a glowing tribute to Vimal Bhai, known to be a top associate of top social activist Medha Patkar, the Khorigaon Team Saathi said, "We will continue the journey started by Vimal Kaka."

Text:

Our Vimal kaka is no more with us. He was the force behind our determination to fight for justice against the demolition of our homes. His demise has left a big void in our hearts and homes. But his words, methods and vision will continue with us. We, Khori saathis, are gradually finding the strength to continue the movement.
Kaka had been unwell for a few months due to Covid-related complications. When his health condition further deteriorated, we took him to Safdarjung hospital and based on their doctor’s advice, we shifted him to AIIMS the same evening. Kaka’s situation was already very critical, but he fought till 15th of August. He passed away due to complications related to the kidney, lungs, liver and reduced immunity.
From 10th Aug to 15th August, many of Vimal Kaka’s friends and family came and stood with us. We are very grateful to them. Their support was crucial for Vimal Bhai’s medical care and our mental strength. Kaka was our family during the last 13 months, and we were his.
During these few days, we realised he had made families everywhere he went and worked. When we read the messages people have shared for him, we are overwhelmed with pride and gratitude. Vimal kaka was a towering personality, a social and environmental activist unparalleled.
Kaka came into our lives when all roads seemed to have ended after the 7th June 2021 court order. We were imprisoned within our settlement through the declaration of section 144 and threatened every day by the police for a month before the demolition started. Kaka came to meet us in the evenings after the police left to give us strength, educate us and organise.

He was aware we did not have property papers, and many even did not have the correct government documents for rehabilitation. He taught us how to create a record of the people and what type of documents we had in such difficult times. It is because of this list that he forced us to put together quickly we are able to continue the fight for rehabilitation.
The public hearing organised by Kaka while the demolition was underway was another such step that has had a lasting impact. In the hearing, we got a chance to speak to academics, lawyers, journalists and other activists.
We realised we were not alone. Some of the associations we made that day continues to date. He has been the link between the ground struggle and the legal and rehabilitation processes with the state. Even though he is not with us now, his writings and voice messages – Khori updates, will continue to give us strength.
Vimal Kaka was an institution in himself. However, during the last 13 months, there were many moments when he struggled to find solidarity for Khori Gaon’s movement. But during the time in the hospital, when others came to take care of us, we realised how his strategies and thinking had broken barriers and united us. We are confident these associations will continue.
Kaka has been celebrating all major events and festivals with us for the last 13 months, and we would have done something together this year too. But he had grander plans. He wanted all his many families to come together and celebrate his life.
We will continue the journey started by Vimal Kaka.

Comments

India's chemical industry: The missing piece of Atmanirbhar Bharat

By N.S. Venkataraman* Rarely a day passes without the Prime Minister or a cabinet minister speaking about the importance of Atmanirbhar Bharat . The Start-up India scheme is a pillar in promoting this vision, and considerable enthusiasm has been reported in promoting start-up projects across the country. While these developments are positive, Atmanirbhar Bharat does not seem to have made significant progress within the Indian chemical industry . This is a matter of high concern that needs urgent and dispassionate analysis.

A comrade in culture and controversy: Yao Wenyuan’s revolutionary legacy

By Harsh Thakor* This year marks two important anniversaries in Chinese revolutionary history—the 20th death anniversary of Yao Wenyuan, and the 50th anniversary of his seminal essay "On the Social Basis of the Lin Biao Anti-Party Clique". These milestones invite reflection on the man whose pen ignited the first sparks of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution and whose sharp ideological interventions left an indelible imprint on the political and cultural landscape of socialist China.

Remembering a remarkable rebel: Personal recollections of Comrade Himmat Shah

By Rajiv Shah I first came in contact with Himmat Shah in the second half of the 1970s during one of my routine visits to Ahmedabad , my maternal hometown. I do not recall the exact year, but at that time I was working in Delhi with the CPI -owned People’s Publishing House (PPH) as its assistant editor, editing books and writing occasional articles for small periodicals. Himmatbhai — as I would call him — worked at the People’s Book House (PBH), the CPI’s bookshop on Relief Road in Ahmedabad.

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

As 2024 draws nearer, threatening signs appear of more destructive wars

By Bharat Dogra The four years from 2020 to 2023 have been very difficult and high risk years for humanity. In the first two years there was a pandemic and such severe disruption of social and economic life that countless people have not yet recovered from its many-sided adverse impacts. In the next two years there were outbreaks of two very high-risk wars which have worldwide implications including escalation into much wider conflicts. In addition there were highly threatening signs of increasing possibility of other very destructive wars. As the year 2023 appears to be headed for ending on a very grim note, there are apprehensions about what the next year 2024 may bring, and there are several kinds of fears. However to come back to the year 2020 first, the pandemic harmed and threatened a very large number of people. No less harmful was the fear epidemic, the epidemic of increasing mental stress and the cruel disruption of the life and livelihoods particularly among the weaker s...

Celebrating 125 yr old legacy of healthcare work of missionaries

Vilas Shende, director, Mure Memorial Hospital By Moin Qazi* Central India has been one of the most fertile belts for several unique experiments undertaken by missionaries in the field of education and healthcare. The result is a network of several well-known schools, colleges and hospitals that have woven themselves into the social landscape of the region. They have also become a byword for quality and affordable services delivered to all sections of the society. These institutions are characterised by committed and compassionate staff driven by the selfless pursuit of improving the well-being of society. This is the reason why the region has nursed and nurtured so many eminent people who occupy high positions in varied fields across the country as well as beyond. One of the fruits of this legacy is a more than century old iconic hospital that nestles in the heart of Nagpur city. Named as Mure Memorial Hospital after a British warrior who lost his life in a war while defending his cou...

Urgent need to study cause of large number of natural deaths in Gulf countries

By Venkatesh Nayak* According to data tabled in Parliament in April 2018, there are 87.76 lakh (8.77 million) Indians in six Gulf countries, namely Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). While replying to an Unstarred Question (#6091) raised in the Lok Sabha, the Union Minister of State for External Affairs said, during the first half of this financial year alone (between April-September 2018), blue-collared Indian workers in these countries had remitted USD 33.47 Billion back home. Not much is known about the human cost of such earnings which swell up the country’s forex reserves quietly. My recent RTI intervention and research of proceedings in Parliament has revealed that between 2012 and mid-2018 more than 24,570 Indian Workers died in these Gulf countries. This works out to an average of more than 10 deaths per day. For every US$ 1 Billion they remitted to India during the same period there were at least 117 deaths of Indian Workers in Gulf ...

Farewell to Robin Smith, England’s Lionhearted Warrior Against Pace

By Harsh Thakor* Robin Smith, who has died at the age of 62, was among the most adept and convincing players of fast bowling during an era when English cricket was in decline and pace bowling was at its most lethal. Unwavering against the tormenting West Indies pace attack or the relentless Australians, Smith epitomised courage and stroke-making prowess. His trademark shot, an immensely powerful square cut, made him a scourge of opponents. Wearing a blue England helmet without a visor or grille, he relished pulling, hooking and cutting the quicks.

Jallianwala: Dark room documents reveal multi-religious, multi-caste martyrdom

By Shamsul Islam* Today India has turned into a grazing field for all kinds of religious bigots. The RSS/BJP rulers are openly declaring their commitment to turn India into a Hindu state, where Muslims and Christians have no place, and Sikhism, Buddhism and Jainism can survive only as sects of Hinduism. However, it this was the scenario 100 years back when the British rulers perpetrated one of the worst massacres in the modern history -- the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. People of India shackled by the most powerful imperialist power of the world, Britain, presented a heroic united resistance. It is not hearsay but proved by contemporary official, mostly British documents. These amazing documents were part of British archives which became National Archives of India after Independence. As a pleasant surprise these documents were made public to mark the 75th commemoration of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre as part of an exhibition titled, 'Archives and Jallianwala Bagh: A Saga of ...

Search This Blog