On October 9, 2025, renowned social worker Medha Patkar delivered the second annual Rev Fr Dr Jose Joseph Pulavelil Memorial Lecture at Alphonsa College, Pala, to a packed auditorium. Invited to speak on “Challenges before the New Generation for Democratic Development,” she wondered whether the topic had been suggested because of her age. She urged her young audience to first consider what development really means, and who should plan it, in a true democracy.
She asked for a show of hands: how many had read the Constitution of India? The students responded honestly—not a single hand went up. “I know,” Patkar said, adding that she had a leaflet with 30 main points from the Constitution. “It is in Hindi, but I will leave it with your teachers,” she said.
Patkar explained that decisions about development are now being raised by common people with uncommon strength. “We are the world’s largest democracy. ‘Demos’ refers to common citizens; in a democracy, it is the people who are meant to take decisions.”
She described the plight of those who have lived for decades in urban slums, only to have their homes bulldozed, while newcomers to the city live in high-rise buildings, some owning multiple homes. The laborers who construct these buildings often have no secure housing or access to water. Article 21 of the Constitution guarantees the Right to Life, yet the poor, Dalits, laborers, and farmers cannot take this right for granted. Should they not have a say in their own development?
Patkar spoke of owners of large companies, “let me not take names,” earning over Rs 1,000 crore a day, while ordinary workers struggle to make Rs 400 daily despite back-breaking labor. “I know wages in Kerala are better than in other states,” she said, emphasizing that democracy should function according to constitutional principles. Decisions affecting lives should be taken locally, by local self-government. Communities must be involved in planning, decision-making, and implementing projects—all of which is already provided for in the Constitution.
In Ladakh and the Northeast, she noted, people demand control over natural resources. The Constitution allows this, and the Sixth Schedule permits tribes to continue traditional self-governance. Yet, people are jailed for demanding it.
Patkar cited the struggle in Palakkad against a proposed brewery project, where local leaders oppose it due to potential harm. She recalled visiting Wayanad, heartbroken by the loss of homes and livelihoods in the monsoon tragedy of 2024. Even when disaster victims sought loan waivers, these were denied, she said.
She pointed to massive road construction in Uttarakhand’s Himalayas for Char Dham pilgrims, which has affected water resources and increased landslide risk. Public attention arises only after disasters, such as the 41 laborers trapped in the Silkyara tunnel collapse in November 2023.
Patkar reminded students that when Rajiv Gandhi was prime minister, he recognized that justice would come only if people had power. He worked to grant constitutional status to local self-government through the 73rd and 74th Amendments.
Yet even with these protections, pastoralists, farmers, and residents may be displaced for projects like airports. On October 9, 2025, many newspapers carried front-page ads announcing Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurating the new Navi Mumbai International Airport. After the inauguration, those displaced can no longer approach the site, Patkar noted.
In Chhattisgarh, forest lands are being allocated for mining. Patkar argued that the rush for profit, ignoring people and nature, cannot truly be called development.
On the topic of wages, Patkar said we often speak of “minimum wages” or Minimum Support Prices for crops, but what is needed is an optimum support price. Minimum is insufficient for a life of dignity; laborers must receive fair wages. Laws protecting workers have been weakened, applying mainly to the formal sector, leaving most workers unprotected.
Patkar encouraged students to remain curious and responsive to developments around them. They must empathize with those wronged and do what they can. “During the freedom struggle, students left college to join the struggle for independence,” she said, clarifying she was not suggesting they quit studies. But they should aid communities in need. She described marches supporting communal harmony with participation across religions.
“I once asked for help from interns from Kerala for English typing. I was told I’d need to put out an international call because students from Kerala travel worldwide,” she said. She encouraged students to stay in India, travel, identify communities in need, and see how they could help.
“When a young girl was raped and murdered in Hathras, Uttar Pradesh, we met her family. Later, policewomen trailed us as we left. I asked if they wanted to arrest us. ‘No,’ they said. ‘We are police, but we too are women, and we saw how you spoke to the family.’ That policewoman continues to stay in touch with me,” Patkar said, noting that such actions build lasting bonds of solidarity.
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*Freelance journalist
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