Amaravathy satyagraha, a symbol of fight against oppression

On the side of people:A.K. Goplan, the then Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, on a fast demanding rehabilitation of farmers evicted from Ayyappancoil in Amaravathy in 1961. The fast started on June 6 and continued till he was called for a meeting by the then Chief Minister,Pattom A. Thanupillai, on June 9.

Giji K. Raman

AMARAVATHY (IDUKKI DISTRICT): This sleepy village near Kumily looks like any other place in the High Ranges with coffee, pepper, cardamom, and tea cultivations. However, for the older generation, Amaravathy brings to mind a satyagraha led by the Communist veteran A.K. Gopalan, or AKG as he is popularly known, who, on June 6, 1961, started a satyagraha to save some 1,600 people dumped there after being thrown out of their land acquired for the Idukki hydroelectric project at Ayyappancoil.

Inaugurating the golden jubilee observance of the historic fast on Monday, A. Vijayaraghavan, Communist Party of India (Marxist) central committee member, said the plight of farmers who were evicted for development projects had not changed much. They were at the receiving end proper rehabilitation schemes needed to be evolved before the acquisition. The Amaravathy satyagraha remained as a golden symbol for protecting the rights of farmers. Leader of the Opposition V.S. Achuthanandan will inaugurate the valedictory function of the jubilee observance at Marykulam on June 17.

National attention

When AKG, the then Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, went on the fast, the conscience of the nation was shaken. Soon, the then Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, directed Pattom A. Thanupillai, the then Chief Minister, to convene a meeting with the leader immediately. Amaravathy was then almost a forest area, and the authorities inhumanly transported the evicted families from Ayyappancoil to the temporary rehabilitation centres. Diseases and poverty stalked the hapless people.

AKG was in the north-eastern States when he came to know about their plight. He rushed to Kerala, and seeing the condition of the people, started the fast immediately. The fast continued till the government convened a meeting on June 9, promising to take immediate steps for rehabilitation.

Fr. Vadakkan, religious head and social worker, joined the agitation. Prominent leaders from various walks of life supported AKG and soon it became a popular movement. Oommen Mathew of Amaravathy, who has vivid memories of the historic eviction from Ayyappancoil, said the people were indebted to AKG for whatever benefits they now enjoyed. “It was a forced eviction by the armed forces,” he said. The soldiers destroyed everything the farmers had cultivated and forcibly transported them to Amaravathy. The farmers were unorganised and weak to raise any objections. If AKG had made a delayed arrival, many would have died in the severe weather and from poverty and diseases.

Sarada Nair has painful memories. She was then 26 years old and her husband and she had to vacate his house on the first night of their marriage. She said Ayyappancoil had looked like a war zone and complete mayhem prevailed with the armed forces patrolling the village and forcibly loading people, including old people and tiny tots, on trucks. Now, Amaravathy is a village that provides hopes and aspirations to the younger generation.

(Courtesy : The Hindu)