Centre for Social Knowledge and Action (SETU), Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
Ashok Shrimali, one of the senior members of SETU, is a leading social-political activist of Gujarat and the general secretary of Mines, Minerals & People.
Ashokbhai talks about his work and role as a social and political activist of Gujarat in the early 1980s, his participation in the many struggles in the state at that time which explains his subsequent involvement in the Narmada issue as an individual and as SETU. In his interview, Ashokbhai explains the political and social issues in Gujarat in the early eighties, the important people, organisations, academics and activists of Gujarat working on the issues of marginalised communities at the time, the early alliances of struggles and organisations through the efforts of Lokayan, the history of establishment of SETU, its work in Gujarat with people’s struggles and importantly, SETU’s work from 1985-86 with the people to be affected by the Sardar Sarovar Project (SSP).
Ashokbhai’s interview is special in order to understand the important role of SETU and its activists in building of a people’s organisation and in the formation of the Narmada Dharangrasth Samiti (NDS) in the submergence villages of Maharashtra in the mid- eighties. Ashokbhai explains the formation of NDS and its many intricacies and challenges there in. He also explains the role of civil society groups in consolidating the NDS and making the issue of SSP a state wide issue in Maharashtra.
He also explains the role of SETU and its members and supporters in taking the issue of the people to be displaced by the SSP from micro to macro level and from local to international level.
Interview Duration:
01:17:00
Language:
Audio in Gujarati, Subtitles in English
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