National President, Nai Talim, Malegaon, Maharashtra
3–4 minutes
“… I mean Baba (Amte) had also told this to me that in a lot of matters a gap had widened between him and you… you means between the Narmada Bachao Andolan. He used to feel that, though it may not be from the other side… And a feeling had crept in his heart that,…“I am being used.” A “person” cannot be used; rather his “help” can be taken. So this feeling had intensified in his heart…And the other thing was that there was a lot of pressure from his family to come back home (to Anandvan)…The reason was not just Baba’s health, but the reason was that there must have been discussions among themselves too…And when they used to see things in a dispassionate manner at the direction in which Narmada Bachao was heading,…then the principal role which the movement had of saving the Narmada River,… it (the NBA) had gone somewhat ahead of that, towards becoming more broader in scope…it is getting too broad in scope, therefore don’t know if this struggle will, as we say in Marathi, reach its peak or not…A sharpness which should come in a struggle, they are (NBA is) falling short in that…And there were complications of their own too (at Anandvan)…The reason of deterioration in (Baba’s) health was a very subordinate one. The chasm here was a reason…and then Baba used to talk with me on these matters. That’s why Baba left…And it is right that because of Baba leaving (from Narmada),… a moral pressure which is there in the minds of the people because of a big person being around them, that reduced…”-
Dr. Baranth.
——————————————————————————————-
Doctor Sugan Baranth, is a leading Sarvodayi and at the time of writing this (July 2020), the National President of Nai Talim, promoting the education system inspired by Gandhian thoughts. Before he took up social causes [as a full time activity], Dr. Baranth was a successful medical doctor with social conscience. He was influenced by Jayprakash Narayan’s call to the youth, and was an active member of Chatra Yuva Sangharsh Vahini. Later, influenced by Sarvoday ideology of constructive work and struggle, Dr. Baranth became active in the Maharashtra Sarvoday Mandal and became the president of the State and the National Sarvodaya Mandals. Dr. Baranth has been an active member of the Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) and also a leading member in managing the constructive work of the NBA, particularly the Narmada Jeevan Shalas. He continues to be active in the NBA as well as Sarvoday Mandal and Nai Talim.
Dr Sugan Baranth, has been one of the most active members of the NBA particularly in the latter half of the nineties and the early 2000s. He led the monsoon satyagrahas at Domkhedi and Kasravad in 1998-99 and 2000 while the NBA was passing through one of its crucial phases. These were the years of the final hearings of the Public Interest Litigation case filed by the NBA before the Supreme Court. They were also the years when the NBA had declared Jalsamarpan by its dedicated squad. Besides mobilising the youth in the Narmada Valley and building the organisation Reva Ke Yuva (the youth of the Narmada), Dr. Baranth has also been in the forefront in managing the Narmada Jeevan Shalas and the constructive work of the NBA.
In his interview here, Dr. Baranth speaks of his formative years, his practice of medicine, his involvement in social causes, and his participation in different movements, ranging from the Marathwada movement in the seventies in Maharashtra to the Chatra Yuva Sangharsh Vahini and the Sarvoday movement. He also talks about the different movements he has been keenly observing, particularly the Shetkari Sangathan and the Bhoodan Movement. Being an active member of NBA, he talks about the various strategies as well as its many successes, and the challenges faced by the movement. Dr. Baranth also analytically compares the NBA with different movements like the Bhoodan movement, the JP movement and the Sarvoday movement. Dr. Baranth had led the 2001 Satyagraha at Kasravad, Madhya Pradesh and he talks of the events that led to the departure of Baba Amte from Kasravad, which was Baba’s home for over ten years as part of the Narmada struggle. Dr Baranth speaks about his involvement in the constructive programs of the NBA and the Narmada Jeevanshalas. He also speaks of the impact that large funding has on such work. Dr. Baranth speaks in detail about the struggle over the other dams on the Narmada like the Bargi dam, the Indira Sagar dam, the Goi dam, and challenges faced by these struggles.
Interview Duration: 2:26:36
Language: Hindi, Subtitles in English
Subtitles can be switched on and off by clicking ‘CC’ button at the bottom right of the video