Doctor Sugan Baranth

Doctor Sugan Baranth, a leading Sarvodayi and at the time of writing this (July 2020), is the National President of Nai Talim, promoting the education system inspired by Gandhian thoughts. Before taking up social causes, Dr. Baranth was a successful doctor with social conscience. Influenced by Jayprakash Narayan’s call to the youth, he 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 grew to be its president at the State and the National level. Dr. Baranth has been an active member of 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, President of Nai Talim and a senior Sarvoday leader has been one of the most active members of Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) particularly through the latter half of the nineties and early 2000. 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 when the final hearings were going on in the Supreme Court over the Public Interest Litigation filed by the NBA. This was also when the NBA had declared Jalsamarpan by its dedicated squad. Along with mobilising the youth in the Narmada Valley and formation of the Reva KeYuva, Dr. Baranth has been at the forefront in managing the Narmada Jeevan Shalas and the constructive work in the NBA. 

In his interview here, Dr. Barant speaks of his formative years, his practice of medicine, involvement in social causes, and participation in different movements right from the Marathwada movement in the seventies in Maharashtra to the Chatra Yuva Sangharsh Vahini and the Sarvoday movement. He talks about the different movements he has been a keen observer of 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 does a comparative analysis of different movements with the NBA like the Bhoodan movement, the JP movement and the Sarvoday movement. Dr. Baranth led the 2001 Satyagraha at Kasravad, Madhya Pradesh and he talks of the events that led up 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 program of the NBA and the Narmada Jeevanshalas. He also speaks of the impact large funding has on such work. Dr. Baranth speaks in detail about the struggle on the other dams on the Narmada like the Bargi dam, the Indira Sagar dam, the Goi dam, etc and challenges faced therein. 

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