Submergence village Bhadal, Resettlement Site: Chikhali, Maharashtra
Manglia Pawara, a firebrand Adivasi leader of the Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) has been at the forefront of the movement for many decades now. Manglia’s village Bhadal is one of the 33 villages to have been submerged in the Sardar Sarovar Dam waters and he currently resides with his family in Chikhali resettlement site in Maharashtra. A great orator, Manglia has been a great mobiliser too. Popularly called just Manglia, his contribution to the NBA has been phenomenal, donning several responsibilities in the struggle Manglia’s views on the many strategies of the NBA provide important insights.
Manglia Pawara, a firebrand Adivasi leader of Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) in his oral history recordings explains the history of the Narmada struggle and issues concerning submergence, displacement and rehabilitation. In his interview excerpt here, he narrates his life in Bhadal, a scenic scheduled tribe community village on the banks of the Narmada and goes on to explain his views on the many strategies of the NBA. He talks about the early strategy of “Our Rule in Our Village”, to the change of strategy of the movement from “No One Shall Move-Dam Shall Not Be Built” to “We Shall Not Move- Dam Shall Not Be Built”. More importantly, Manglia explains in detail the many programs of the NBA in the power centres of India like Delhi and Bombay, the impact this has had on the Adivasis living on the banks of the Narmada and those who had never been to a large city or seen a train before. Manglia speaks about the strategies of jalsamarpan and the legal strategy adopted by the movement. Being a senior Adivasi leader of the NBA, Manglia’s views on the many strategies of the NBA provide important insights.
Clip Duration: 00:47:20
Language: Pawari and Hindi, Subtitles in English
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