Gandhamardan struggle is far from over
Memories are interactive. Anti-Balco movement flashed the revolutionary tides of the memorable tribal uprising that was gathering momentum pursuing their natural proclivities 25 years ago.
STARTED SINCE 1980, the Gandhamardan battle is far from over. The Gandahmardan eco system is still in peril. It faces its worst threat in many fronts. From mining to drought, overexploitation of forest resources, faulty methods of harvesting medicinal plants and timber mafias has taken a toll. In eighties, Gandhamardan hills rich in biodiversity and bauxite were the platform for one of India’s most vocal peoples struggles to conserve forests and livelihood. One decade sustained anti-Balco revolution by the local people of Orissa and Chhatisgarh saw Balco wind up its Gang 213 Operation in Gandahmardan for Bauxite mining. It was a great people’s movement and victory both for the local forest dependent people and for the fragile ecology. Gandahamaradn sustains more than one billion people and is the source of two major tributaries of the river Mahanadi.
The stalwart of the Gandhamardan Protection Movement since the eighties has been Prasanna Sahu alias Swami Somabesha. Sahu worked as a young administrative officer with the Sambalpur University in the 1980s. Sensitive to the problems of Gandhamardan and the tribal people around it, Sahu left his secure government job, abandoned all attachments to family and property and jumped into the arena to become the chief architect of the Gandhamardan Protection Movement.
Later, he denounced all worldliness and became a saint in the Gandhamardan. This architect of conservation of ‘Bindhya Giri’ is now, Swami Somabesha, a resident in the Ashram of Kapila Muni. His sole aim in life is to protect Gandhamardan and check mining in the area for ever. Mininig in Gandhamardan should be banned forever. “Gandhamardan, as the epic says saved the life of Laxman thus making possible Lord Ram’s victory over Ravan. "The Balco agitation proved the people’s emotional attachment to this legendary mountain range, now Gandhamardan is not an issue of locals, it is an International issue because of the Global warming and climate change.” says Swami Sombesh.
Manabhanga village is pecked on the foothills of Gandhamardan. This was the first village to oppose the arrival of Balco. “The fight against Balco was a fight for survival, recalls the 87 years old Subhadra Mallick, who led the struggle. Worried about the fate of Gandhamardan, that sustains some 2 millions people, Subhadra and Dhanjaya utter: “We are like the old trees in the forest of Gandhamardan. Nobody can take it away from us. Gandhamardan is our mother, father, god and soul.”
Manabhanga village is pecked on the foothills of Gandhamardan. This was the first village to oppose the arrival of Balco. “The fight against Balco was a fight for survival, recalls the 87 years old Subhadra Mallick, who led the struggle. Worried about the fate of Gandhamardan, that sustains some 2 millions people, Subhadra and Dhanjaya utter: “We are like the old trees in the forest of Gandhamardan. Nobody can take it away from us. Gandhamardan is our mother, father, god and soul.”
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