A group of writers and activists will set out this week on a journey from Kerala to Imphal under the banner of the Hind Swaraj Centenary Samiti to highlight the satyagraha of Irom Sharmila, who's been on a hunger strike demanding repeal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act in Manipur. Sarah Joseph , acclaimed Malayalam writer and one of the organisers of the journey, tells Amrith Lal that Sharmila represents all women who believe that a non-violent world is possible:
What has prompted you and friends to organise this journey?
That a person is forced to undertake a hunger strike for 10 years to pursue justice in this country bothered us. So, is hunger strike a crime? If not, why is this satyagrahi treated like a prisoner? This was the instrument we used against colonial powers to win India's independence. A form of protest that played a remarkable role in our freedom struggle and was admired by the whole world should not be marginalised, we felt.
Civic Chandran (Malayalam poet and activist) and Gandhian activists felt the centenary of Mahatma Gandhi's Hind Swaraj was an occasion to highlight struggles that followed the principle of non-violence. We are living in an age where bomb making has almost become a cottage industry. This girl is demonstrating that there is a different way to fight for the rights of one's people. It needs to be respected.
Full report here Times of India
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