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FROM THE FIELD

A human wall to save forest and life
29 Jan 2009 09:25:00 GMT
 Source: ActionAid International- India
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Website: Website: http://www.actionaidindia.org

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Women form human chain across Niyamgiri mountain
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Women form human chain across Niyamgiri mountain
Feroz /ActionAid
Over 20,000 tribal men and women from Orissa's Niyamgiri area marched through the dense forest to create a 17-km-long human wall across their god-mountain Niyan Raja that faces destruction from mining.

the forest and the mountain, in which they have lived a sustainable life.

Marching to save their god

"I woke up long before sunrise to reach where villagers gathered to stand around Niyamgiri. How could I not come, it is our life," says 45-year-old Dongaria Kondh.

She walked 70-km from Khambehi village in Rayagarha today to take part in the human chain that is part of the ongoing peaceful stand-off between the tribal and Vedanta, which is attempting to build an access to the mountain for mining.

People, including many children, from over 200 villages started converging since the wee hours to cover a 17-km stretch along the Niyamgiri foothills. The chain traversed From Ijirupa, across Jaganathpur, Lanjigarh, Kansari, up to Balabhadrapur.

Our life for the god

"Jiben jao, pache Niyamgiri thau (Our lives will go but our god will survive)," said a community leader Gapa Majhi while addressing the tribal congregation at Bahabhadrapur.

The peaceful protests chanted slogan of solidarity as smaller groups converged into bigger once, as all the jungle paths converged on the forest road, on a sweltering Tuesday afternoon.

Echoing the popular sentiment, Kumuti Majhi stated: "No company can take our forest that we have been protecting as our home for generations."

"The peaceful protest and the formation of human chain is a strong message from the indigenous community that they will continue the struggle for their rights right to the finish," says Bratindi Jena, who is a part of Niyamgiri Suraksha Samiti, a platform spearheading the campaign to save the mountain from being mined.

Only a fortnight ago Vedanta, the UK-based mining giant, had attempted to smuggle in land-movers for constructing a road leading to the Niyamgiri mountain top for mining of bauxite in the dead of the night. This lead a spontaneous protest and vigil by the villagers.




[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]

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[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]

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