P V Rajagopal
Encyclopedia
Rajagopal P. V., a Gandhian activist, is Vice Chairman of the Gandhi Peace Foundation, New Delhi, and the president and founding member of Ekta Parishad
, a grassroots right-based organization which organized the massive non-violent landless march Janadesh 2007
.
Rajagopal grew up in Kerala
, a state in southwestern India
and then pursued agricultural studies at Seva Gram. In the early 70s he worked in the violence-ridden area of Chambal in Madhya Pradesh
to help rehabilitate dacoits.
Rajagopal decided to use only his first name in order not to be associated with a caste.
In the years that followed, Rajagopal travelled to several tribal areas and developed an understanding of plight and needs of India's tribal people. Their cause became part of his lifetime mission. After setting up a number of training organizations across Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Orissa, the subsequent mobilization led to the consolidation of a people's organization, namely, Ekta Parishad
in 1991. This organization is focused on people's control over livelihood resources in an environment where land is being grabbed, and where forest rights are not being implemented. This is making the Gandhian vision of the advancement of self-reliant communities and local governance, more challenging.
to galvanize greater support among the poor. With a track record of 10 state level foot-marches, he led a national march to Delhi in October 2007. In the march, Janadesh 2007
25,000 people marched 340 kilometers from Gwalior to Delhi and compelled the Government to take action and land reforms and forest rights. The campaign had three main demands:
The campaign has three specific demands around land reform. These were:
After the marchers were locked up for a day in the Ram Lila grounds, the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
and the Rural Development Minister agreed to all the demands and set up a National Land Commission chaired by the Prime Minister on which Rajagopal was also given a seat.
Though the Land Reform Commission has issued its report, the government has not yet accepted it. Rajagopal is therefore organizing yet another, still larger march, Jansatyagraha 2012 which will involving 100,000 persons. The planning and carrying-out of the footmarch will be done by 6’000 leaders across 25 states.
1. Hans-Jurg Pfaff, Nonviolent Action. Der lange Weg zum eigenen Stuck Land. Pro Dok Indien 2008. DVD. 33 minutes. (German, English, French).
2. Louis Campana and Francois Verlet, La Marche des Gueux, 2008. (French and English).
3. Kuldeep Tiwari, Janadesh 2007 (Hindi.) 49 Min. Also Available on Vimeo
4. Vikram Nayak, Subki Apni Zameen Ho, (Let people get their own land) 23 min.
5. Raja’s Reise (Raja’s Journey), Karl Sauer (2007).
6. Saugues, S. (2008) “Janadesh 2007 – For a fistful of land” – Sauges Enterprise, France.
Ekta Parishad
Ekta Parishad is an Indian activist movement founded in 1991 by Rajagopal P. V. Ekta Parishad is a federation of approximately 11,000 community based organizations and has thousands of individual members...
, a grassroots right-based organization which organized the massive non-violent landless march Janadesh 2007
Janadesh 2007
Janadesh is the name of a national campaign on land rights in India launched by the movement Ekta Parishad. The word "Janadesh" means "The Verdict of the People" in Hindi...
.
Rajagopal grew up in Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
, a state in southwestern India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and then pursued agricultural studies at Seva Gram. In the early 70s he worked in the violence-ridden area of Chambal in Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh , often called the Heart of India, is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and Indore is the largest city....
to help rehabilitate dacoits.
Rajagopal decided to use only his first name in order not to be associated with a caste.
In the years that followed, Rajagopal travelled to several tribal areas and developed an understanding of plight and needs of India's tribal people. Their cause became part of his lifetime mission. After setting up a number of training organizations across Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Orissa, the subsequent mobilization led to the consolidation of a people's organization, namely, Ekta Parishad
Ekta Parishad
Ekta Parishad is an Indian activist movement founded in 1991 by Rajagopal P. V. Ekta Parishad is a federation of approximately 11,000 community based organizations and has thousands of individual members...
in 1991. This organization is focused on people's control over livelihood resources in an environment where land is being grabbed, and where forest rights are not being implemented. This is making the Gandhian vision of the advancement of self-reliant communities and local governance, more challenging.
Janadesh 2007
After consolidating a membership of 200,000 people (majority women) across six states, Rajagopal began using the Gandhian technique of foot-march or padayatraPadayatra
Padayatra is a journey undertaken by a politician and/or prominent citizens to interact more closely with different parts of society, educate them about issues concerning them and to galvanize his or her supporters...
to galvanize greater support among the poor. With a track record of 10 state level foot-marches, he led a national march to Delhi in October 2007. In the march, Janadesh 2007
Janadesh 2007
Janadesh is the name of a national campaign on land rights in India launched by the movement Ekta Parishad. The word "Janadesh" means "The Verdict of the People" in Hindi...
25,000 people marched 340 kilometers from Gwalior to Delhi and compelled the Government to take action and land reforms and forest rights. The campaign had three main demands:
The campaign has three specific demands around land reform. These were:
- Establishment of a National Land Authority to provide a clear statement of land utilization in India
- Establishment of fast track courts to settle past and future conflicts related to land
- Establishment of a single window system so that farmers can resolve easily and freely the land issues,
After the marchers were locked up for a day in the Ram Lila grounds, the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
Manmohan Singh
Manmohan Singh is the 13th and current Prime Minister of India. He is the only Prime Minister since Jawaharlal Nehru to return to power after completing a full five-year term. A Sikh, he is the first non-Hindu to occupy the office. Singh is also the 7th Prime Minister belonging to the Indian...
and the Rural Development Minister agreed to all the demands and set up a National Land Commission chaired by the Prime Minister on which Rajagopal was also given a seat.
Though the Land Reform Commission has issued its report, the government has not yet accepted it. Rajagopal is therefore organizing yet another, still larger march, Jansatyagraha 2012 which will involving 100,000 persons. The planning and carrying-out of the footmarch will be done by 6’000 leaders across 25 states.
Land Reform through Nonviolent Action
In the context of the continuing growth of Naxalism in Central rural India, Rajagopal's organization of Ekta Parishad with its mobilization of tribal peoples, women and youth as well as its advocacy of Land Reform, is one of the most successful nonviolent alternatives. While identifying the ongoing structural violence involved in industrial and government supported land grabs, Rajagopal has stood firmly by nonviolent action as the instrument of social change. By advocating social change through mass mobilization, he continues to make use of and enhance the democratic space of India, arguing, that "between violence and silence, there is another alternative, nonviolence".Documentation
Several films have been made of Rajagopal's work and the effort to establish and international solidarity of the poor around land reform issues:1. Hans-Jurg Pfaff, Nonviolent Action. Der lange Weg zum eigenen Stuck Land. Pro Dok Indien 2008. DVD. 33 minutes. (German, English, French).
2. Louis Campana and Francois Verlet, La Marche des Gueux, 2008. (French and English).
3. Kuldeep Tiwari, Janadesh 2007 (Hindi.) 49 Min. Also Available on Vimeo
4. Vikram Nayak, Subki Apni Zameen Ho, (Let people get their own land) 23 min.
5. Raja’s Reise (Raja’s Journey), Karl Sauer (2007).
6. Saugues, S. (2008) “Janadesh 2007 – For a fistful of land” – Sauges Enterprise, France.