Torch bearers of change

“This peace march is to address the state and the civil society, and tell them that we must engage in non-violence,” says Malayalam litterateur, Prof Sara Joseph, one of the 17 activists who participated in the Hind Swaraj Peace March, which travelled from Cherthala in Kerala — Joseph’s home state — all the way to the north-eastern state of Manipur from May 8 to 23. Their inspiration: peace activist Irom Sharmila (38) from Manipur.

All along their route, the group performed a play based on the book, ‘Irom Sharmila and the Struggle for Peace in Manipur’, which Penguin India published last year. Sharmila’s courage and unique action seem to have deeply touched many hearts and minds.
While performing ‘Meira Paibi’, members of Hind Swaraj Yatra campaigned for peace and initiated public discussions on the issue. The play was staged in three different languages — in Malayalam in Kerala, and in English and Hindi at other venues such as Bangalore, Chennai, Vijayawada, Pune, Bhopal, Delhi, Kolkata, Guwahati and Itanagar.  
‘Meira Paibi’, literally meaning ‘Woman torch-bearer’, talks about India’s north-east and the women there. The play depicts Sharmila, a young woman who has been fasting for the past nine years to protest against the violence in her state.

The peace marchers recognise this intrepid protester as an epitome of non-violence and Gandhian satyagraha (struggle for truth). By dubbing their journey the ‘Hind Swaraj Peace March’, they simultaneously marked the centenary of Mahatma Gandhi’s Home Rule Movement and his seminal work, ‘Hind Swaraj’, which criticised the brutality inherent in the modern capitalist civilisation.

The play shows how Irom Sharmila, a young poet and social worker, decided to fast after 10 citizens were gunned down by the para-military forces on November 2, 2000, and who has refused to eat until AFSPA is withdrawn.

The state authorities routinely arrest and force-feed her, but her incredible determination and sacrifice have won her a number of human rights awards and citations.
In Manipur’s capital city, Imphal, thousands of women activists have been sitting on relay fast for over 500 days now, with just one demand: ‘Repeal AFSPA, Save Sharmila’.
Coming to the play, ‘Meira Paibi’, Thanya plays the lead in the Malayalam version, while Ojas (a Maharashtrian actor) and Labeeb essay the role in the Hindi and English versions, respectively. After watching the performance at Delhi University, research scholar Navneet Sharma remarked, “It brought out women’s struggles in Manipur. It is commendable that women from Kerala are giving so much time and energy to such issues.”

Manipuri human rights activist Babloo Loitongbam said, “We got our first understanding of national human rights issues as students of Delhi University, in the 1980s and ’90s. Today, we have come full circle. Through Irom Sharmila, our issues are becoming known to the rest of the world and are being taken up by friends in Delhi, Kerala and elsewhere.”

Akhu, a young Manipuri lyricist, sang about the “hypocrisy, apathy and ignorance of mainstream Indians who don’t care about the North-East”. Emphasising the collective responsibility of India and its people, Chandran said, “The only choice before the oppressed classes is to embrace Sharmila’s way of  democratic struggle.”

Members of the peace march could not enter Manipur owing to a road blockade. Five of them managed to fly into Imphal, but they were refused permission to meet Sharmila. But before they returned to Kerala, they held a press conference in Imphal, expressing solidarity with the non-violent struggle being waged by her. Cultural action can inform and inspire thousands of people, motivating them to raise their voices for the common good. As the ‘power of one’ spreads, it is sure to usher in a peaceful world.