The tune “Jai Jagat, Jai Jagat - Jai Jagat Pukaare Jaa - Sir Aman Pe Vaare Ja - Sab Ke Hit Ke Vaste - Apna Sukh Bisaare Ja” resonates in the streets of the small villages of Tamil Nadu [2] in India. As usual, the “jai jagat”, a popular song, accompanies the militants of Ekta Parishad, a gandhian movement of landless peasants, in their padyatra (march), giving them courage and energy for their struggle. From the 21st to 31st August, the members of the Ekta Kalam Manch, the cultural branch of Ekta Parishad, and many activists from Ekta Parishad sent a thrill through the villagers, in particular young people, to the rhythms of songs, music, dances, theatre plays, etc.

Many Indian villages face miserable situations and the state of Tamil Nadu is not an exception to the rule. The inhabitants have no homes, no lands; they are uneducated and live in conditions which are more than precarious. Nevertheless, these thousands of people do have an incredible potential: the ability to express themselves through culture. They know how to build instruments, how to play music, how to invent songs, how to tame monkeys, etc. As many talents which enable them to express their discontentment and their expectancies, but also to make them heard by the public decision-making bodies, notably regarding land redistribution issues.

Kamlesh Singh, 38 years old, has always had a passion for music, theatre, among others, and he has made no mistake. If his business studies suggested that he would work for a company, by choosing to be the leader of the Ekta Kalam Manch, he chose to support the landless peasants and to help them to get organized and to get united in their struggle. This is how last August, Keezhaiyur, a small village of the state of Tamil Nadu, welcomed young people from the region and members of the Ekta Kalam Manch of several other States of India. All these young people came to learn from each other, but also to learn how to fight in a non violent but efficient way.

Culture is one of these methods. To formulate their claims and to sensitize other villagers, they spent time talking, writing and listening to songs about their day-to-day life and on their way of seeing the future. Then, the teams of Ekta Kalam Manch of the states of Madya Pradesh and Chattisgarh presented a silent play, directed by the actors themselves, to enable all the spectators, independently of their language or dialect, to understand the message. “Two bonded labourers are fighting to get a chair, each one trying to find the more skilled and tactful manner to get it back. After a long and silent battle, the Zamindar (land owner) arrives and hits both of them with the chair”. An interesting way of denouncing and fighting selfishness and violence.

The play made all the spectators laugh, even if they recognized there a familiar situation: most of the time, the Zamindar usually arrange to divide and rule. A situation that Ekta Kalam Manch has understood quite well and against which it has been fighting for many years: indeed, it encourages all the landless peasants to mobilize together. After a few days, the young spectators became actors, but also the new promoters of “united we stand, divided we fall, strength through unity”. They gained confidence and above all became aware that by uniting, they could put pressure on the government and be heard.

FDH

Notes :

[1] « Jai Jagat refrain » : “March on with the slogan - Victory to the whole world - Let us offer everything - At the altar of peace - Let us stake our happiness - For the good of all”

[2] One of the States where the majority of the population is deprived of patas (the right to land)