thanks On 11/22/11, Sukla Sen <[email protected]> wrote: > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > From: "S. P. Udayakumar" <[email protected]> > Date: Tue, 22 Nov 2011 06:38:02 -0800 (PST) > > > Interview with S. P. Udayakumar by R. Nandalal ([email protected]) > done for a Malayalam newspaper. It could be useful to understand our > struggle. Please do get his permission if you are interested in using > this. > > > 1. 1. How did you happen to get involved in the struggle against > KKNPP? Can you elaborate on the initial stages of the struggle and on > the formation of PMANE? > > In the late 1980's, I started “Group for Peaceful Indian Ocean (GPIO)” > with my friends to protest against the presence of American, British, > French and Soviet navies with nuclear weapons in their Indian Ocean > bases such as Diego Garcia. We were naturally interested in nuclear > power and Koodankulam issue also. The project was shelved when Soviet > Union collapsed, Gorbachev lost power and Rajiv was killed. I went to > the United States for higher studies in 1989. When the Koodankulam > project was revived, I started an email listserv against the project. > When I returned to India in 2001, I met with Y. David, who had > spearheaded the movement before, and we started the People’s Movement > Against Nuclear Energy (PMANE) at Madurai in November 2001. > > 2. There are reported attempts on the part of nuclear authorities to > divide the protesters on the basis of occupation (fishing community), > locality (ignorant villagers), religion (Christian priests) etc. and > to discourage them from participating in the struggle. How do you > counter it and retain the unity among the protesters? > > Instead of listening to the people’s concerns and complaints and > taking action in a responsible manner, the central government is > trying all its dirty tricks on us. They try to divide us along caste > and communal lines; create fake and baseless support groups who do not > have any understanding on the issue at hand; try to confuse the people > with false and fictitious accusations about foreign funding, foreign > connections, anti-national activities etc. > > We counter it by speaking the truth in simple and straight-forward > language. Truth has its beauty and magic. We tell the people that all > these are devious attempts to divide and ruin us. Our honest and > hardworking people know who speak the truth and who lie to them. > > 3. Narayanaswami of the PMO and certain others have raised a charge of > ‘foreign hand’ in the opposition against KKNPP. It is alleged that you > are trying to scuttle India’s fast development in the energy sector > and doing harm to power-starved Tamil Nadu. How do you counter these > charges especially in the popular media? > > People of India know very well who are signing secret agreements with > capitalistic Russia,France and the United States and do not even > discuss these important issues with them or even in the Parliament. > People of India know very clearly who compromise their interests and > hand them over to “foreign hands” for their own selfish gains and > kickbacks. > > We admit India has growing need for electricity; and we are not > scuttling the “fast development” that is largely on paper and policy > pronouncements. We advocate much easier and quicker ways of finding > solutions for the energy needs. We suggest modernizing our electricity > infrastructure; eliminating transmission and distribution loss; > stopping theft; focusing on New Energies; setting up windmills, solar > power stations, and other installations all over the country; planning > ‘decentralized and demand-based’ generation (rather than ‘centralized > and supply-based’ generation); and think and act like a world leader > and not as world slave of western countries. > > 4. “The plant has been completed. Will it not be a waste of public > money if the plant is abandoned at this stage. Where have these > protesters been all these years?”. These are the questions raised by > even knowledgeable people. Your response? > > We have been protesting against the KKNPP project continuously and > consistently since its site selection stage. The government of India > (GoI) and the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) promised 10,000 jobs, > water from Pechiparai dam in Kanyakumari district and fabulous growth > and development to the people of Koodankulam village and alienated > them from us. These manipulated people thought we were their enemies. > Now the people of Koodankulam realize that they have been deceived and > have joined hands with us. GoI and DAE never shared the basic info > such as the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) with the local > people, never conducted a public hearing, and never bothered to > consult with us, or listen to us. Most importantly, they never took > our opposition seriously. Now they are accusing us of acting very > late. This is unfair. > > Imagine you are arranging a fabulous wedding for your loving daughter > with so much color and glamour. You spend a fortune on the wedding > arrangements and food and festivities. A few hours before the wedding > ceremony, the groom’s doctor tells your daughter that the boy is > suffering from AIDS and she decides not to marry him. What will you do > as a responsible parent? Will you think that it would be a waste of > your money if the wedding was abandoned at that stage, force your > daughter and go ahead with the ceremony? Or would you rather listen to > your beloved child, cancel the wedding and save your dear daughter’s > and grandchildren’s lives? This is exactly the case with the KKNPP. > Never mind the money spent; if the people think it is a bad project, a > responsible government should shut it down. > > We need not abandon the KKNPP project and the buildings. We can turn > it into a gas-powered station, incorporate the energy from all the > hundreds of windmills in the area, set up a super hybrid energy park, > house all the workers in the township and save Nature and natural > resources for the future generations. > > 5. Do you think that if the government approaches you with a proper > ‘package’, such as the one proposed by A.P.J. Abdul Kalam the > government can win over the majority of the people in the locality and > commission the plant? > > Our people who are fighting so valiantly for life, livelihood, Nature > and Future do not fall for this kind of petty bribes. > > 6. Has Dr. Kalam’s visit produced any impact in the locality? > > Yes, indeed. Dr. Kalam met with 25 contractors and Congressmen at > Chettikulam and announced to the country that he had met with the > local people. After a couple of days, on November 11, 2011, we held a > one-day hunger strike at Chettikulam village and at least 10,000 > people showed up for that. > > 7. There was report of one Vijayan along with a group of people > meeting the district collector and other officials pressing for early > commissioning of the plant. He has threatened with a struggle to > implement the project. Any comment? > > This NPCIL-fostered former Chettikulam panchayat president and his > large following of 25 people did launch their struggle. And met with > Dr. Kalam and collector. The struggle is over now. > > 8. Are you optimistic about the outcome of the struggle? Do you > believe that you will get the continued support of the Tamil Nadu > government ? What do you think of the chance of involvement of the > middle class in the Koodankulam issue? > > Yes, I am very optimistic about the outcome of the struggle. And I do > believe that we will get the continued support of the Tamil Nadu > government. If that is indeed the case, I also believe that the people > of Tamil Nadu will reward Ms. Jayalalitha with 40 MPs and she will > climb greater heights in India’s national politics. The chances of > involvement of the middle classes are really good as more and more > people realize that India’s nuclear projects are designed and devised > to create jobs for foreigners, make profit for foreign corporations, > and generate kickbacks and commissions for Indian politicians and > bureaucrats. > > 9. What is your view on the involvement of people from Kerala and > elsewhere in the struggle? Is it adequate? What would you like to tell > the people of Kerala now, from the active battlefront at Idinthakarai? > > As someone who lived and studied in Kerala, speaks Malayalam rather > well, and knows Kerala intimately with bosom friends, I have great > regards for the people of ‘God’s Own Country.’ People from all over > Kerala come to Idinthakarai almost every day and express their genuine > interest in shutting down KKNPP. It is not adequate though. They must > start a struggle of their own in Kerala to make the Kerala assembly to > pass a resolution against the KKNPP project and put pressure on the > GoI to do that. > > 10. “People are ignorant. It is up to the scientists to ‘allay their > fears’. What do these activists who have studied literature and > history know about the working of Nuclear Projects?” These have been > the words used by a few nuclear advocates to snub the antinuclear > activists opposing KKNPP. Do you wish to respond? > > This kind of Gaborian division of humanity into smart scientists and > dumb masses has become outdated. The days of nuclear arrogance are > over. (Dennis Gabor was a British scientist). > > 11. What are your views on nonviolent struggles in India and elsewhere > on environmental and human rights issues? Would you elaborate on > Gandhian non violence as a strategy for victory? > > I believe very strongly that only Gandhian nonviolence will deliver > goods in a fight for environmental justice. We have had several > significant successes in our country such as the Chipko movement, the > Plachimada movement and so on. To borrow the words of Vivekananda, it > all depends on 3 Ps of the movement: purity, patience and > perseverance. > > 12. Are the Tamil Nadu activists just saying that they don’t want a > nuclear plant in their backyard or are they in a mood to support anti > nuclear movements elsewhere? > > We want a nuclear-free Tamil Nadu, nuclear-free India, and > nuclear-free world. And we start with Koodankulam. > > 13. Don’t you feel the responsibility too heavy on the Koodankulam > movements as antinuclear struggles all over India are looking up to > the victory of Koodankulam as a morale booster? > > We are doing what we should be doing with utmost sincerity, honesty, > integrity and total commitment. Others can take what is useful, > relevant, interesting, noble, and effectual from our experiences. > > 14. Could you share some personal information on your birth place, > education, family, profession, interests, activities etc. for the sake > of readers here in Kerala. > > I was born to public-minded parents at Nagercoil in 1959. I went to > school and college in Nagercoil, did my first Masters in English > literature in Kerala University (1979-81), the second in Peace Studies > at Notre Dame University in Indiana (1989-90), and Ph.D. in Political > Science at University of Hawaii (1990-96). I taught English in > Ethiopian high schools for six years (1981-87) and studied and worked > in the United States for 12 years. I teach peace studies courses > (conflict transformation, nonviolence, human rights, futures studies, > sustainable development) in several universities around the world. My > wife and I run an alternative school at Nagercoil with the motto “a > green school for future leaders” and our boys attend that school. I > enjoy reading, writing, travelling and organizing. And I am a proud > farmer. > > > -- > Peace Is Doable > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Green Youth Movement" group. > To post to this group, send an email to [email protected]. > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > [email protected]. > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth?hl=en-GB. > >
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