Letter From The Women Of Koodankulam
By Anitha S
14 February, 2013
Countercurrents.org
Dear Sister,
We hope this letter finds you all fine.
It is now many months since we last wrote to you. We know that for many, our struggle is considered lost or over. We, the women involved in the resistance against the Koodankulam Nuclear Power plant for the past 580 days write this to convey to you that we are still here, in the huge Samara Pandal at Idinthakarai village, in the courtyard of our beloved Lourdes Mary Church waiting for our questions to be answered and our fears and anxieties to be allayed.
Much has happened here since we last communicated. Good and Bad things. Our 3 women friends- Xavier ammal, Sundari and Selvi are back home after months of ordeal and conditional bail which kept them in Madurai. Our men companions charged with Goondas Act have been released though there are a few who are still jailed. We continue to be threatened and intimidated, our free movement restricted and uncertain. Life has not been easy.
We do not know the status of the happenings inside the KKNPP. When we hear that there are technical problems that are related to the security of the plant, we who live so close to it fear for the safety of our lives. We are still waiting for answers from the Collectors of the respective districts for information regarding Preparedness in case a disaster happens. We have demanded that a White Paper on the KKNPP be prepared and shared with us and all other struggling groups in the country regarding the validity of the Nuclear Power Plants. We have put forth the idea that there should be a National level Open forum where all documents regarding Nuclear Energy be made transparent and discussed- if each citizen, each voter in the country is convinced about this, then let the projects start operating with majority support as should be ideal in a Democracy.
We have had the best of celebrating New Year with friends and supporters from all over India coming here to us. We have travelled to Bhopal to receive the Chingari Award from Dr.Vandana Shiva. We went to Kerala to receive the Sukumar Azhikode Award from Swami Agnivesh. We recently attended the Uranium Film Festival at Thrissur organized by VIBGYOR Film Collective where many people listened to our voices. Our children have been to see V.R.Krishna Iyer and Smt.Mahasveta Devi to express our gratitude to them. We know that there are many with us.
Yet our questions and anxieties are still going unheard. Without removing that, how can we live in peace here?
We request you to remember that our struggle is not yet over. We are still here, everyday , every hour, still sleeping in the “ Medaii” as we call this, peacefully waiting for the one answer that will quell all our fears which is NO TO NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS. This we know will also put back the lives of people not just in Koodankulam but many parts of the country where there is resistance.
We continue to struggle based on the below:
Impact on our health and that of future generations
Impact on livelihood
Impact on the ocean, land and air
Impact on the Safe, secure life that we are leading
Unless and until these issues and other more complex issues are sorted out, any final decision regarding the KKNPP will be undemocratic and a violation of basic human rights.
We request you to remember that we are still here, that our lives are as important and precious as any thinking citizen’s in this country and our thoughts and dreams as significant as yours.
Do continue to support us and raise our issues in as many forums as possible.
Yes, we are still alive.And refuse to be wiped off just like that.
With respectful regards
Sisters from Idinthakarai
People’s Movement Against Nuclear Energy
Idinthakarai
Thirunelveli District
Tamil Nadu
February 14, 2013
Anitha.S ( [email protected]) in conversation with women friends in Idinthakarai.
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