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Medha Patkar, the woman behind the Narmada Bachao Andolan movement is a pioneer in fighting for environmental conservation in India.
Medha Patkar
A voice for those who do not have much of a say, Medha Patkar is a social activist who spearheaded and participated in a number of social causes ranging from the Narmada Bachao Andolan to the Tata-Singur issue.
Whether it was the influence of her politically active parents or her innate nature, Medha Patkar was always inclined towards social work. She graduated with a Masters degree in Social Work from the reputed institute, TISS.
In 1989, Medha Patkar concocted the Narmada Bachao Andolan on behalf of the farmers and tribal people to prevent the Sardar Sarovar Dam from being erected on the Narmada river.
She has been firm on the issue and till date ensures that tribal agitations – be it for their own rights or for protecting the environment – get her full support.
In the Tata-Singur case, Medha Patkar played a pivotal role in curbing Tata’s intention of laying down a Nano plant, which would have rendered a number of farmers without land and hence without any means of income.
Medha Patkar’s work has been lauded and she has won several awards such as the Right Livelihood Award in 1991, M A Thomas National Human Rights Award from Vigil India Movement in 1999, Deena Nath Mangeshkar Award, Mahatma Phule Award, the Green Ribbon Award for Best International Political Campainger by BBC and the Human Rights Defender’s Award from Amnesty International.
Why we find her inspiring:
– For believing in and fighting for the causes of the underprivileged
– For her never-say-die spirit towards environmental issues
*Photo credit: Hindustan Times.
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UP Boards Topper Prachi Nigam was trolled on social media for her facial hair; our obsession with appearance is harsh on young minds.
Prachi Nigam’s photo has been doing the rounds on social media for the right reasons. Well, scratch that- I wish the above statement were true. This 15-year-old girl should ideally be revelling in her spectacular achievement of scoring a whopping 98.05% and topping her tenth-grade boards. But oddly enough, along with her marks, it’s something else that garners more attention – her facial hair.
While the trolls are driving themselves giddy by mocking this girl who hasn’t even completed her school yet, the ones who are taking her side are going one step ahead – they are sharing her photoshopped pictures, sans the facial hair, looking nothing less than a celebrity with captions saying – “Prachi Nigam, ten years later”.
Doctors have already diagnosed her with PCOD in their comments, based on photographic evidence. While we have names for people shamed for their weight – body shaming, for their skin colour- racism, for their age- age shaming, for being a female- sexism, this category of shaming where one faces criticism for their appearance has no name. With that, it also has zero shame attached to it.
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