Mayilamma

She is the best known face of the local people's struggle forwater preservation in Kerala's northern district of Palakkad. She has been inthe vanguard of the agitation, spearheaded mainly by the tribal community,against a soft drink major, Coca Cola, at Plachimada, 30 km from Palakkad town.

The genesis of the anti-Coke movement in Plachimada had itsorigin in dwindling levels of well-water and more manifestly, the change in thewater colour. Those were the first signs of water contamination. Backed by NGOs,she launched a satyagraha against the soft drink major on April 22, 2002. Thesatyagraha is still on and perhaps might end up as one of the longest spells ofa Gandhian mode of agitation, post-Independence.

The local people's initiative to protect their naturalresources owes much to her leadership. Hailing from the "IRALAVAR"tribe, this 56-year-old grandmother even now works as a farmhand. But heractivism often results in lost working days. She often sleeps in the pandal. Shedoes not belong to any political party. She resents party-ism that has playedhavoc with grassroots development. Earnestness and sincerity are her hallmark.She was married at the age of 15 but her husband died prematurely. She has hadno formal schooling.

She lives with her children and grandchildren near thefactory on a small piece of land. Her children work in turns to keep the familyhearth burning. Often they have to skip work to keep the agitation alive.

The protracted struggle is now before the Supreme Court. Allthis has only steeled her resolve to continue what she believes is a genuineagitation for people's basic right to healthy living. The struggle has broughther out of the confines of a tribal hamlet. She has travelled or been taken todifferent parts of the country on the campaign trail. She is consulted by greensactivists, researchers and social activists from both within the country andoutside. But Maylilamma is, even now, the simple, unassuming local villagewoman.